‘Simply as good as it gets’ ★★★★★ Prom reviews

‘It’s hard to believe’, said the Guardian review, ‘that Sinfonia of London only gave its first live performance in 2021. Three years later, this hand-picked super group has a reputation that outshines most established orchestras, and brings audiences out in droves.‘

‘Sinfonia of London, the all-star super-band, rode into a full-to-bursting Royal Albert Hall once again last night’ said ArtsDesk, ‘with an all-American programme that promised not just crowd-pleasing Stateside favourites (Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in its centenary year, Barber’s Adagio for Strings) but the towering Yosemite peak of John Adams’s massive symphony-in-all-but name, Harmonielehre.’

‘Unforgettable excellence‘ stated The Times headline. It went on ‘boy, the way the Sinfonia of London played John Adams’s Harmoielehre was something else. The Prommers immediately erupted at its triumphant end, a heartfelt response to an unforgettable performance. The musicians gave us a hotline straight to the composer, cutting right to the heart of the piece.’

Referring to the Adams, iNews described how ‘its challenges are immense: the music’s rhythms and textures pound, shift and glisten as only Adams’s can, and the players have to strain many sinews to stay on board’ but concluded that ‘it would be hard to imagine a better performance. In the hands of Wilson and the Sinfonia of London, every musical cell was urgent with energy, the details diamond-sharp, the pace assured, the balancing of textures unerring and the ensemble unified enough to resemble a giant piece of chamber music. This peerless conductor and his musicians work as if with one mind and breath. Still, that’s what we’ve come to expect of this super-orchestra…’

The Guardian agreed that ‘never mind the calibre of Wilson’s address book: ensemble this tight is not born but made, forged with care and rehearsal.’ ArtsDesk added, ‘I hope we never take, not just this orchestra’s glossy high-definition virtuosity, but Wilson’s ferociously vigilant attention to instrumental and dynamic detail, for granted. He makes every gig into a gala occasion. This was no exception.’

Broadway World declared the concert ‘an awesome demonstration of why Wilson’s Sinfonia has such a blistering reputation. John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London have rightly earned a reputation for holding audiences rapt with their vivid realisations of music. Last night, you could have heard a pin drop in the majestic Royal Albert Hall, as they returned to The Proms victorious.’

Broadway World went on, ‘Wilson really is a master of breathing life into the light and shade of music, bringing out almost unknown textures and angles. The result is breathtaking, with levels of energy and vivacity rarely seen on stage. Sinfonia of London comes with a reputation of pinpoint accuracy that Wilson manages to sharpen into both dynamism and fluidity. No wonder they are now an established favourite.’

iNews concluded, ‘The whole concert was a glorious display of orchestral virtuosity. Whether slaloming through Copland’s tricksy-rhythmed ballet suite from Billy the Kid, joyfully hamming up Rhapsody in Blue with Steven Osborne its nonchalantly stupendous piano soloist, or creating the most hypnotic of hushes in Barber’s Adagio, this was simply as good as it gets.…What a night.‘