Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Music Review in Bristol
Posted on: 2016-05-06
Our rating:
From its beautiful first movement, through an adagio exploiting the haunting sound of the oboe, to a conclusion conveying Brahms inner gypsy and a hint of humour, this piece was played with vigor and gusto.
The audience at Bristol’s Colston Hall were transported away on a wave of musical mastery on Thursday 5th May 2016, as Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra returned to the city with their powerful and commanding Titans concert.
Renowned for their skill in putting together inspiring and rousing programmes combining precision playing with a unique creative energy the Colston Hall’s resident orchestra did not disappoint, delivering a forceful and emotionally intense programme which showcased their usual artistic flourishes and inimitable style.
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This really was a clash of musical titans, as conducted by the dynamic and exciting Kirill Karabits they kicked off the evening with Brahms Violin Concerto. Scored for solo violin and a pared down orchestra, this is a piece full of sentiment and passion, with sequences of turbulent emotion intercut with a dreamy lyricism that keeps the listener entranced until the very end.
Composed by Brahms in 1878 it was written for his friend Joseph Joachim, the most famed and virtuoso violinist of the time. This gives us some idea of the complexity of the piece and the tremendous technique demanded of the violinist performing the work. With generous use of multiple stopping, broken chords, rapid scale passages, and rhythmic variation, it kept soloist Guy Braunstein on his toes and the audience on the edge of their seats.
From its beautiful first movement, through an adagio exploiting the haunting sound of the oboe, to a conclusion conveying Brahms inner gypsy and a hint of humour, this piece was played with vigor and gusto, and gave us a truly formidable performance from the soloist, who ably supported by the orchestra was technically spot on and deserving of the audience’s rapturous response.
The second part of the evening was an utterly compelling and stirring rendition of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 ‘Titan’. Coming in at under an hour, this is the shortest of Mahler’s works and a suitable introduction to those new to the talent of this composer.
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From the very first notes his affinity with nature was apparent, as the orchestra took us on a bold journey starting with Spring and new beginnings played out in harmonics in the strings, distant fanfares and hints of birdsong, moving on to a robust waltz played on woodwind and upper strings indicative of happy times and celebration, through to a third movement symbolising death, the procession of a funeral march and the ensuing emotional turmoil, and then a final movement which blasted out a cacophony of noise, filled with thumping drums, cymbals and the horns doing their very best to drown out the rest of the orchestra as the story ends with a triumphal welcome into the ever after.
Played with energy and dexterity by this group of hugely talented musicians, it brought the crowd to its feet in admiration.
As always the BSO brought a memorable and rather marvelous concert to Colston Hall, delivering 2 distinguished pieces with finesse and confidence. A truly breath-taking evening from this celebrated orchestra.
5/5
Reviewed by Sarah-Jane Howard for 365Bristol.com - The leading events and entertainment website in the city
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Sarah-Jane is an aficionado of film, theatre, culture and the arts. A voracious reader and avid crafter, she can be found volunteering her face painting talents at Bristol Zoo when she's not cementing her reputation as Coalpit Heath’s cake maker extraordinaire. Known to have an opinion on everything she’s never happier than when sharing these with the good folk of Bristol!
