BPO – Britten’s Serenade – Dowland, Britten and MacMillan–Mark Padmore (tenor), Alexei Watkins (horn), Joanna MacGregor (conductor)

What an exclusive event! … but wait a minute, the Corn Exchange was full to bursting and Joanna MacGregor’s intimate gathering included twenty-four string players and two excellent soloists – it’s just that they were all so well bonded. The venue too was so correct, the nearest thing in Brighton to Britten’s prime space The Maltings in Snape, although they could have accommodated an even larger crowd in the Dome. From the top of the bleachers it still felt close and we heard everything. The evening began with a MacGregor favourite. Young Apollo has all the brilliance and crash/bang required to fire up an audience.

Then, while the piano was being sidelined, the virtuosic Musical Director chatted informally with her guests about the soothing, repetitive Chacony.

Ruth Roger & BPO © FrancesMarshall

The Leader, Ruth Rogers, took over control for this which functioned as the slow movement of a concerto. We had been led carefully into the formal sound world of Benjamin Britten.

Alexei Watkins, Mark Padmore, Joanna MacGregor © FrancesMarshall

The Serenade’s opening, with the eerie natural horn harmonics of the Prologue, is an acid test for any player and Alexei Watkins instantly reassured us that we were in safe hands. The tenor voice quietly rose over the strings, every word crystal clear. Mark Padmore has a poet’s touch – every word counts. He produced volume for the Tennyson Nocturne and a darker colour for the Blake Elergy. In the Lyke-Wake Dirge he was channelling Peter Pears which gave me a shiver, after which the sprightly horn in the Hymn to Diana came as a welcome relief. In the final Sonnet Padmore seemed to skew the tonality around the word ‘lulling’ against challenging sounds from the strings. This upset some in the audience but is part of Britten’s dramatic effect. The horn solo of the Epilogue was miles back off-stage but the acoustics of the Corn Exchange are now so good that it carried beautifully, closing an epic Serenade.

The second half was more relaxed, with MacGregor hanging out with her orchestra in her arrangement of Dowland. MacMillan’s Piano Concerto no. 2 is a bit ‘Whisky Galore’, with tipsy Scottish stereotypes and jigs. The brief bursts of Donizetti stood out comically amidst the shenanigans and, although MacGregor’s introduction was helpful, I found it got to the boisterous ceilidh all too soon. Stamping, yelps, quite disgraceful glissandi and even a snare drum all added to the excitement and general pandemonium, generating very satisfied and prolonged applause!

Joanna MacGregor © FrancesMarshall

Andrew Connal
Brighton Dome Concert Hall,
19 October 2025

Rating:

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
Mark Padmore (tenor)
Alexei Watkins (horn)
Joanna MacGregor (conductor/piano)

Programme:
Britten – Young Apollo
Purcell/Britten – Chacony in G minor
Britten – Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
Dowland/MacGregor – Mr Dowland’s Midnight
James MacMillan – Piano Concerto no. 2