Brighton Dome review - Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

It is a feature of the 88th season that music director Barry Wordsworth and BPO general manager Judith Clark have opted for more popular works and it was Saints-Saens’ mighty Symphony No 3, the Organ Symphony, that stole the show.

Not that concert-goers were shortchanged elsewhere for after a rousing start provided by the Prelude and well known Triumphal March from Verdi’s Aida, there was a superb performance of Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos by Royal Ballet pianists Kate Shipway and Robert Clark.

The Wordsworth link to the Royal Ballet ensured this was no shot in the dark and he and the BPO, under guest leader Peter Thomas, kept pace with the excellent soloists in a piece that fluctuates from the violent to the romantic and finally to the music hall.

That paved the way for the big piece in the second half as the Dome’s prized organ was put through its paces by Alistair Young and sent everyone home with a spring in their step.

Next concert in the series is on Sunday January 27 and will feature two of the BPO’s star musicians, Alun Derbyshire (oboe) and Daniel Bhattacharya (violin) in a festival of baroque greats Messrs Mozart, Haydn and Bach.