Programme:
Franz von Suppé Overture to the Queen of Spades
Sergei Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 10
Encore: Shostakovich Waltz from Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2
On Thursday evening Willow Orchestra gave its auspicious debut concert at Holy Sepulchre Church under the direction of founder and conductor Bogdan Skrypka.
Made up of mostly young professional musicians, the 50-strong orchestra presented a very ambitious programme, rumbling the arches of the old church with the magnificent sounds of the great Russian masters Rachmaninov and Shostakovich.
The first half consisted of Franz von Suppe’s Overture to the Queen of Spades, which was followed by Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, during which the orchestra was joined by pianist Soohong Park. The second half was dominated by Shostakovich’s monumental Tenth Symphony.
Despite the ambitious programme for such a young orchestra, there seemed to be no better person to lead them through with great energy and spirit than Bogdan, who founded Willow Orchestra at the end of last year, giving the group of people he occasionally got together to play music with an official title. Thanks to his background in playing percussion, Bogdan kept a strong pulse which kept the orchestra buoyant throughout the Overture, opening the concert strongly with this rather obscure crowd pleaser.
Pianist Soohong Park, winner of the Guildhall Gold Medal in 2020, then joined Bogdan for one of the most famous concerti in classical music, Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, an audience favourite due to its incredible array of dazzling virtuosity, lightheartedness, swoonworthy melodies and harmonic richness, all condensed into a 25-minute long journey. Despite having a less-than-ideal piano at his disposal, Soohong conjured up beautiful sounds from the century-old Steinway. His brilliant musicianship integrated with the orchestra so that it was a collaborative performance rather than a display of soloistic egotism. His technical prowess was almost taken for granted because he never made a show of it, but it is a truly strong testament of Soohong’s technical abilities to be able to pull off the Rhapsody on that piano last night. For his part as conductor, Bogdan followed Soohong closely, keeping the orchestra in time while navigating all the tricky time signature changes whose difficulties are only apparent to the players. A brilliant performance of such a beloved piece.
After the interval, the orchestra embarked on Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, a mountain to climb not only for the conductor but also for the orchestra.
It was an ambitious undertaking, perhaps a little too ambitious for an orchestra with a string section of only about twenty people, and for a venue that would vibrate for a long time at the merest clash of a cymbal, but Bogdan’s energy was infectious and the music never lost its flow, culminating in a dramatic flourish so typical of Shostakovich’s symphonies.
Ending on a lighter note, Soohong was brought back on stage alongside a saxophone quartet to perform Shostakovich’s immensely popular Waltz from Suite for Jazz Orchestra No. 2.
It was night of joyous music making and camaraderie. Bogdan’s infectious energy and Soohong’s humble yet brilliant artistry made for a wonderful combination to kickstart a season of concerts for Willow Orchestra. We have much to look forward to from them.
Literally Left-handed 
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