Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/ Levin/ Ticciati. Snape Maltings. August 12. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has been around since 1986.

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment/ Levin/ Ticciati. Snape Maltings. August 12.

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has been around since 1986. As a self-governing orchestra with no single conductor in charge, the individuality of its performances has played a large part in putting "period" orchestral performance on the map. A concert by the OEA is nearly always a special event, and, with a few caveats, this was true of the all Mozart programme they brought to Snape under the direction of the young conductor, Robin Ticciati.

When visiting Paris in 1778, Mozart, at the request of the dancer and choreographer, Jean Georges Noverre, wrote some numbers for a revival of a Viennese ballet, Les Petits Riens. Scored for strings and full wind band , a suite of twelve of these short pieces provided a splendid opening to the evening. The music, especially the Overture, played at the beginning and end, has the same sort of exuberance as his "Paris" symphony, composed at the same time, and Robin Ticciati's conducting conveyed this admirably.

Exuberance, as well as sensitivity, were evident in his direction of the E flat major Piano Concerto,K482, though, particularly in the outer movements, the orchestra seemed too powerful for the soloist. Sometimes one wondered if Robert Levin's sensitive playing was coming from the quietest fortepiano yet invented, and it was only in the slow movement that the balance seemed satisfactory, with the lovely wind solos contributing so much to its enjoyment.

Ticciatis energy and drive were put to greatest effect in the final work, the G Minor Symphony,K550, a powerful performance with the orchestra giving their very best.

Frank Cliff