Dunedin Consort kicked off its 2026-27 season on sparkling form in the Queen’s Hall on Sunday with a programme of Haydn, CPE Bach, Martines and Mozart. So writes Lindsay McMurdo for theQR.co.uk…
The concert was greatly enhanced by the presence and artistry of internationally renowned pianist Angela Hewitt (here playing the fortepiano) in her first Edinburgh appearance for several years. Quite the coup for the Dunedin Consort and an indication of how highly it is regarded in musical circles well beyond its native Scotland.
The evening opened sans Hewitt with Haydn’s early Symphony No. 6 in D major ‘Le Matin’, under the direction of consort leader Matthew Truscott, who also contributed some sprightly obbligato work on lead violin. The opening “sunrise” was delivered with great sonority before breaking into the main Allegro in which the main figures switched deftly between string and wind sections (all performed on period instruments). This call-and-response approach continued entertainingly through the (wind-free) Adagio and subsequent Menuet e Trio before a vigorous romp through the final Allegro.
Audience appetite suitably whetted, Hewitt arrived on stage for CPE Bach’s Concerto in C major, which she also directed from the keyboard. Her apparently effortless mastery was on display from the off through the Allegretto first movement’s constantly rippling triplets. There were a couple of moments where the fortepiano, with its reduced output compared to a modern piano, was slightly overwhelmed by the orchestra, but that is to criticise the composer rather than the performer.
No such problem was evident in the Adagio second movement where Hewitt produced a lovely legato tone to maximise Bach’s aching melody and the surprisingly fluid tonalities of the orchestral accompaniment. The final Allegro was another opportunity for her to display her terrifically fleet finger-work. Very few players possess the technique to play at such speed while still allowing a tiny chink of light between each note. Hewitt is one of them and it’s a joy to hear.
Angela Hewitt and Dunedin Consort Master Mozart and Martines
After the break came the evening’s curio, the Sinfonia in C major by Marianne von Martines, the only female composer of the Classical period known to have written a symphony. She was a pupil of Haydn but the spirited and appealing opening Allegro sounded precisely like early Mozart (and none the worse for that). The following two movements sounded under-worked and forgettable to this reviewer, though delivered with aplomb by the orchestra.
“Audience appetite suitably whetted, Hewitt arrived on stage for CPE Bach’s Concerto in C major, which she also directed from the keyboard. Her apparently effortless mastery was on display from the off…”
Hewitt returned to the stage for the evening’s culminating piece, Mozart’s breezy, good-natured Concerto No 14 in E flat major, which allowed her to give full rein to her aforementioned finger-work in its outer movements (including a sensational cadenza in the first movement) while savouring the lyrical calm and warmth of the Andantino.
This was world-class playing from start to finish, and no less so from the orchestra. The audience’s prolonged ovation at the end was rewarded with an encore of the Adagio from JS Bach’s Concerto in F minor, bringing a wonderful evening to a serene and calming close.
Featured Image: Angela Hewitt director, fortepiano
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