| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 13-Jul-2012 Royal Albert Hall | Prom 1: An English theme makes for a rousing start |
 The first night of the Proms was, in this year of Olympic celebrations and the Diamond Jubilee, a tribute to all things English, featuring an impressive range of singers and a (somewhat appropriate) relay team of stellar English conductors.
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| 19-Apr-2012 Colston Hall | BSO Brave Burana: The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at The Colston Hall |
 If ever a concert could be described as a firework, this was it. The stage was ignited with music and we waited for the best bit - that crucial, beautiful explosion of colour. As part of the Colston Hall’s International Classical Season, The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performed the iconic choral work Carmina Burana by Carl Orff (1895-1982). Joining them on stage were the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus. Known chiefly now in Britain as the opening music for the TV programme 'The X Factor', Carmina Burana is full of impact and oomph especially when it is heard live.Read full review... | |
| 9-Nov-2011 Bridgewater Hall | The Hallé, Elder and Gourlay perform Vaughan Williams, Dvořák and Elgar |
 In an unusual piece of programming by today’s standards, this evening’s symphony, Vaughan Williams’ fifth, was played before the interval, with the lighter works, Dvořák’s Wind Serenade and Elgar’s Cockaigne, later in the evening. Perhaps this brought freshness to the music, for there was a supple versatility in the Hallé’s symphony, darting between the heroic, pastoral and folky elements of the piece with exquisite sensitivity to each.
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| 3-Sep-2011 Royal Albert Hall | Prom 65: "A riot of orchestral colour?" |
 A "riot of orchestral colour" was promised, but little of it was allowed to flourish.
Elgar's Cockaigne Overture, written during the winter of 1900-01, is a portrait of a busy London, conjuring the hustle and bustle of everyday, metropolitan life. The orchestration, as is typical of Elgar, is often very detailed, the principal threads of the texture being added to momentarily here and there, as a flute highlights this and a tuba underscores that. Jac van Steen, the principal guest conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, exerted tight control over the score, but often at the expense of integration. As a result, the sound was unequal rather than homogeneous, which was further upset by moments of poor orchestral balance, the brass at times overwhelming their colleagues. Yet this was spirited playing that did much to realise the charm of Elgar's score.
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