BSO is back with a bang in a gold-plated season opener

By Mark Thomas, 30 September 2020

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“earthly wonders, cosmic questions and life-affirming joy”

Reviewed at Lighthouse, Poole on 30 September 2020

Bach, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott - Cantata, BWV80 (arr. Karabits)

Mahler, What the wild flowers tell me (Second movement from Symphony No.3, arr. Britten) (arr. Britten)

Ives, The Unanswered Question

Beethoven, Symphony no. 7 in A major, Op.92

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

David Hill, Conductor

Ning Feng’s Korngold is not quite a “Hollywood hit” in Poole

David Truslove, 26th November

Sian Edwards takes the helm of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Britten, Korngold and Dvořák, with mixed results.

***11

A Prom of two halves: Mark Wigglesworth and the Bournemouth SO

Leighton Jones, 20th July

The BSO play a trio of 20th-century greats — Ravel and Shostakovich both taking inspiration from the age of jazz, while Walton’s First Symphony provides contrast.

***11

Die Fledermaus at The Grange: Cabaret meets G&S

David Karlin, 20th June

A fine singing cast gives creditable performances in Johann Stauss II's most famous operetta, but Paul Curran's updating of Act 2 to 1930s Berlin takes the fizz out of the Champagne.

***11

Alena Baeva delivers transcendent Berg at The Anvil

David Truslove, 25th January

Polished playing and inspirational performances in Basingstoke that underline the exciting relationship between Mark Wigglesworth and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

*****

The Rake's Progress at The Grange: richly entertaining

David Karlin, 23rd June

Singing performances are excellent, the staging is well crafted and Stravinsky's eclectic score entertains from start to finish. But it's an evening's opera that doesn't touch the soul.

****1

Voices from the East: a musical marathon with a gripping finish

Peter Quantrill, 19th May

Kirill Karabits and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra present a day of composers from the former Soviet republics with heroic skill and stamina.

****1

More reviews...

Mark Thomas

A lifelong devotee of classical music, Mark caught the bug after listening to The Planets, The Rite of Spring and Beethoven’s Fifth when he was knee-high to a grasshopper. He has degrees in non-musical subjects and currently works as a Chartered Governance Professional, but these have proved to be mere distractions from the wonders of sonatas, concertos and symphonies. He has been reviewing for Bachtrack since 2016, plays viola and violin (very shakily) and used to sing a bit (even more shakily).

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is back with a bang in a gold-plated season opener