BSO – Standing Up For Truth At Lighthouse Poole Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Lisa

The BSO have been the resident orchestra at Lighthouse, Poole since 1979 when the venue opened; they give a weekly programme of concerts from October to May each year at Poole and this is the opening concert of this season.

This concert, titled Standing Up For Truth, contains music by Howard, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich and is conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, the chief conductor of the BSO since the beginning of the 2024/25 season.

The opening music, The Butterfly Effect, was composed by Dani Howard, a young British composer and orchestrator and the BSO’s “celebrated composer”. It reflects on how small actions can have a lasting impact and how decisions can affect the rest of your life. From the first 3 notes on the piccolo and flute, I was captured by the beauty of the music.

I was unfamiliar with Rachmaninov’s 1st piano concerto, but the 2nd and 3rd piano concertos are amongst my favourite compositions. Rachmaninov wrote this concerto when he was only 17 years of age, but he revised it some 26 years later, after the success of his 2nd and 3rd concertos. The opening of the first movement reminded me of Grieg’s piano concerto and the cadenza near the end of the movement calls for virtuosic playing. The pianist, Sir Stephen Hough, is widely acclaimed for his interpretation of the piano repertoire and he certainly gave a spirited performance. After a less strenuous second movement, more virtuosity is needed in the final movement and Stephen played brilliantly. The audience was spellbound throughout the playing, and I now feel that this concerto should be included in more concerts.

Shostakovich Symphony no 10 was composed in 1953, shortly after the death of Stalin. Some of Shostakovich’s compositions had been previously banned by Stalin but when writing this symphony, Shostakovich could relax. The second movement, a scherzo, portrays Stalin’s brutality. Themes of the terror and despair of living under oppression are musically expressed throughout this symphony. I was mesmerised watching Mark Wigglesworth conduct the whole symphony without using a score and his obvious passion for the music shone through the entire performance with the talented Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Lighthouse, Poole, is a great venue with both a theatre and concert hall. The acoustics in the concert hall are excellent, and the seating is well tiered and comfortable. There is a cafe for pre-theatre dining and a bar serving hot and cold drinks. The venue has accessible toilets and there are lifts to all the floors.
Parking is available at street level opposite the venue, and the Dolphin Shopping Centre has a multi-storey car park very near to the concert hall. There is additional parking available at the Dolphin Swimming Pool. Poole railway station is approximately a 10 minute walk from the venue.

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concerts are always a delight to attend so I recommend looking at their programme and choosing a concert that suits your musical taste. Digital tickets are also available for many of their concerts, providing another way to enjoy classical music if it’s hard to get there in person.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £19 – £52

You can purchase tickets at www.lighthousepoole.co.uk or call the box office on 01202 280000.
Address: The Lighthouse. 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UPG