BPO – The Protecting Veil – Ruth Rogers (violin), Guy Johnston (cello), Joanna MacGregor (conductor)

The Dome was only just big enough. Very few seats were empty. I suspect most came for the Vaughan Williams. His Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis is a popular choice on Sunday afternoon radio. Somehow its modal dignity evokes the Best of British, and so it did under the restrained direction of the BPO’s distinguished Musical Director. Gone were the flashes of raw energy, the jazzy exuberance the extravagant showmanship. It was not that sort of concert. The BPO Strings, significantly augmented, filled up the platform with the smaller orchestra group almost off the back of the stage to mimic the effect of separation that had occurred in the vast space of Gloucester Cathedral, where it was first performed. They played with their usual precision and clarity. Under MacGregor’s steady hand we could hear so much more detail than ever comes across on the radio. The solo sections were wonderfully stark, the exchanges with those distant strings made sense, the build up to the climaxes had a thrilling tension. So what that it lacked the sonority of cathedral vaults? The Dome’s acoustics did their best and the sound was rich and clean.

That was most important for the Baroque elegance of the following confection, a layer cake of Vivaldi and Max Richter. I didn’t expect to be delighted by either, and happily I was very wrong. The Vivaldi brightened the mood instantly after the sombre Vaughan Williams and the Richter was a revelation. I’d wondered why he’d bothered tampering with Vivaldi. BPO’s precise and vibrant performance explained the appeal most effectively. I now know that Vivaldi Recomposed compliments the 300-year-old masterpiece perfectly. The audience expressed their appreciation of Ruth Rogers’ virtuosity most enthusiastically.

Guy Johnston

The second half of the concert was another revelation. John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil is an extended meditation, even more spiritual than the Vaughan Williams. Guy Johnston took his time to compose himself and let everyone settle before calmly starting the mysterious opening theme which is marked ‘Transcendent, with awesome majesty’. The audience was caught in his spell for the next 45 minutes – focussed attention, hardly a movement, surprisingly little coughing. The cello played on, sometimes ‘Radiant and flowing’, sometimes meandering or timeless, always moving forward. The orchestra supported the cello’s song with long sustained crescendos and bell-like interjections and then, after the opening theme recurred, the final fading solo note closed with a long pause. Johnston held his bow still for a full minute, or more, nobody moved, then his arm hesitantly relaxed and the applause broke the spell.

Andrew Connal
Brighton Dome Concert Hall,
29 March 2026

Rating:

Ruth Rogers – violin
Guy Johnston – cello
Joanna MacGregor – conductor
Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
Ruth Rogers and Nicky Sweeney – leaders

Programme:
Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis
Vivaldi – Spring from The Seasons
Max Richter – Vivaldi Recomposed: Spring
Vivaldi – Winter from The Seasons
Max Richter – Vivaldi Recomposed: Winter
John Tavener – The Protecting Veil