The venue was Cardiff University Music Department’s quaint 240-seat concert hall, turned around to fit the symphony orchestra within its confines – the musicians were on the floor and the audience was on the stage. This provided a somewhat different place from which to view the performance but the acoustics inside were surprisingly good.

Written between June 2001 and February 2002, Rosauro’s second Marimba concerto is written in the usual style of 3-movement, fast-slow-fast, with 2 distinct solo sections for the performer to really get their teeth into. Elson performed with great style and musicianship and completed some extremely difficult 4-stick passagework with aplomb. The style in which she performed was extremely admirable also – having travelled to the USA to see the composer in person, the latin rhythms and melodies some western performers struggle to come to terms with were completed with ease and showed an in-depth knowledge of the music. On one occasion it appeared as though the very technically challenging orchestral parts were becoming out of sync with the soloist due to the constant changing time signatures, but Elson was able to adjust and carry on performing to the very best of her ability. The best work was reserved for the solo sections which provided a marked contrast to the music with the orchestra – it provided a pleasant change to hear the marimba in its full solo glory and to hear what the instrument can do in the hands of an accomplished performer. It was also very interesting to hear the compositional technique of the neck of the sticks being played on the wooden keys – something which I had not seen or heard before this performance. For me, this was the peak of the whole premiere, and again, was completed with accuracy and detail many would find hard to reproduce.

Overall, a fantastic performance and one that provided the entire concert given by the Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra with a high point to remember. Elson performed fantastically well and will definitely be one to watch in the future.

Written by Matt Hall