BSO: Lighthouse, Poole (From Dorset Echo)

BSO: Lighthouse, Poole

9:02am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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Scriabin’s Piano Concerto in F sharp minor made a welcome appearance under Peter Jablonski’s fingers making the best possible case for this uni-tonal work.

The piano’s upper register dominated at solo points but was often submerged into the opening movement’s orchestral textures. The lovely slow movement orchestral melody was, under Kirill Karabits direction, most tenderly described and Jablonski’s entry skilfully decorated the clarinet solo. Three further distinctive variations followed.

The finale’s demanding solos though brief and lightly accompanied raised the temperature ending emphatically on two tutti chords.

Bringing anything refreshing to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 is a real challenge; one that Karabits relished and indeed achieved.

Drawing on the BSO wind players’ exceptional sonorous abilities was imaginative, but also Karabits’ supremely musical sense of momentum let the first movement flow with an enthralling rhythmic poise.

Richard Vaughan Thomas played the Andante Cantabile’s horn melody superbly; Karabits tautly drew the crescendo s and proved the mustard keen precision of the BSO and their infusion of warmth in the closing bars.

Waltzing and lightly dancing semiquavers graced the penultimate movement. Grippingly held tensions in the finale compounded with each release of material brought tremendous drama. Arguably the tension-holding pause to the coda could have been longer, but the end result was magnificent.