The third concert last week in the "Campus Classics" series at the O'Reilly Hall, UCD, was conducted by Mark Shanahan. The programme was called "Classic Romance" and consisted of ten pieces, most with romantic associations and written in the 19th century; the second half was devoted to Russian composers.
Marzio Conti was the soloist in Donizetti's Flute Concertino and Genin's Variations on Themes from Rigoletto. In the Donizetti, Shanahan's direction of the RTE Concert Orchestra was sluggard and unyielding; but things went much better in the Genin, with good rapport all round. This confection of twiddles around Verdi's tunes is the sort of thing which gives virtuosity a bad name. It needs consummate technique and a wide range of tone colour. Conti displayed all that, and so effectively that one could almost forgive the music.
The orchestral performances were variable. There was a snappy, robust account of Glinka's Russlan and Ludmilla Overture, and some good solo work in the Nocturnes from Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Borodin's String Quartet No. 2, the latter arranged for full orchestra. But several pieces plodded along, especially Schubert's Rosa munde Overture.
Mark Shanahan was taken ill during the second half, but after a break of several minutes was able to continue. Thereafter the playing was at its best, especially in a swirling performance of the Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
Campus Classics concludes with "Opera Classics" this Wednesday in UCD's O'Reilly Hall (6.30 p.m.)