Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concert season 2014 / 15 Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts
Kirill Karabits Principal Conductor
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Welcome to the 2014 / 15 Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Season here at Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts. The BSO is a unique orchestra with a unique remit. From our home in Poole, we create and perform concerts that empower the music scene across more than 10,000 square miles of the South and South West of England whilst maintaining a vibrant and important national and international stature.
Introduction from Dougie Scarfe Chief Executive
Huge credit must go to the members of the Orchestra for their brilliant playing and also to Principal Conductor Kirill Karabits for his outstanding artistic leadership, so deservedly recognised at the 2013 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.
Our 2014/15 season contains a number of important musical strands including the completion of our Prokofiev Symphony Cycle, which has so thrilled audiences and critics in the last year. We commemorate World War One with two powerful concerts and we also celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Richard Strauss.
We are delighted to welcome Sunwook Kim as our Artist-inResidence for the season. Anyone who has heard Sunwook perform will know what a special musician he is and his superb relationship with Kirill and the Orchestra is sure to lead to very memorable performances.
Alongside much loved artists returning to the BSO, we also welcome debuts from outstanding new talent including Andreas Ottensamer (principal clarinettist of the Berlin Philharmonic), Yulianna Avdeeva and a trio of acclaimed conductors from the US and Canada, Joshua Weilerstein, Julian Kuerti and Cristian Macelaru.
As ever our range of programmes and artists is designed to inspire our loyal regular supporters whilst finding new ways to welcome new audiences of all ages and tastes. Throughout the season we encourage you to find out more through our range of online resources on the BSO website.
We continue to champion the role that culture plays in enhancing the communities in which we live and I would like to thank everyone who supports this remarkable organisation. Your support has never been more important and I look forward to welcoming you to another season of great music-making.
Beyond the concert hall
At the BSO we are passionate about inspiring people of all ages and communities to take part in live music-making and musical events, helping to bring people together and express themselves, encourage well-being, develop new skills, offer new opportunities and enrich the curriculum. BSO Participate, our pioneering Community and Participation Department, has developed five specially tailored and distinct strands of activity.
blast School workshops and curriculum based projects. BSO musicians work with over 1,000 children every month in primary, secondary and special needs schools and work closely with 18 Music Education Hubs and youth orchestras across the region.
Resonate Family and community performances and participation events. BSO ensembles perform family concerts, coach and perform alongside amateur players and work with community choirs and music groups from Cornwall to Hampshire.
bbs Musical exploration and play aimed at parents and young children. Fun concerts and lots of hands-on workshops focusing on antenatal to five year-olds in a family-friendly environment.
rising talent Focusing on exceptionally talented young musicians and emerging artists. The BSO is proud to have showcased the early careers of young artists and continues to encourage talented young musicians, working in partnership with South West Music School, South West Youth Orchestra and Sherborne School.
boost Promoting health and wellbeing through music. Projects include regular Tea Dances as well as workshops in hospitals and care homes, and our pioneering Dementia Orchestra in partnership with the Bournemouth University Dementia Institute.
To find out more about our varied projects visit BSOlive.com/bsoparticipate
Soaring Strauss
Robert Levin
In his 150th birthday year what better way to launch a season than with soaring Strauss? His sumptuously scored tone poem indebted to Nietzsche (with its opening “sunrise” popularised in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey), charts a musical odyssey rich in grandeur and poignant intimacy. Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony meshes the tradition of clarity and formality with the renegade spirit of his early works. Prokofiev claimed that it was what Haydn might
have written had he lived in another century, and Haydn himself would surely have appreciated the humour and the craftsmanship on show. A classical joie de vivre also permeates Beethoven’s fresh and ebullient First Piano Concerto. Written first and foremost to please and impress audiences it is full of pianistic virtuosity, designed to show off Beethoven’s passionate prowess on the keyboard.
“the bournemouth symphony here shows it is a world-class orchestra and its response to this fine conductor is admirable” International Record Review Onyx CD of Prokofiev Symphonies No.3 and No.7 March 2014
wednesday
1
october 7.30 pm
prokofiev Symphony No.1 “Classical” beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 r strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra Kirill Karabits conductor Robert Levin piano
wednesday
8
Heavenly Adagio
mozart Clarinet Concerto bruckner Symphony No.7
Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony occupies a singularly important place in the composer’s output. It was with this piece that Bruckner finally achieved widespread recognition, and it has remained the most popular of his nine symphonies. The opening melody apparently came to him in a dream: a friend from Bruckner’s younger days played the theme on a viola, with the words “This will bring you success”. The heart of the work is the long and deeply
october 7.30 pm
Kirill Karabits conductor Andreas Ottensamer clarinet
felt adagio, composed as a memorial to Wagner who died whilst Bruckner was writing it. An adagio is also central to Mozart’s concerto – the last important work written in its entirety before his death. Listening to it, two things are immediately apparent; firstly the seeming simplicity of the major themes and secondly the seamless interaction between soloist and orchestra, creating a work of genius.
Generously supported by
Andreas Ottensamer
BSO Endowment Trust in memory of Canon & Mrs Ivor Jeffrey-Machin
For the Fallen In 1915, author Laurence Binyon gave Elgar a book of his poems which included his For the Fallen. Elgar set it to music the following year. Binyon’s poignant words “they shall not grow old” and Elgar’s stirring, noble music combine to create a deeply moving tribute to those who died while fighting “The War to End All Wars”. Both George Butterworth and Cecil Coles were amongst those who died in the trenches. Coles was actually composing on the front line and
Eluned Pierce, James Pullman
surviving manuscripts still have shrapnel embedded in them! Elgar’s Cello Concerto was premiered in 1919 and despite a poor performance, the quality of the work shone through: an astute critic noted “a profound wisdom and beauty underlying its simplicity ... a fine spirit's lifelong wistful brooding upon the loveliness of earth.” Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia adds further elegiac beauty to a concert of commemoration.
wednesday
15
october 7.30 pm
vaughan williams Thomas Tallis Fantasia elgar Cello Concerto butterworth A Shropshire Lad: Rhapsody coles Behind the Lines elgar For the Fallen David Hill conductor Susan Gritton soprano Antonio Meneses cello Bournemouth Symphony Chorus
wednesday
22
Arabian Nights
ravel La Valse prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3 rimsky-korsakov Scheherazade
Scheherazade is a triumph of imagination over experience. It is a feast of sumptuous colours and brilliant instrumental effects – by the man who literally wrote the book on orchestration. It quickly became a favourite showpiece and a landmark in the history of descriptive music which never fails to make an impression and to give delight. Likewise Ravel’s ‘choreographic poem’ is a dizzying parody of every aspect of the waltz idiom.
october 7.30 pm
Alexander Shelley conductor Boris Giltburg piano
Brimming with lyricism and unbridled energy, Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto is his most engaging. Its angularity and brilliance, as well as the active role the orchestra takes in not only declaring but also developing the thematic material, clearly separate it from the Romantic concertos of the past. A notable feature is its ability to move effortlessly from dynamic arpeggios and vigorous, percussive themes to moments of sweeping grandeur.
“blazingly committed performances” BBC Music Magazine Dutton Epoch CD of David Matthews Vespers and Symphony No.7 April 2014
Nickie Dixon, Kirill Karabits
Prodigal Son The revised Fourth Symphony is half as long again as the original work, written 17 years earlier, turning a modest symphony into a large and imposing score that matched the scale of Prokofiev’s two newly composed symphonies of the mid-1940s. Drawing upon themes and material from his ballet The Prodigal Son, it features big expressive tunes at which Prokofiev excelled, the ardent lyricism giving way to bracing, highly charged music.
A work of immense charm, Glazunov’s Violin Concerto is a gem well worth exploring. Beginning with an atmosphere of restrained melancholy, tempered by sweetness and a warm degree of expressiveness, it reaches a festive finale filled with virtuoso fireworks and sparkling orchestral colour. By contrast Ravel’s timeless suite of fairy-tale miniatures is an exercise of exquisite, restrained grace and innocence.
Generously supported by
Terence and Annette O’Rourke
Vadim Gluzman
wednesday
5
november 7.30 pm
ravel Mother Goose Suite glazunov Violin Concerto prokofiev Symphony No.4 (revised) Kirill Karabits conductor Vadim Gluzman violin
wednesday
12
november 7.30 pm
borodin Prince Igor Overture shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2 tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 Julian Kuerti conductor Alexander Romanovsky piano
Sublime Shostakovich Praised for its charming simplicity, carefree spirit and lyrical warmth, Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto is one of his happiest and most direct works. The sublime slow movement is its crowning glory however. Opening with a cloud-shrouded string theme in a minor key, the piano enters in the major, like the sun breaking through, an effect as magical as it is simple. Tchaikovsky approached his Fifth Symphony from a position of extreme self-doubt, and again
it addresses the same issues of destiny and the quest for happiness seen in the Fourth. From its first note to last noble chord, it is filled with passionate self-questioning exposing the soul of a deep and complex man. More passion exudes from Borodin’s almost symphonic overture, packed with exotic, sinuous melodies and blazing fanfares depicting epic tales of Russian heroism.
“the rich, dark russian sound and nimble virtuosity karabits gets from the band are vivid successes of his regime in bournemouth” The Sunday Times Onyx CD of Prokofiev Symphonies No.3 and No.7 March 2014
Divine Moments Both Sibelius’ symphony and Dvořák’s concerto were troublesome to write, and both works saw a number of revisions. Sibelius was going through a difficult time in his life, despite his success and popularity, when he wrote the Fifth Symphony. However, he created one of the really great late-Romantic symphonies displaying his ability to gather the mysterious world around him. The gorgeous opening sunrise is best described by Sibelius himself. “God opens
Stephanie Oade, Orsolya Kadar, Roger Preston, Jesper Svedberg
His door for a moment and His orchestra plays.” This was no boast! Dvořák's concerto is a highly lyrical and rich work, even by his standards. Infused with divinely inspired melodies brought together using Dvořák’s unique harmonic style, it encompasses an entire spectrum of rich colours and reaches stunning technical heights. More unforgettable moments are found in Sibelius’ hauntingly desolate tone poem and Dvořák’s dazzling Symphonic Variations.
wednesday
19
november 7.30 pm
dvor a k Symphonic Variations dvor a k Violin Concerto sibelius Scene with Cranes sibelius Symphony No.5 Rory Macdonald conductor Simone Lamsma violin
wednesday
26
Triple Grandeur
mahler Blumine beethoven Triple Concerto shostakovich Symphony No.5
Beethoven’s Triple Concerto has the grand scale, heroic rhetoric, and orchestral brilliance typical of his middle-period style. With its three soloists forming a detachable piano trio, set against the backdrop of a full orchestra, it gave Beethoven the opportunity to explore an enormous range of thematic ideas, instrumental textures, and tone colours. Shostakovich composed his
november 7.30 pm
Kirill Karabits conductor Sunwook Kim piano Amyn Merchant violin Jesper Svedberg cello
Sunwook Kim
Fifth Symphony in the wake of a chilling denunciation levelled against him by Stalinist government officials. Although the work seems to imply a traditional symphonic narrative of crisis and final triumph, the music may not be all that it appears. Completing the trio of grand works, Mahler’s Blumine, originally composed as the second movement of his First Symphony but soon discarded for being insufficiently symphonic and too sentimental, is a heartfelt serenade deserving to be heard and savoured.
“the bso grabbed the audience’s attention from the outset, with confident direction from karabits and spirited playing by sunwook kim” The Guardian Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 London, Royal Albert Hall August 2013
Sea Pictures Mendelssohn’s musical postcard of a Hebridean visit conjures up a whole seascape including the grandeur of Fingal’s Cave, the swelling of the sea, the light on the water and the fury of the waves breaking on the cliffs. In La Mer the full scope of Debussy’s remarkable art is on display. Like the sea itself, the surface of the music hints at the brooding mystery of its depths – a vibrating, oscillating,
Ronald Brautigam
glimmering palette of sound which caresses the senses allowing the orchestra to shimmer in a thousand colours. Britten’s homage to his beloved teacher is equally as brilliant and sonorous. After the opening rather serious theme taken from Bridge’s Idyll, the subsequent variations range from a passionate and deeply felt adagio to playful parodies on opera arias, Viennese waltzes, and stuffy bourrées.
wednesday
3
december 7.30 pm
britten Frank Bridge Variations mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1 mendelssohn The Hebrides Overture debussy La Mer Kees Bakels conductor Ronald Brautigam piano
Christmas & New Year with the bso Celebrate another Christmas and New Year in the company of the BSO with more musical gifts for young and old! A quartet of fantastic soloists joins us for our traditional performance of Handel’s glorious Messiah; the fun side of Christmas is brought to you in our Christmas Prom full of all your favourite seasonal hits by Slade, Johnny Mathis, Wizzard and many more. For further nostalgic Christmas fare there is nothing better than our celebration of carols and you will always see in the New Year in style with our Johann Strauss Gala.
wednesday 17 december 7.30 pm
Handel’s Messiah Laurence Cummings conductor Sarah Tynan soprano Robin Blaze counter-tenor Ben Johnson tenor Jacques Imbrailo baritone Bournemouth Symphony Chorus
saturday 20 december 7.30 pm
tuesday 23 december 7.30 pm
thursday 1 january 3pm & 7pm
Last Night of the Christmas Proms
Celebration of Christmas Carols
New Year’s Day Johann Strauss Gala
Pete Harrison conductor Louise Dearman singer Lance Ellington singer
BSO Young Conductor in Association Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Youth Chorus
Thomas Rösner conductor
wednesday
14
january 7.30 pm
brahms (arr. dvor a k) Hungarian Dances Nos.17–21 beethoven Piano Concerto No.2 dvor a k Symphony No.6 Cristian Macelaru conductor John Lill piano
Great Beginnings Symphony No.6 was the first of Dvořák’s symphonies to be published and the first to be performed widely outside of Bohemia. Clearly cast in the mould of Austrian symphonies, the rich colours and textures of the Czech folk music of Dvořák’s childhood are nonetheless present throughout, and finally burst through to dominate the rousing final movement. The folk music of Hungary was the inspiration for Brahms’ lively set of dances. Their immediate
popularity brought the young Brahms fame and fortune. The Piano Concerto in B-flat Major was Beethoven’s first major orchestral work, conceived when he was still a teenager living at home in Bonn. In structure it shares many traits with Mozart’s piano concertos, but in style it displays many daring deviations which are unquestionably Beethoven and reveal a remarkably sure hand belying the youthfulness of its composer.
Ruth Spicer, Nicolas Fleury, Kevin Pritchard
London Town Vaughan Williams' Second Symphony has been described as the musical equivalent of Monet’s paintings of the sun rising over a foggy Thames. Actual London sounds fleetingly emerge from an exquisitely woven musical tapestry – the chimes of Big Ben, the cry of a lavender-seller. Central to the symphony’s success is the wonderful limpid scoring, which Vaughan Williams felt in later life that he had never bettered. Despite the tribulations Elgar was enduring at the time, the
Cockaigne (In London Town), a joyful, affectionate tribute to London and its people, is one of his most optimistic and popular concert works. Rachmaninov was just 17 when he began work on his First Piano Concerto, but it was not for another 27 years before he made significant revisions, turning a diffuse and unpolished work into an economical, feisty, and exuberant masterpiece.
Generously supported by
Terence and Annette O’Rourke
Alexei Volodin
wednesday
21
january 7.30 pm
elgar Cockaigne Overture rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.1 vaughan williams Symphony No.2 “London” Andrew Litton conductor Alexei Volodin piano
wednesday
28
january 7.30 pm
berlioz Le Corsaire Overture chopin Piano Concerto No.2 schumann Symphony No.2 Kirill Karabits conductor Yulianna Avdeeva piano
Joy & Triumph Schumann’s Second Symphony was a personal triumph and marked the start of the final phase of his career. It is a reflection not only of his recent health issues but also the feeling of triumph of overcoming the despair that had gripped him for a year. It transports the listener towards redemption in a way that looks back to Beethoven but also predicts the future greats, like Mahler, who were to come.
Yulianna Avdeeva
Chopin’s early-Romantic concerto par excellence is dominated by the piano with the orchestra conceding all responsibility for musical development to the soloist. Brimming with details so bold and colourful, so imaginative and personal, its poetry and virtuosity linger long in the memory. Berlioz’ overture is a jubilant romp – a brazen, swash-buckling depiction of seafaring adventure bursting with rhythmic verve and energy.
Fantastic Dance Rachmaninov composed the Symphonic Dances shortly after fleeing war-torn Europe for the United States. The work is rhythmically animated and truly symphonic in style, proportions, and sonority, with melodies that could only be his. At once nostalgic and sarcastic, sensual and sinister with touches of the grotesque, strange harmonies create an atmosphere of unease and anxiety before reaching a final demonic “dance of death”. From its explosive, dramatic
Stephanie Oade, Robb Tooley
opening, Grieg’s Piano Concerto communicates with fiery passion, sustaining interest and excitement throughout. The music is imbued with a Nordic quality echoing traditional Norwegian dances and instruments. As if depicting the joyous transition from winter to spring, Sibelius’ tone poem is a hymn to nature. Building from a quiet, pastoral beginning to a fervent conclusion it hints of the wintry melancholy that can linger late into the sub-arctic spring.
wednesday
4
february 7.30 pm
sibelius Spring Song grieg Piano Concerto rachmaninov Symphonic Dances Joshua Weilerstein conductor Alessandro Taverna piano
wednesday
11
Tasmin’s Mendelssohn
prokofiev Lieutenant Kijé Suite mendelssohn Violin Concerto tchaikovsky Symphony No.1 “Winter Daydreams”
There is perhaps no more popular or beloved violin concerto than Mendelssohn’s masterpiece. Taking a journey from darkness to light, it begins restless, mysterious and questioning, and ends in a blaze of colour, full of joy and exhilaration, sustained by virtuosic melodies and lively interplay between soloist and orchestra. The First Symphony cost Tchaikovsky more labour and anguish than any other work.
february 7.30 pm
Daniele Rustioni conductor Tasmin Little violin
Tasmin Little
Grappling with the challenge of fusing distinctively Russian music into a structured symphony, he revised and edited it for many years. It bears many hallmarks of the mature Tchaikovsky with its robust expressiveness, picturesque beauty, potent melodies and deft orchestration. Prokofiev’s reworked film score is one of his most popular creations. The life of the fictitious Lieutenant Kijé is told through a series of cheeky and witty miniatures including mock military march, pompous fanfares, clumping dance tunes and a brisk, joyful sleigh ride.
Celebrity Piano Recital Sunwook Kim
“kim showed a commendable sense of drive and discipline in this unusually neat and ordered account... the finale benefited from his energetic attack and immaculate fingerwork”
Sunwook Kim came to international recognition when he won the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006, aged just 18, becoming the competition’s youngest winner for 40 years, as well as its first Asian winner. In 2013, Sunwook was selected by the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn to become the first beneficiary of its new Mentoring Programme, a status which grants him
The Guardian Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 London, Royal Albert Hall August 2013
exclusive access to the house’s unique collections and resources. In the same year he made his BBC Proms debut with the BSO, concluded his widely praised complete Beethoven Sonata cycle at the LG Arts Centre in Seoul, and made his debut recording, featuring Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, released by Deutsche Grammophon.
Sunwook Kim
wednesday
18
february 7.30 pm
js bach Partita No.2 in C minor BWV826 beethoven Sonata No.21 in C Major “Waldstein” mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
saturday
21
Heroes & Superheroes 2
Pete Harrison conductor
Back by popular demand, Pete Harrison and the BSO present another evening of Hollywood blockbuster soundtracks including music written by Maurice Jarre, Hans Zimmer, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith and, of course, the master of the film-score, John Williams. Films represented include Gladiator, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler’s List, The Last Samurai, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars and a reprise of the best superhero of them all – Superman. As well as heroes, this year there may also be a few villains lurking about!
february 7.30 pm
Kevin Smith, Peter Turnbull, Robb Tooley, Andy Cresci
Romantic Echoes Penderecki’s late style is practically post-Romantic in character: his music often seems to be a kind of throwback to another era, employing familiar devices of orchestration and dramatic effects that hearken back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While his conservative approach has not been without controversy, his ideas are still interesting and his ability to write for an orchestra is still strong. The Violin Concerto belongs to the flood of compositions that poured from Beethoven’s pen during what was the most productive period of his life, unleashed by
his spiritual crisis of 1802 and the realisation of his oncoming deafness. Despite this, it feels like a celebration, a modest and reserved one, perhaps, but triumphant nonetheless. The third version of an overture for Fidelio is a fully worked out, essentially autonomous, mini-drama that all but eclipses the tale that is supposed to unfold during the opera for which it was written.
Akiko Suwanai
wednesday
25
february 7.30 pm
beethoven Leonore Overture No.3 penderecki Symphony No.4 “Adagio” beethoven Violin Concerto Kirill Karabits conductor Akiko Suwanai violin
wednesday
New Horizons 4 march 7.30 pm
mozart Piano Concerto No.24 K.491 mahler Symphony No.9 Karl-Heinz Steffens conductor Gerhard Oppitz piano
Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C minor is widely regarded as the culmination of his achievement in the field of the piano concerto, and demands a larger orchestra than any of the other concertos. The severe and inexorable mood of the two great outer movements, the lofty thought and depth of passion, mark it as the true forerunner to those of Beethoven, and it is certainly well documented that the latter regarded the work very highly indeed.
By the time the anguished Mahler penned his Ninth Symphony he had tragically lost his four-year-old daughter and learned of the heart ailment that would contribute to his own death two years later. It is a defiant affirmation of life as well as a poignant acceptance of mortality. A kind of farewell for the composer, the symphony also pointed the way toward the future; the simultaneous last breath of the Romantic era and first breath of the Modern.
Judith Preston, Vicky Berry
German Dances Brahms made his own orchestrations of some of the enchanting waltzes he had previously written for voices and piano. They show the composer at his most relaxed and good humoured. Even by Mozart’s standards, his Sinfonia Concertante revels in a wealth of melody and invention. It may be that he was displaying his musical skill in the hope of a court position, and the piece is a model of contrast and balance.
Generously supported by
BSO Endowment Trust
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was first performed at a mammoth concert in 1813 which was one of his greatest public successes. Described by Wagner as “the apotheosis of the dance”, with boundless energy and rhythmic impetus the music rages forward, almost demonically, with climax after climax, right to the brilliant final notes and one of the most thrilling endings in all music.
wednesday
11
march 7.30 pm
brahms Liebeslieder Walzer mozart Sinfonia Concertante K.364 beethoven Symphony No.7 Nicholas McGegan conductor Veronika Eberle violin Antoine Tamestit viola
wednesday
18
Immortal Youth
elgar Wand of Youth Suite No.2 bruch Violin Concerto No.1 finzi Intimations of Immortality
The most extended of Finzi’s choral works, Intimations of Immortality is composed in one continuous musical movement of truly symphonic proportions, showing off Finzi’s word-setting at its most expressive and poignant and demonstrating his personal and individual affinity with the poet Wordsworth. The variety of moods ranges from the pastoral lyricism of the opening to the jazzy and extrovert depiction of birdsong. Elgar’s suite of youthful innocence combines the best of two worlds: refreshing, teenage
march 7.30 pm
David Hill conductor Yossif Ivanov violin John Mark Ainsley tenor Bournemouth Symphony Chorus
melodies, embellished with a 50-year-old composer’s mastery of delicate orchestration. Bruch’s Violin Concerto No.1 has often been considered the richest and most seductive of the famous German violin concertos written along with those of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Capturing a heartfelt romantic allure with its lush and memorable themes, excellent solo writing, and impeccable pacing, it remains a favourite with soloists and audiences alike.
Philippa Stevens, Kirill Karabits
Swansongs Schubert’s symphonic swansong known as the “Great” on account of its majestic “heavenly length” that so impressed Schumann is a vigorous and daring work by an extremely ambitious young man. Strauss’ more personal swansong is a last love letter to the soprano voice. The sublime Four Last Songs are all linked by their autumnal feelings of weariness and leave-taking. These are not songs of regret and angst. Rather, they are resplendent with the joy of a
long life lived well and full of tenderness and love for one’s spouse. Death is not something to be struggled against, but something to be welcomed: a warm embrace after a life of hard work, an end to tiredness and the pains of old age. Beethoven’s heroic overture conveys the essence of a profound drama with unforgettable intensity, maintaining a tone of tragedy throughout.
Sally Matthews
wednesday
25 march 7.30 pm
beethoven Coriolan Overture r strauss Four Last Songs schubert Symphony No.9 “The Great” Kirill Karabits conductor Sally Matthews soprano
wednesday
15 april 7.30 pm
khachaturian Adagio from Spartacus khachaturian Violin Concerto dvor a k Symphony No.7 Aleksandar Markovi´c conductor Nikita Boriso-Glebsky violin
Country Folksongs Khachaturian was a composer with an incredible gift for melody, and the Violin Concerto is a fun and playful example of this. Its lush, oriental-sounding tunes, high-flying virtuosity and yearning melodic intensity soon appealed to worldwide audiences. Musical elements drawn from the folk songs and dances of Khachaturian’s native Armenia add to the festive intoxication, which are also present in the
Nikita Boriso-Glebsky
lusciously evocative Adagio from his ballet Spartacus. The Seventh is the earliest of Dvorˇák’s symphonies to have captured and held popular approval, and it remains unsurpassed among his works for profundity of conception and consummate craftsmanship. Marked by an ominous sounding opening that hints at tragedy and dark skies, it presents an atmosphere of stately richness which weaves its way through uncertainty and agitation to a final triumphant conclusion.
“a performance of magnificent sweep and intensity; noisy and raw at times, but undeniably exciting, and dramatically focused right up to the cathartic return of the brass chorale in the closing pages” The Guardian Mahler Symphony No.5 Poole, Lighthouse, November 2013
Sunwook’s Rach Three Rachmaninov said that he wrote the Third Piano Concerto “for elephants” and with its massive chords, cascading and leaping octaves, high-speed runs, dense counterpoint, and wide-spaced, busily embellished textures, it does demand a pianist with strength, dexterity, control, and stamina - and big hands! But the virtuosity always serves dramatic and expressive ends. A mood of dark, impassioned lyricism prevails throughout which builds with urgent expressiveness before reaching an almost delirious close.
The Sixth Symphony is one of Prokofiev’s finest achievements. Whilst the Fifth was a heroic response to war, the Sixth seems to speak from a deeper, more painful side of that experience. It is characterised by its dark sound, emphasised by the extensive use of the lower instruments such as cellos, basses, and tuba, whilst subdued, muted violins hang in the air like mists above an icy winter landscape.
Generously supported by
Richard Bagley in memory of his parents Betty & Gordon Bagley
Sunwook Kim
wednesday
29 april 7.30 pm
rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 prokofiev Symphony No.6 Kirill Karabits conductor Sunwook Kim piano
wednesday
6
Verdi’s Requiem
verdi Requiem
Verdi created his masterpiece of a Requiem on a grand scale and it is as dramatic as any of his operas. Some critics were distressed at the overtly theatrical character of the music. Some called it sensational and irreligious, yet the most dramatic moments also provide its most moving and even devout passages. The whirling tumult of the Dies irae or the majestic trumpet summons of the Tuba mirum convey a
may 7.30 pm
Kirill Karabits conductor Aga Mikolaj soprano Oksana Volkova mezzo-soprano tba tenor Alastair Miles bass Bournemouth Symphony Chorus
terrifying vision worthy of those from the Book of Revelations. Whatever may have been written about it, audiences loved it and Brahms himself wrote that only a genius could have written such a work. It stands as an honest spiritual testament from a man who naturally conceived and described his experiences in powerful, direct and theatrical terms.
Emma Selby
Supporting quality Giving more than 150 annual public performances the BSO is one of the busiest orchestras in the world.* Every performance is equally important and special. It takes talent, dedication and teamwork to create musical moments we remember all our lives. As loyal concert-goers and lovers of music, we know that you would agree. The BSO has one of the most loyal audiences in the country but a full concert hall is no longer a guarantee of an orchestra’s financial security or artistic freedom. Ticket sales account for only 50% of the costs of a performance and the concerts
*according to Bachtrack’s 2013 statistics, the BSO was the seventh busiest symphony orchestra in the world
you enjoy are only made possible through investment from Arts Council England and increasingly additional funds gained through charitable support. This is why we are so grateful to those who become a member, make a donation or remember the BSO in their will. This funding is a lifeline which helps us to achieve our artistic, creative and cultural goals. It enables the BSO to bring together the most creative repertoire, conductors
and international artists and supports our community and participation programme across the South and South West. Creating great art needs great support. Show that you appreciate the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and want to play your part in our future by contacting the Development Team on 01202 644718 or email giving@bsorchestra.co.uk
tickets 0844 406 8666 bsolive.com
series concerts Tickets on general sale from Wednesday 3 September.
£42 £34 £31 £29 £26 £23 £14.50
Series Discounts 22 concerts 20 –21 concerts 15 –19 concerts 11–14 concerts 6 –10 concerts 5 concerts
A £1.50 booking fee per ticket is payable for telephone and online bookings.
Free ‘Meet the Music’
pre-concert talks take place before every Series Concert at 6.20pm in the Concert Hall.
additional concerts Why not book a package of concerts and save money? Generous discounts are available if you buy 5 concerts or more. Book for all 22 concerts and you will pay less than if you book for 17 – so you get 5 free!
Tickets on sale now Messiah (17 Dec) Christmas Proms (20 Dec) Johann Strauss Gala (1 Jan) Heroes & Superheroes 2 (21 Feb)
£33 £29 £25 £23 £20 £15 £10 Christmas Carols (23 Dec)
40% 30% 20% 15% 10% 5%
£26 £20 £17 £15 £13 £11 £9 Sunwook Kim Recital (18 Feb)
£18
concessions The BSO offers the following concessions to most concerts. Please note that only one concession applies per ticket and that concessions are not available retrospectively. Proof of status is required at the time of collection. All concessions and discounts are subject to availability. BSO Kids for a Quid Under 18s: £1 per ticket (some exclusions apply).
BSO Vibes £5 per ticket (for 18–25s signed up to the scheme).
There are no discounts for disabled patrons, but an accompanying companion qualifies for a 50% discount.
50% discount for Full-time students and people on Job-Seekers Allowance or Income Support Benefit.
Group booking discounts 10 or more tickets 10% 20 or more tickets 20% 30 or more tickets 30%
Special prices apply for wheelchair users and up to one companion. Please contact the ticket office for details.
Group bookings must be paid in full one month in advance of the concert date, after which tickets will be released for resale.
How to get to Lighthouse
Kingland Road Poole BH15 1UG
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra 2 Seldown Lane, Poole, BH15 1UF Tel: 01202 670611 www.bsolive.com
bso portraits: Eric Richmond ericrichmond.net Design: Joe Swift windpower.uk.com
BSO is a Charity Registered No.208520 and a company limited by guarantee Registered No.538351 England. All information is correct at the time of going to press – however artists are subject to availability and the BSO reserves the right to make any necessary changes from the advertised programmes.
by road
parking
public transport
Lighthouse is a 10-minute drive away from Bournemouth and 40 minutes from Southampton. Travelling west on the M27 the road becomes the A31 to bypass Ringwood, Ferndown and Wimborne Minster. Remain on the bypass until reaching the roundabout junction signposted A349 Poole town centre. Turn left here onto the A350 (Holes Bay Road). At the next roundabout turn left onto the flyover, and move to the right hand lane; turn right at the roundabout and you will see Lighthouse on your left.
There are a number of car parks close by. 24-hour parking is available at The Dolphin Shopping Centre multi-storey car park a short walk across the road. It is possible to pay for parking at either the machines in the car park or one located in Lighthouse. There is also a car park located at Dolphin Swimming Centre on Kingland Road only a 5-minute walk away. Disabled parking is available directly outside Lighthouse.
Lighthouse is opposite Poole bus station with an underpass or a level access crossing providing easy access across the road.
satnav use postcode BH15 1UG
Poole rail station is a 5-minute walk from Lighthouse. Follow signs to ‘Arts Centre’, which direct you through the shopping centre.