Ulster Orchestra season: Barry Douglas and Niall Keatley shine on Shostakovich and Rimsky-Korsakov

First time the attraction was the young pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason playing Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, followed by Mahler’s ‘Titan’ First Symphony.

Last Friday it was the appearance of pianist Barry Douglas and Niall Keatley, both local boys made good, performing the Shostakovich Concerto No 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings followed by Rimsky-Korsakov’s stunning showpiece ‘Scheherazade’, which once again filled the hall.

There was also the impressive first piece, Witold Lutoslawski’s ‘Little Suite for Orchestra’, which provided a stirring opener based on Polish folk songs, under the baton of the young and already distinguished Polish conductor Anna Sulkowska-Migon who in her first visit to Belfast showed her affinity with the music of her compatriot.

Barry Douglas’s previous public appearance locally was on the final night of his Clandeboye Festival in August playing a Mozart concerto with his Camerata Ireland Orchestra, but his performance of the Shostakovich concerto on Friday could not have been more different.

It is technically very complex but Barry was equal to every challenge, as was trumpeter Niall Keatley.

At the end it was good to see the two standing together – Barry from Methody and Niall from the Belfast School of Music and the Ulster Youth Orchestra – and both having moved on to such noteworthy musical careers.

The mood changed dramatically for the second half, with a convincing performance of the lush and swirling ‘Scheherazade’ which remains a timeless concert favourite.

The horrendous story, of course, is based on the monstrous Sultan Shahryar who threatens his beautiful wife with death unless she keeps him spellbound with her long tales. The orchestra en masse rose to her defence with an inspiring overall performance, and a number of outstanding solo contributions

It all added up to a memorable climax with a peaceful ending, and Scheherazade and the rest of us survived to tell another tale. This was another memorable evening with the Ulster Orchestra in one of the best concert halls anywhere.

The next evening concert in the Ulster Hall is on October 18, starting at 7.45. It is part of the Belfast International Arts Festival, and will feature Bernstein’s dance episodes ‘On the Town’, as well as Joe Chindamo’s ‘Ligela’ and Rachmaninoff’s First Symphony.