Felix Klieser Concert At Poole Lighthouse Review

Reviewed by Lisa

My husband is an amazing French horn player and when he heard that Felix Klieser is currently a BSO Artist-in-Residence playing at Poole Lighthouse, he was really excited to go and hear him play.

The programme featured a varied selection of works covering the breadth of the Romantic horn repertoire, including pieces by household names and less well-known composers. Opening the recital was Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro Op.70 which enabled Felix to demonstrate his versatility – the Adagio with its lyrical lines contrasting with the energetic Allegro, both of which required command of the full range of the instrument. Paul Dukas wrote Villanelle as a test piece for students at the Paris Conservatoire, again featuring a mix of dexterity and lyricism so that horn players can show what they can do with the instrument. Richard Strauss’s Andante in C Major was much calmer, played beautifully by Felix. He then introduced the next piece to the audience, explaining how Beethoven had composed his Horn Sonata Op.17 in order to become more well known as a pianist, writing it so quickly that he was improvising much of the piano part during the first performance! Glière is not a composer that I had come across before but I enjoyed Four Pieces for Horn and Piano Op.35 which again enabled Felix to demonstrate the warm lyrical nature of the horn. The programme finished with the Horn Sonata in E-flat Major Op.178 by Joseph Rheinberger. Felix returned to the microphone briefly to introduce their encore, Romance in F by Camille Saint-Saëns, again showcasing the wonderful melodious nature of the horn. The programme as a whole was well balanced, allowing Felix to demonstrate both the wonderful lyrical sound of the horn and the more flamboyant. My husband (the horn player) was impressed by his technique, even before considering that he has had the horn designed so that he can play it with his feet.

Being a pianist myself, I often found my attention drawn to Martin Klett who was accompanying Felix this evening. It is such a difficult skill being an accompanist, following the soloist and knowing when to support and when to shine. I thought that he managed it wonderfully, showing how versatile he is as a pianist. As a duo, they both appeared very comfortable performing together and enjoying the music. My husband and I had differing views on how well the piano and the horn balanced – at times he felt that the piano was a little loud, covering up the horn, but I thought that they were pretty evenly matched on the whole. I got the impression that Felix has the character to both entertain and inform therefore I was a little disappointed that he didn’t spend more time speaking to the audience between pieces to add a little something extra to the recital.

The recital was in the concert hall at Poole Lighthouse. It was about half full, providing a decent atmosphere in what was a nice acoustic for the pairing of horn and piano. The venue is easily accessible, with a train and bus station within walking distance and a multi storey car park next door. We have always had a warm welcome when visiting here and there is a well-stocked bar where you can buy drinks and take them in to the concert hall with you.

You can also buy a digital ticket on the BSO booking page for £10, meaning even if you can’t get there in person, you can still enjoy the concert from the comfort of your living room! We were tempted by this so that we didn’t have to bother arranging someone to watch the kids, but very glad we made the effort to get to the hall for the full experience.

Overall we would really recommend going to see Felix and we are looking forward to checking out more of the BSO concerts this season.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £17.60
Felix Klieser is performing at Poole Lighthouse on 8th March.
For more information or to book tickets please visit:
BSO: Felix Klieser Recital – Lighthouse (lighthousepoole.co.uk) or ring the box office on 01202 280000.

Address: 21 Kingland Road, Poole BH15 1UG