Ulster Orchestra season: Eclectic programme of dark and light pieces makes for some uneasy listening

However, the following cello concerto titled ‘Oration’ by the pacifist Frank Bridge had all the darkness of a deeply-felt protest and reflection on the suffering of war, in this case the First World War.

The outstanding German soloist Gabriel Schwabe, whose recording of this music is receiving worldwide acclaim, and the orchestra gave a spellbinding account of this powerful lament including short passages reminiscent of Shostakovich’s epic ‘Leningrad Symphony’ with its own heroic condemnation of the Second World War, and also a brief bugle call echoing the ‘Last Post’.

It was not easy listening, but the music was a timely reminder that human beings continue to commit the greatest acts of violence and depravity.

Gabriele Schwabe’s encore aptly featured the ‘Lamento’ by Benjamin Britten, a former pupil of Frank Bridge, and the remarkable acoustic of the Ulster Hall enhanced the beautiful tone of the soloist’s cello itself, dating from 1695.

The second half featured Brahms’ sunny ‘Third Symphony’, which was like relaxing in a warm bath after the rigours of the two preceding pieces.

This composition with its gorgeous Third Movement, is very different from Brahms’ three other symphonies, and the conductor brought out all the nuances and the passion of this beautiful music, much to the appreciation of the players themselves who applauded him warmly at the end.

It is also inspiring to realise how fresh this symphony remains. It was completed in 1883, full of light and hope and tenderness, yet just 31 years later the world was plunged into the horror of “the war to end all wars”.

The next Ulster Orchestra Season’s concert will take place in the Ulster Hall on January 26, which will feature the music of Haydn and Weber, and the world premiere of Simon Mawhinney’s ‘A Pillar of Light for Haydn’.