Jan 2, Monday Pop. Boyd Neel String Orchestra, Leon Goossens

The orchestra (with some added) played as well as ever & Boyd Neel conducted admirably, firmly but without rigidity. Vivaldi’s Symphony no.3 in G was so short that most of the audience seemed surprised to find that it was all over. It made a pleasant introduction to Bach’s lovely concerto in A for oboe d’amore and strings very beautifully played by Leon Goossens, on what was presumably the proper instrument since the tone sounded less reedy than that of an ordinary oboe. There followed, unexpectedly, a most attractive Elegiac Adagio for solo quartet and strings by Lekeu, a work which is only barely mentioned in the works of reference. His early Death was propably an even greater loss to modern music than Chausson’s since the latter had after all 20 more years of life in which to show his qualities. Benjamin Britten’s Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge, attractive tho’ it is, still strikes me as being overlong & would probably be improved by the omission of nos. 6 – 8 (Bourée, Wiener Waltz & Moto Perpetuo) which I feel to be inferior to the rest. But the work is written with authority {&} is a most acceptable addition to the repertoire of the string orchestra.