Under Barry Wordsworth, the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra goes from strength to strength. On most occasions, especially in the core repertoire, the BPO can match anything coming from Europe.
The Brighton orchestra has enthusiasm and passion. Its enthusiasm for the music infects the audience, making the pulse race until I, for one, am soon bouncing around in my seat.
On Sunday the players served up two delicious old pieces, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D and Beethoven's Symphony Number 5 in D Minor.
Both came up fresh, shiny and new as though they were freshly-minted, played with gusto, verve and shedloads of passion.
French violinist Philippe Graffin was playing this concerto for the first time and without any cuts and gave it an evocative and romantic reading, conjuring up the vastness of Russia.
The Beethoven symphony opens with the notes that later became the Morse code for the letter V, broadcast through occupied Europe during the Second World War as a symbol of freedom and liberation.
Maestro Wordsworth did his usual brilliant Beethoven thing with it, sending me home full of excitement and ready to listen to my own recordings all over again.
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