“Classical compositions don’t come much bigger or more impressive than Mahler’s Symphony No 3... The orchestra was nearly double its normal size ... Adrian Brown exerted total command over the singers and instrumentalists and the result was an artistic triumph. And in particular, the clever creation of distant sounds from military bands provided a few moments of real musical magic and an almost eerie realism.”
Kentish Times
“The conductor Adrian Brown was in total command of the complex architecture of the piece (Sibelius’s ‘Pohjola’s Daughter’) and the orchestra gave a memorable performance ... Orchestra, conductor and soloist (Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1) alike matched the desolate aspects of the score and the rare and beautiful melodic sections with a professionalism that now pervades the orchestra ... It (Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’) weaved its traditional magic in an exciting performance by all concerned."
Kentish Times
"... a fine account of Elgar’s orchestration of Bach’s Organ Fantasia and Fugue in C minor ... Finally came Anthony Payne’s now famous elaboration of the sketches of Elgar’s Third Symphony, of which Adrian Brown has given more performances than any other conductor. This was a noble and passionate reading of stature, thorough enjoyed by the very large and appreciative audience."
Musical Opinion
"Grieg’s popular ‘Peer Gynt’ Suite, which began the evening, was a breathtaking feast of musical excellence... The concert ended with a performance of a symphony which changed the course of music forever (Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’) ...The conductor could not have injected more passion, emotion and discipline into the players than they showed in what is a demanding work – the encores for players and conductor alike were well deserved.”
Kentish Times
"Brown began the evening with a fizzing account of Rawsthorne’s once-popular Street Corner ... Equally robust was his conception of Elgar’s Falstaff ... this is ‘programme music’ which makes a greater impact the more a conductor brings out its underlying abstract design – something of which Brown was keenly and gratifyingly aware."
The Classical Source
"It is very difficult to provide a critique about a musical ensemble that seems to get better every time I hear it ..."
Kentish Times
"... The performance was perfect and the conductor appears to have instilled a professional approach to all the musicians. There can be very few so-called amateur orchestras that can maintain such high standards."
Kentish Times
" ... The orchestra’s distinguished conductor, Adrian Brown again showed that his bond with the musicians has created a highly professional ensemble which gives the term ‘amateur’ a somewhat hollow ring. ... The performance was exceptional (Mozart’s Symphony No 39) and the wind instruments were outstanding in the first two movements..."
Kentish Times
"The warm applause at the end of the concert confirmed that the finer points of the performance (Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben) were not lost on the audience"
Kentish Times
"The Corsair overture by Berlioz was bright, colourful, and exciting while Prokofiev's complex 5th Symphony was directed with such precision by the conductor, Adrian Brown, it positively bristled with the sounds created by the composer’s supreme grasp of melody, drama and orchestration."
Kentish Times
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