By Nigel Gayler

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under its Principal Conductor Kirill Karabits made their Classic FM Live debut at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday evening. The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines began by playing an appropriate piece for Classic FM’s Orchestra in the South, A Life on the Ocean Wave. The BSO, along with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus then gave a rousing rendition of Verdi’s Grand March from Aida.

Next came the flamboyant young Serbian violinist Nemanja Radulović. He gave a swashbuckling performance of Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No.1 followed by a riveting interpretation of the Romance from The Gadfly by Shostakovich. Works by two other Russian composers completed the first half; Prokofiev’s The Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet, with the BSO excelling themselves, and Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, dynamically played by the French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

Parry’s I Was Glad, was given a vigorous account by both chorus and orchestra in which the full force of the Royal Albert Hall organ was not only heard, but felt. Highlighting the BSO’s sublime qualities was the performance of Khachaturian’s Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia from Spartacus. Acclaimed American soprano Angel Blue sang two arias; Bizet’s Habanera from Carmen, during which she handed out roses to the audience, and Puccini’s Quando me’n vo from La Bohème, both demonstrating her trademark shining and agile voice.

Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture ended the evening with a bang, quite literally, as the pyrotechnics and strobe lighting were used to great effect.