Alena Baeva delivers transcendent Berg at The Anvil

Alena Baeva in rehearsal with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

By David Truslove, 27 January 2025

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“the paradise-gained closing bars were as ethereal as one could wish for”

Reviewed at Anvil, Basingstoke, Basingstoke on 25 January 2025

Strauss II, An der schönen blauen Donau (The Blue Danube), Op.314

Berg, Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel"

Brahms, Symphony no. 2 in D major, Op.73

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Mark Wigglesworth, Conductor

Alena Baeva, Violin

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

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

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra head to “London Town”

David Truslove, 21st February

An evening of two halves, each demonstrating different facets of conductor, soloist and orchestra in performances of Brahms and Vaughan Williams.

****1

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David Truslove

After many years as a musician – conducting choirs, singing as a lay clerk at Winchester Cathedral and an involvement in education, David now writes programme notes, occasionally composes and enjoys a busy schedule of reviewing.

Alena Baeva delivers transcendent Berg with the BSO at The Anvil