'Fingers of Steel Hidden Behind Muscles of Velvet'

Anthonia Chalmers on a Sunday afternoon concert by the Chiswick Chamber Orchestra

Sandy Burnett and the orchestra's members receive the audience's applause

February 3, 2026

Venturing into the warm church from the pouring rain on Sunday afternoon (1 February) to enjoy the relatively familiar Mozart works – Piano Concerto No 21 and the “Jupiter” symphony, I had not heard of either the conductor (Sandy Burnett), or of the piano soloist (Viv McLean). And indeed, I presumed Chiswick Chamber Orchestra to be non-professional. Well, I was stunned by the virtuosity of both orchestra and soloist.

Nor was I familiar with Mozart’s Overture to Mitridate, rè di Ponto K87 - a light and enjoyable piece during which I loved the somewhat dancing behaviour of a conductor who nonetheless was precise. Having played the violin in my youth, I thought he was really easy to follow, and found myself smiling as I observed the elegant movements of the hand not holding the baton.

However, when we came to the concerto and I was only six rows back in St Michael and All Angels church, I could hardly see the piano soloist, Viv McLean, and hence not view the dexterity I could hear, see the quote from Paris's Le Monde in the article title, and only sometimes could I see Sandy Burnett because of the raised lid of the grand piano.

I would love to have seen Viv’s hands, as his interpretation stunned my listening in its virtuosity. It is a pity that lifting and lowering a grand piano to and from a viewable platform is both dangerous and likely to disrupt the tuning.

Personally, I love the slow movement of the piano concerto. Fifty years ago in Johannesburg, I attended tap dance classes taught by the choreographer of many Billy Wilder films, Wally Green, and the theme of the film Elvira Madigan (2 nd Movement of Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major K467) was our wind down music to which we stretched slowly at the end of class.

Was Mozart veering towards Beethoven in his final symphony? Hardly; Mozart published “Jupiter” on 10 August 1788, aged 32; Beethoven, born in 1770 would only have been 18 and didn’t write his first symphony until 1801, aged 31. To me however, the grandeur of “Jupiter” has some of the grandeur of Beethoven’s nine symphonies to come; apparently Beethoven was very appreciative and influenced by Mozart. It is amazing, that alongside other pieces, Mozart wrote Symphonies 39, 40 and 41 within eight weeks in the summer of 1788.

The symphony (No. 41 in C Major) concluded a very pleasurable Mozart afternoon. It was pleasing that before commencing it, Sandy turned towards the audience and suggested, with the orchestra playing excerpts from the Jupiter symphony to illustrate, that Mozart had incorporated elements from his other works including from operas, particularly Don Giovanni.

The concert served as a reminder that next month in St Peter’s (St Michael and All Angels sister church), Addison Singers (AS) will be performing, prior to Dvorak’s Mass in D major, Mozart’s Dixit et Magnificat KV193 (186 G), a piece that nobody in the large AS Oratorio Choir has sung previously! Please come.

Anthonia Chalmers

The event was sponsored by Whitman & Co Estate Agents

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