Name of Society:   Bathgate Concert Orchestra

Date of Concert:    19/05/06
Venue:   Howden Park Centre, Livingstone

Has an application been made to M.M.S. for Funding? NO

I visited your Society as above and would comment as follows:

Concert Planning/ Publicity/ Venue: 

Not in a position to comment on planning and publicity. The venue was reasonably accessible - it is a community centre but to arrive by car would seem to be an advantage. There are facilities for the disabled, indeed there were several disabled in wheelchairs at the concert. Refreshment facilities for the interval are more than adequate. The concert hall was equipped with tiered seating which provided an excellent view of proceedings whilst the seating itself is comfortable and provides reasonable legroom for taller patrons. The hall is also quite small and provides a fairly intimate atmosphere to proceedings.

Management: 

The event ran quite smoothly. It did start some minutes late but I think this was due to patrons arriving at the hall late because of car parking problems - as I almost did! A compere operated throughout the concert, a little superfluous I felt as the programme clearly defined the items to be performed and described the background to each one individually. I did not feel that the gap between each item was an appropriate point to tell jokes as well as introduce the next item. This is a personal view for the audience seemed to enjoy them!

Music:

A wide variety of music was on offer almost entirely by nineteenth century composers. I wondered whether music by earlier composers had been performed in past but recent concerts and was not therefore going to be repeated so soon. Most was quite familiar on hearing even if one could not have put a name to it without access to the programme!

Printed Programme: 

This was an excellent document. It provided an interesting and informative description of each piece of music to be performed as well as a separate one page listing of the works. It acknowledged the orchestra's supporters and its membership of MMS although it does not seek financial support from us. It listed the orchestra's members and how to contact the orchestra if interested in joining and how to become a Friend of the orchestra. Furthermore it provided a brief history of the organisation and its aims. Indeed everything one needed to know was there except a little information about the Selah Singers, a choral group who provided choral interludes during the first and second halves of the concert. Admittedly, reference to the group was made by the compere but reference in the programme would have been appropriate.

Presentation and Performance:

 There was some variation in dress code, some men wore full dinner jacket dress others no jacket. If this presents problems then perhaps jackets should not, for uniformity, be worn. Entry to the platform was orderly and platform discipline was good throughout.The concert got off to a rousing start with the 'Entry of the Gladiators'. I had some difficulty in picking up the rhythm of the waltz in the 'Amoretten Tanze' but I enjoyed the remaining two items in the first half, the Coppelia Ballet Selection and the Three Dale Dances where all sections made their contributions well. However the conductor and his orchestra kept their best playing for the second half which built to a climax through the final three items, Peer Gynt, Fingal's Cave and Farendole from L'Arlesienne. In particular the last two items were moving yet pacey and exciting as well and brought the concert to a satisfying conclusion with the whole ensemble playing splendidly together and seeming really to be enjoying it. To great acclaim conductor Marzella treated us to an encore of the closing bars of the Farendole. Also notable was that the version of Granada had been arranged by orchestra member Archie Smith.

Any Other Comments:


SIGNED_P.M.Richards_____[Visitor] DATE __20/05/06___________