Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra - Winter Gardens
RAZED to the ground under cannon-fire to the sound of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture would undoubtedly be a fitting end to the BSO's Bournemouth venue, the Winter Gardens.
Nevertheless the building miraculously survived Saturday's assault under the impressive direction of Michael Christie.
By the time you read this review Bournemouth council should have made the fateful decision and with the BSO promoting its "last-ever concert at the Winter Gardens" on January 20 they seem resigned as to which way culture versus coin will go. Not an event to celebrate, unlike the Battle of Borodino, inspiration for the 1812 Overture.
Thunderous applause from a packed house mixed with the drifting smoke in praise of what was surely the most exciting of all Tchaikovsky concerts ever presented by the BSO.
Piers Lane was the formidably-armed pianist in the First Piano Concerto. This was knife-edge stuff, if not note perfect, the kind of performance that had everyone gasping at the sheer audacity of Lane's bravado. The encore, Lyadov's A Musical Snuff-box, was a marvel of mechanical wit.
The introduction and Waltz from Eugene Onegin opened a wonderful concert made quite unforgettable by the inclusion of a stunning performance of the emotionally descriptive Francesca da Rimini.
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