Without a doubt, autumn is my favourite season. Growing up on the cusp of the Glens of Antrim, this was always a truly idyllic time of the year as the leaves went through their seasonal metamorphosis and everywhere seemed to burn red, copper and gold.
If one cannot be there at this time of year, I must admit that a jaunt through mid Wales will also quench one's 'season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' pangs. And so, I am rather looking forward to our first On The Road concerts of the 2014/2015 season as we head to St Asaph and Newtown for a weekend of concerts.
Our first stop will be at the North Wales International Music Festival; an annual festival at St Asaph Cathedral founded by William Mathias in 1972. The festival's loyal and plentiful audience truly makes it a pleasure for us to attend each year. (They also serve biscuits with their tea and coffee which, in my books, really helps rehearsals run smoothly.)
I greatly admire the scope of the festival; the mixing of local and international artists always results in interesting programme, and it is held in such beautiful surroundings.
The following afternoon, we perform at Hafren in Newtown in a programme optimistically entitled 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' by someone in our office who is dying to hang on to that summer feeling.
For both concerts, our soloist will be our Principal flute, Matthew Featherstone. I really enjoy hearing our Principals take centre stage, and this will be the first time Matthew has taken on the concerto soloist mantle since his appointment.
We will also be bringing a new work by Welsh composer, Gareth Glyn. Gareth has created many amazing arrangements for the orchestra's education work, and while his skill for writing works suitable for multiple skill levels never ceases to amaze me, it is great to get the opportunity to play one of his bona fide orchestral scores.
On the programme you will also hear Mendelssohn's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', a work best known by string players as 'A Midsummer Night's Nightmare' due to its inability to be excluded from audition excerpt lists.
This work comes from Mendelssohn's incidental music to Shakespeare's play of the same name, and it requires a great deal of control in the bow. It's one of those works that you can never play too quietly for a conductor. Conductors like to use words like 'gossamer', 'fly-away' and 'even quieter, please' when this work comes up - all of which are perfectly apt, but sometimes makes you want to say 'I'm barely touching the strings as it is! Any less and I won't be here!'. Still, it's a great piece, and I do actually really like playing it. It also features the flutes rather prominently, as any flute player will insist on telling you.
As the 2014/2015 season gathers pace, we really hope to welcome you to our concerts around the country. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales is your national orchestra, and it is our privilege to bring high standard music-making to you.
Please do talk to the musicians, or to any of our staff you see at the venues. If you will you be attending any of our On The Road series this season we'd love to hear from you. Let us know what you are looking forward to via Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #NOWOnTheRoad
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales visit St Asaph Cathedral, as part of the North Wales International Music Festival, on Saturday 27 September, 7.30pm, and Hafren, Newtown on Sunday 28 September, 3pm.
