★★★★★

The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra had begun the day by opening the doors of the Dome to several hundred under-10s, who were given the chance to witness the rehearsal of three works from a diverse selection of composers.

The afternoon performance opened with Enescu’s Rhapsoy No.1, Op.11. The early stages focused on the string section, before the tempo increased to a racing pace, buoyed by the brass and percussion. Interestingly, it was only the final closing phrases of the piece that reflected the eastern European heritage of the Romanian composer.

The European connection then crossed the Atlantic for Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op.35. The Moravian American composed soundtracks during Hollywood’s golden age, and that classic cinematic sound was in evidence in the rich flourishes that punctuating the first piece. Joining these together were solos from violin virtuoso Chloe Hanslip. The final Korngold piece was a lively romp, again interspersed with dizzying, hugely impressive work from Hanslip.

The second half was devoted to Elgar’s Symphony No.1 in A Flat Major Op.55. The first movement was injected with great energy by animated Romanian conductor Cristian Mandeal, before the second and third movements relaxed into dense, lush layers. The closing movement, Lento – Allegro, was a more angular, urgent affair to finish.

The performance was very well-received throughout and the Orchestra will no doubt attract a similarly appreciative audience when they return to the Dome on March 26th.