BELLA BARTOCK returns to the Fairfield Halls for the start of a season of concerts, and to check out the new wallpaper. Inside Croydon’s Editor is beginning to worry that she may have rather expensive tastes…

At the beginning of the 2011 subscription series of concerts, it was a pleasant surprise to see the result of the refurbishment of the bar, foyer and café which has swept away the rather dingy municipal décor and replaced it with a light, airy ambience. The café is greatly improved and the Champagne Bar by the Sun Lounge is a welcome development.

The concert on Feb 19 featured the London Mozart Players conducted by Joseph Wolfe with Chloe Hanslip as violin soloist. The opening work, Bartok’s Romanian Dances was a lively performance which gave full rein to the folk dance inspiration of the work.

This was followed by Dvorak’s violin concerto beautifully played by Hanslip, fully revealing the composer’s inspiration by Bohemian folk melodies. The performance received much well-deserved applause.

After the interval the first work was Melody in A minor & Tango.

I have always found Piazzolla’s work vastly over-rated and this performance did nothing to change my view. The first section was an example of what music critics call “the composer attempting to extend the range of the instrument” with the violins playing rapid passages interspersed with shrill harmonics and the cellos banging on the body of their instruments. The tango was pleasant enough, but instantly forgettable.

However all this was forgotten with a sensitive performance of Mozart’s Symphony No36, K425 “Linz” which was greeted generous applause.