With a growing reputation across the world, the return of the Britten Sinfonia to Brighton was a welcome one.
For nearly two years it has been the resident chamber orchestra of Brighton Dome.
Under the direction of Thierry Fischer, the group returned to the city to close the Brighton Festival.
The mixed programme featured the premiere of young British composer Tarik O’Regan’s Algerian-themed piece Chaabi.
Named after a particular type of north African music, the piece was intensely rhythmic and whizzed the audience across the ocean to the former French colony.
With clear contemporary influences interspersed, it was challenging in places. But it was refreshing to hear an orchestra take on something other than the usual stock rotation of pieces they usually focus on.
As if to appease traditionalists, the rest of the programme was more formulaic.
Nicholas Daniel led the oboe concerto and it was rounded off with Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, which filled the Dome Concert Hall with beautiful sounds.
It was a very fitting finale to a very fun Brighton Festival 2013.
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