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THE Bahrain Chamber Orchestra played to a small but appreciative audience on Friday at the Bahrain Cultural Centre.
The combination of such a talented orchestra, conducted by the enthusiastic Luke Dallagrana and led by the even more passionate David Hlawiczka, and the marvellous space that is the Bahrain Cultural Centre, meant that the only disappointment was the attendance of less than 100.
The concert started with Mozart’s Symphony No. 27, a real piece of music for the summer – light and delicate; an ideal start to the show. From there, a string octet played Mendelssohn’s String Octet in E flat major. It is a gentle, sweeping piece, and I, as a non-professional audience member, was tremendously impressed by both the complexity of the orchestration from such a young composer, as well as the tremendous sense of togetherness that the octet displayed as they shared their obvious love of the music with the audience.
After a brief intermission, the evening was wrapped up with the Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 1. It’s a lively piece, played with engaging enthusiasm and magical musical skill and was the perfect way to bring an entirely lovely evening of entertainment to an end.
Residents of Bahrain often complain that there is a lack of cultural opportunities in the country, and therefore I would like to extend my congratulations and appreciation to the musicians who are giving our small society an opportunity to enjoy such a professional concert, and I hope that Bahrain can look forward to many more in the months to come.
Review by Iain Rawlinson
