Classics leave audience in raptures

STAMPING feet and thunderous applause greeted the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s second visit to Basingstoke this season.

The orchestra’s spirited and charismatic new principal conductor Kirill Karabits returned to lead his musicians through a wonderful programme beginning with Respighi’s The Fountains of Rome.

Starting calmly with The Fountain of the Giulia Valley at Dawn and transporting the auditorium through the various climaxes of morning and midday until the quiet Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset, Respighi’s watery pieces were beautifully performed. So much so as to draw premature applause from an eager concert-goer.

Next up, the virtually packed-out Anvil audience welcomed pianist Nikolai Lugansky to the stage to perform Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini.

Tall and slender with incredibly long hands, Lugansky is an interesting soloist to watch as he swayed to the music but almost jumped off his piano stool at livelier moments of the 24 variations.

Unforunately, even though the acclaimed Russian pianist was drawn back to the stage three times by applause, the audience was not granted an encore for their efforts.

After the interval, Karabits coaxed an exquisite performance of Khachaturian’s Spartacus Suite from his players and the famous Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia was spine-tingling as the beautiful melody was bandied around the orchestra.

At times sombre, dramatic, sprightly and romantic, the six movements were played with zest and energetically conducted by Karabits, who did not disappoint his appreciative audience with a loud, frenetic and much-appreciated encore.

As one of the younger concert-goers by several decades, it struck me as a shame that many more younger Basingstoke residents don’t take advantage of these fantastic concerts by internationally-acclaimed musicians.