How Worthing Philharmonic and Worthing Symphony are blazing parallel trails

The look on soloist Leo Popplewell’s smiling face said much. Without him, the orchestra’s crescendo was concluding the big and thrilling opening movement of the Dvorak Cello Concerto. He was radiating delight at how his and their performance had unfolded, and what they had conveyed in the music, and about it.

All was evidently well in Popplewell’s world after all his preparations with conductor Dominic Grier and now the Worthing Philharmonic Orchestra rising to the occasion. Grier and WPO’s storm-tossed account of Schumann’s Manfred Overture had set the stage for this justly adored Concerto, and after going all the way with Popplewell in the two remaining movements to complete his satisfaction, they then garnered further admiration in giving Worthing Assembly Hall its maiden hearing of Carl Nielsen’s tight, exciting and original Symphony No 2. ‘The Four Temperaments’.

Worthing Philharmonic and Worthing Symphony are blazing complementary parallel trails in the town’s twin-barrelled classical orchestral life. The Symphony, with director and conductor John Gibbons into his third decade at the technical and artistic helm, are blending some of the best of British music with beloved worldwide classics, plus surprises from almost anywhere else. Gibbons records for Toccata Classics with the Latvian orchestra at Liepāja, and took Worthing Symphony into Idil Biret’s famously immense Naxos catalogue with two Mozart Concertos, one recorded live at Worthing.

Gibbons also verbally illuminates and tips off his audience about the music from the conductor’s rostrum in a personal relationship with the fans, whose trust in what he selects to perform for them has earned him greater freedom and flexibility. And his orchestra of professionals from London, the capital of world classical musician resources, can handle anything he decides they’ll play.

Dominic Grier’s now eighth year with the Philharmonic has them reportedly playing their best in living memory – and classical musicians have long ones. He trained latterly at Covent Garden, where he works in the Royal Opera and Ballet, also seasonally in performance with Birmingham Royal Ballet, and in theatre and live orchestral concert engagements in European countries. His Philharmonic are seasoned expert players, often conservatoire-trained, and drawn from the music and instrumental teaching ranks of the South Coast.

Grier has musical fire in his belly. His Philharmonic groundwork is carving them out a new era and he is excited enough by their capacity that he’s recently chosen to leave London, live in Worthing and commute wherever else. The next Philharmonic concerts spell out the solidity of their offering: Elgar’s Cockaigne, Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto and Walton’s First Symphony (5 March); the Prelude and Liebestod from Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde, Strauss’ Four Last Songs and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony (11 June).

Music director Grier elaborates: “I’ve set the orchestra a 5-year plan and we’re at a point now where I don’t have to think twice about certain repertoire. I think we can soon be presenting in our concert hall some classical greats – things like Ravel’s Rhapsodie Espagnol, The Nutcracker in full length, The Firebird, and even Act 1 of The Valkyrie – as well as items of film music, of which we performed some outdoors in Worthing this summer.”

“John Gibbons and I do try to avoid pieces clashing. We do confer, although the Rachmaninov Second Piano Concerto this season was unavoidable. I don’t see it as a rivalry between the two of us. We have a large orchestra each time, whereas the Symphony sometimes presents in chamber dimension. It’s my duty to allow our players to play the core repertoire of 19th and 20th centuries to suit our constant size. This means we’re offering something distinctive, we can sometimes theme a concert, and we can also collaborate with a choir, which are good ways forward.”

In a national future of such uncertainty, unpredictability, economic strain and personal stress, the British customarily reserve personal resources to ensure they gain the morale and spiritual uplift of going to live arts performances. And the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s ongoing research is saying the nation’s younger people are keying in on classical much more, having absorbed its power during frequent encounters of its constant digital presence in film and games.

The Philharmonic will be breeding and nurturing new Worthing audience in the substantial evergreens of the classical and romantic decades, alongside the growingly familiar 20th century ones. While the Symphony will be combining similar established items, along with the new discoveries, introductions, revivals, curiosities and special one-off concerts Gibbons presents to established classical fans happy and ready to expand their listening experience.

Both orchestras will be in popular Assembly Hall action in these seasonal weeks. Worthing Philharmonic’s traditional Christmas Concert with Worthing Choral Society, Sompting Village Primary School Choir and compère John Clayton this Sunday 18 December (3pm) under the triple conductorship of Grier and WCS’s pair of Aedan Kerney and Sam Barton.

Worthing Symphony deliver their New Year Concert of Viennese and other related composers on Sunday 8 January (2.45pm). Gibbons and WSO leader Julian Leaper waltz, march and polka their annual devotees through the afternoon. Tickets for either concert from Worthing Theatres and Museum box office.

Richard Amey