Sadly, a limited view of the orchestra, even from the aisles |
What staging there was had sensibly been allocated to the percussion and brass sections. During the opening performance, of Dvořák's 1891 'Carnival Overture' the audience was treated to an exhilarating auditory and visual display. A huge pair of cymbals were the centrepiece, flanked by tympani and - a tambourine! That tambourine was very significant in the opening section. As the orchestra erupted in a fury of sound the tambourine added its surprisingly loud contribution. Just as quickly the excitement abated to allow the woodwind players to perform their contrastingly delicate solos. Almost inevitably, the temperature started to rise again, and the jingle of the tambourine prepared us for another another wild career through the sounds of the orchestra. Even with every instrument at full stretch that tambourine kept adding its two penn'orth until the final feverish flurry crashed to a close.
One of the five French Horns brought by the BSO |
To loud applause the invisible Sunwook Kim - er - disappeared into the north aisle, but must have reappeared again. A solo encore began which seemed perfectly suited to the building, filling the space well. The lyrical story-like piece was very familiar: 'Träumerei' from Robert Schumann's 1838 'Kinderscenen'.
Exit one grand piano - a spectacle in itself |
Bring on the contra-bassoon! |
'Pure Brahms' was followed up by 'Mostly Mendelssohn' with piano soloist Angela Hewitt on Thursday 3rd February (which ironically opened with Brahms). That concert is not covered here but Ivan Hewett was at the concert for the Telegraph and his review is posted at www.telegraph.co.uk.
Kirill Karabits will be back at the Cathedral with the BSO again next Thursday 17 February for a programme called 'Arabian Nights'.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Exeter Cathedral Thursday 17 February 7.30pm
'Arabian Nights'
Mozart: The Magic Flute
Strauss: Don Quixote
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Tickets from £9.50 (unreserved, side aisles)
Box: 665700 www.bsolive.com
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