Famous TV actor comperes stunning concert straight from golden age of Harrogate's Royal Hall

Before the curtain rose on the debut concert by Cuore Chamber Orchestra, Freddie Fox, charismatic star of Apple TV’s Slow Horses, paid tribute to Samson Fox, his distinguished ancestor, and mayor of Harrogate in Victorian times, who funded the building of Royal College of Music, as well as the Royal Hall in Harrogate, and the rapturous audience for turning up in such numbers.

The 35-piece orchestra, with the inclusion of the Elmore Quartet, elected for an all-British first half amid the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of VE Day – Holst, Elgar and the lesser known but impressive Lennox Berkeley.

From the off, the warm thrum of strings signalled that this was a group of players with exceptional ability drawing on the very highest standards.

Poised and perfectly weighted but dynamic and slashing when required, the second half’s superb performance of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings showed the heart and soul that its Artistic Director and Conductor William Dutton has put into the creation of Cuore Chamber Orchestra.

Born in Leeds and brought up in Harrogate, Dutton marshalled what was a stunning debut with a mix of relaxed confidence, a steely patience and energetic enthusiasm.

In an era of funding cuts and high costs in the arts, the creation of a new orchestra is a pleasant surprise and a public statement of faith in the power of music.

But, such was the high quality of the new orchestra’s very first public performance, the evening conjured up musical ghosts of the past from the Royal Hall’s golden age; Elgar, Britten, Yehudi Menuhin…

It was the sort of night the Royal Hall was made for, bringing the history of the venue full circle in a manner Samson Fox himself would surely have recognised and been proud of

This formidable new orchestra’s debut season beginning in late September in Harrogate is not to be missed.

Information: https://cuorechamberorchestra.com/