Winter concert 2023

10th December 2023

Last night’s December concert was performed by probably the largest Colinton Orchestra ever with 59 players on stage.

We opened with the overture to The Wasps by Vaughan Williams. To mark 150 years since the birth of Sergei Rachmaninov we then played his Vocalise in the composer’s orchestra arrangement. The first half closed with two of Grieg’s Symphonic Dances.

A few years ago, the orchestra purchased the parts for A Carol Symphony by Victor Hely-Hutchinson with the intention of playing one movement each year and then perhaps performing the complete work in a future concert. This year it was the turn of movement four which is a rollicking fugue based on the opening of the first movement, interrupted by “Here we come a-wassailing” and “O come, all ye faithful”.

The brass section then played Steven Verhelst’s A Song for Japan which he wrote in 2011 as his reaction to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that ravaged Japan in March of that year.

For a number of years, we have been rehearsing a symphony over the whole year, performing a movement in December and then the complete work in our concert in May. The work chosen for this year is Sibelius Symphony No. 2 and we closed the concert with the final movement.

Spring concert 2023

After a decidedly chilly December concert in a temporary venue, we were pleased to be back in our normal performance venue of Polwarth Parish Church for this May concert.

The concert opened with the Hebrides Overture (Fingal’s Cave) written by Mendelssohn in 1829 after a visit to Scotland. This was followed by Pavane, one of Gabriel Faure’s most popular works. The first half of the concert ended with a performance of Land of Fire and Water by the Edinburgh composer Tom Cunningham. This work was commissioned by the Open Orchestra and premiered in December 2022.

During 2022/3 we have been rehearsing the first symphony of Amy Beach, the first successful American female composer. We performed the first movement in our 2022 winter concert. This evening, we performed the complete symphony.

21st May 2023

Winter concert 2022

Due to the non-availability of our usual concert venue, this evening’s performance was given in a new venue for us - St Michael’s Parish church in Slateford Road. It was a cold and icy evening so it was heartening to attract such a large audience.

During 2022/3 we are rehearsing the first symphony of Amy Beach, the first successful American female composer. The first movement of the symphony was performed this evening and we are working towards performing the complete symphony in our May 2023 concert.

The developing tradition of a member playing a work for solo instrument and orchestra was continued with Rionna Bell giving a lovely performance of Alice Mary Smith’s Andate for Clarinet and Orchestra.

A few years ago, the orchestra purchased the music of A Carol Symphony by Victor Hely-Hutchinson with the intention of playing one movement each year leading to a final performance of the complete work. This project was interrupted by Covid-19 but we are now back on track with a performance of the second movement. With two more movements to rehearse, we should perform the whole work in 2025.

11th December 2022

Open rehearsal

To celebrate being back playing music together after almost two years, we have held an open rehearsal at which the audience watched us working with Julian, our conductor. The music was “Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nuremberg” by Wagner, “From the Bavarian Highlands” by Elgar and “Symphony No.8 (Unfinished)” by Schubert.

 There was no admission fee for this event but retiring collection was taken with all the profits being donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Appeal.

We are now looking forward to resuming rehearsals in September in preparation for our December concert.

22nd May 2022