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Birmingham Post
Orchestra of the Swan, Civic Hall Stratford-Upon-Avon
8 February 2006

John Woolrich - The Street of Crocodiles premiere
Stratford's Orchestra of the Swan ought to give master-classes in how to build audiences

Concerts at OOTS' comfortable home base invariably draw heartening attendances, there is a genuine empathy between the musicians and their listeners, programming is an exciting blend of the well-loved with the new, and conductor David Curtis can be found mingling with the punters before, during and after the performances. Nothing could be further from the ivory tower.

Curtis' enthusiasm extends to a continued search for development in his own role. Returning from sessions with the great Finnish conducting coach Jorma Panula, he has developed a resourceful economy of beat which actually leads to sweeping expansiveness of phrasing and acute concentration, an approach which brought wonderful results on Monday for Schubert's well-worn Symphony no.5. This was a totally delightful, heartwarming reading, with some particularly delicious flute-playing from Diane Clark.

Also part of the magic is OOTS' fearless promotion of new work, engagingly introduced by composers from the platform. Monday's commission was John Woolrich's The Street of Crocodiles, inspired by the short stories of the Polish writer Bruno Schulz.

Scored for strings and piano and trumpet soloists (Huw Watkins and Toby Coles on masterly form), its episodic structure perfectly reflects a stroll past the shops in the eponymous street, and Woolrich's attractive clarity of writing ensures that his well-defined ideas remain instantly memorable.

Christopher Morley