In the West Road concert hall there really isn’t anywhere to hide—which is maybe an unfortunate state of affairs for a student orchestra. Suffice it to say that the Cambridge University Symphony Orchestra could have profited from more rehearsal, better section leadership, and (sigh) a bit more energy. In a setting as exposed as West Road, one can really hear (as well as see) when musicians don’t care for the music they’re playing.

The concert opened with Verdi’s overture to La forza del destino. Not a huge addition to the programme—I think it will be forever associated in my mind with Gerard Deperdieu’s tired hunchback in Jean de Florette—this piece could easily have been jettisoned, leaving more time for the rehearsal of the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto that followed.

Credit (and most of the above stars) must go to Joe Shiner for a sparkling performance of the Nielsen—a fearsome concerto even for professional soloists. Though he used a part on a low music stand, there was remarkable dexterity and familiarity to Shiner’s performance. There was the sign of palpable relief on his face when it was all over (and even after certain moments during the performance—in particular, the fiendish staccato solo towards the end of the first movement).

The orchestra, on the other hand, was under-rehearsed, sloppy, and lacking in dedication. The strings were poor all evening, and they were exceptionally poor in this piece—phrases lacked direction, intonation was bad, bowing off, sections poorly led (particularly the low strings), and back desks allowed to skive off learning to actually play the notes on the page. All of this could have been tidied—Christopher Stark could have addressed rhythmic problems, for sure. It made a mockery of Shiner’s commitment as a soloist, with such a large body of the strings seemingly uninterested in accompanying him with any enthusiasm.

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth symphony (which I feel is over-performed, but never mind me), was tighter and better rehearsed—maybe the strings, this time, knew what it was supposed to sound like. There were still problems, however. The brass, woodwind and horns were on top form—with the brass setting marvelously buoyant tempi, which were only to be systematically dragged by reluctant string players. The conductor this time, James Henshaw, seemed unwilling to engage with the strings on their level, his eyes pointing upwards toward the wind players. “They already know what they’re doing,” I wished I could say, “deal with those blasted cellos!”

An orchestra is really only as good as its string section, and in this case the strings were all over the place. Particularly during the Nielsen, which I feel they, unforgivably, ruined. Overall, a pretty disappointing experience.