Fantasia Orchestra concluded their residency at Smith Square in a concert shared with the mezzo-soprano Niamh O’Sullivan. The essence of this ensemble’s mission is to invite collaboration and juxtaposition between musical genres, and here the focus was on twentieth-century song in all its various forms, with vocal numbers interspersed with arrangements for string orchestra of pieces with strong vocal connections.
We began with the famous Billy Strayhorn number ‘Take the “A” Train’. It took a bit of getting used to hearing this solely on strings rather than with a full wind and rhythm section, but they certainly found their swing in the course of it. Here it is right to point out the quality of the arrangement by Harry Baker, the first of many in this concert that made us think afresh about the harmonic layering and development of familiar works. This was very much the case in the lush Gershwin and Kern numbers that followed where curlicues of string phrasing provided a continuous halo of sound around the voice, and even the final brief play-outs of the songs were delicately scored to register a final vivid impression.
The rest of the first half was given over to Mahler and Strauss. The famous Adagietto from Mahler’s 5th symphony worked well in an arrangement for strings and harp, and Tom Fetherstonhaugh desrves credit for keeping the tempo moving, a reminder that it is not an actual adagio. But the revelation here was a couple of new orchestrations of songs by Alma Mahler, whose work still needs to be better known. The orchestration lightens up from within textures that would otherwise seem clotted and too dense on the piano. O’Sullivan’s diction was excellent, pointing and projecting these complex songs to great effect. The first half concluded with a performance of a Strauss rarity, his Serenade opus 7. This is an early work with fairly predictable four-square harmony, but already demonstrating the flowing, endlessly evolving, melodic lines typical of the mature composer. The playing here was not quite as immaculate and focused as elsewhere, especially in the central climax.
The second half got underway with another lovely arrangement of Jerome Kern, with delicious counter-melodies moving through the string lines. The theme in this sequence was the progression from evening and night through to morning, with wistful salon pieces by Elgar and Strauss songs at the centre. O’Sullivan’s voice is ideally suited to Strauss – the cool control of creamy tone and focused pointing of the text are entirely right for this repertory. Her dialogue with the violin solo of Samuel Staples in ‘Morgen’ was a delight, and a reminder that so many of these songs only reveal their full bloom when orchestrated.
The same could be said for a fresh arrangement of Sondheim’s ‘Send in the Clowns’, where a prominent part for solo cello emphasised the vulnerability at the heart of the lyric and provided the key to opening up its harmony to interesting variations not normally heard in concert performances of this number. We concluded with Gershwin and Porter classics: occasionally, as in ‘I get a kick out of you’, both orchestra and soloist were too strict in tempo and formally precise in delivery – this song was written for Ethel Merman after all! – but elsewhere, as in a meltingly beautiful encore rendition of ‘Summertime’ they got close to the heart of the music.
This innovative programme showcased the abilities of the performers to great effect and whets the appetite for future collaborations. It was a delightful way to wind down on a summer’s evening in Westminster.
Fantasia Orchestra
Conductor: Tom Fetherstonhaugh
Soloist: Niamh O’Sullivan
3 July 2026
90 minutes with interval
Photo Credit: Kaupo Kikkas