This was billed as a launch, even though Chromatica Orchestra is essentially a rebranding of the Bath Festival Orchestra – which was itself relaunched by the violinist and conductor Peter Manning in 2021. Manning is now Chromatica’s founding artistic director, working alongside the violinist Maren Bosma. The choice of a venue slightly off the regular concert-hall circuit was one of several aspects – the highlighting of education work, the introductions given by members of the orchestra, the marketing – that signalled an intention of doing things a little differently. Whether that will translate into a distinct identity for this orchestra of early-career musicians, which will necessarily have a changing membership, will be interesting to see.
If this concert was aimed at new audiences, it didn’t play it safe. The only surefire crowd-pleaser was Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, which hit right in the solar plexus.
