Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth (conductor), Jayson Gillham (piano)

An emotional concert for the BPO (the first since their near-dissolution) kicked off with Beethoven’s ‘Leonara No. 3’ overture, where expertly conducted waves of strings led to a stirring, bombastic denouement. If the overture was a technicolour, blockbuster piece, the ‘Emperor’ piano concerto was a more subtle black and white arthouse film, with a delicately buoyant Adagio lifting the listener up. The busy piano trills and chord stabs were movingly played by Jayson Gillham, eliciting rapturous applause. Beethoven’s famous ‘Pastoral’ symphony was striking and shimmeringly beautiful, announcing the new season with loud, triumphant gusto. Brighton Philharmonic, it’s good to have you back.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 6 October 2013

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