Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, Alexandra Dariescu (piano), Barry Wordsworth (conductor)

It was a fine start to the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra’s season to open with the rarely heard, bold strokes of Schumann’s Genoveva Overture, which was boisterously performed by the ensemble. Alexandra Dariescu’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 meanwhile was triumphant, navigating the stylistic and emotional footholds from ferocious finales to more contemplative moments with panache.

Brahms’ Symphony No.3 was the full ‘sit-down meal’ of the show, and I loved the depth, subtlety, colour and nuance of the work which Wordsworth’s conducting invoked. The busy, bright soundworld of the first movement was stunning to behold, and although the rest of the performance perhaps never quite matched that vigour, the ecstatic reaction of the crowd to Dariescu’s Tchaikovsky rendition created a fun, apposite buzz for the first show of the season.

Brighton Dome Concert Hall, 8 October 2017

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