Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra: Last Night Of The Christmas Proms, Magic & Sparkle With Joe Stilgoe 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 Georgina Bentley
I have got home buzzing from such a fantastic evening that I have just experienced. If I wasn’t in the Christmas spirit before I went to tonight’s concert then I most definitely am now.
The Poole Lighthouse Concert Hall is a magnificent venue for any live music, but for me it’s the best place to hear a live orchestra. I may be biased as I live Bournemouth but the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra are the best orchestra to be listening to in the concert hall. No matter where you sit within the auditorium, the sound is just phenomenal. Tonight was no exception, from beginning to end, the orchestra and their special guest pulled off an amazing Christmas show.
It’s the first time, from recollection, that I have heard Joe Stilgoe, and hopefully it won’t be my last. His voice is very adaptable to all different genres and his interaction with the audience made you feel like you were part of the proceedings, at some parts we actually were!
The stage was set very festive, with classy decorations and lights. The musicians too were looking fine in their white tuxedos and brightly coloured evening gowns. I could tell from the moment we stepped into the concert hall that we were going to be in for a treat. Tonight’s conductor of the BSO was Enyi Okpara, the Calleva Assistant Conductor.
The first half of the evening started with a soulful Ray Charles overture, there were quieter interludes stringing together some of Ray Childs soul classics. This first item was the BSO on their own, after which Joe Stilgoe came onto the stage looking very dapper in a British racing green suit and sang his first number – Luck Be A Lady from Guys and Dolls. The next thing on the program was a personal favourite of mine and Joe gave a perfect rendition along with a great accompaniment from the orchestra of Feeling Good. The rest of this half moved along seamlessly with other classics such as Cabaret and Top Hat/Puttin’ on the Ritz. One item I must make mention to is an arrangement by Joe Stilgoe himself of Cartooning Up, this very fun piece contains ditties from many Disney and Looney Tunes cartoons with When You Wish Upon a Star being the backbone of the tune.
During the 20 minute interval there was some more entertainment for us to enjoy in the foyer, the Bournemouth Youth Handbell Team were performing to raise money for their 20th anniversary concert tour to Barcelona next year. They were all very professional and sounded great.
The musicians came back on stage and they had taken their opportunity in the interval to put on more festive attire! We had a few Father Christmases dotted around, a turkey, a Christmas tree, not one but a whole constellation of stars (the cello section) and the conductor was in a reindeer onesie. I have to say the orchestra looked like they were enjoying the concert as much as the audience.
There were some very well-known Christmas pieces in the second half such as Winter Wonderland, Sleigh Ride and It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We had some audience participation in Wizzard’s I wish it could be Christmas Everyday and some beautiful trombone playing by Kevin Morgan during Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song. Joe Stilgoe did a very clever mash up medley of many songs that the audience members shouted out as being their favourite song (Christmas or not!) which included Carol of the Bells, Last Christmas, My Old Man’s a Dustman, Tubular Bells, Dancing Queen and The Nutcracker to name a few! Joe is a very talented musician and this medley was amazing. There was a brilliant Jazz Trio, which felt very impromptu but polished, of ‘It had to be you’. This was played by Tom Farmer on Upright Bass, Ben Reynolds playing brushes on the side of the bass and sung by Joe Stilgoe.
The evening was finished off with Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody which sent us all out of the Lighthouse ready for Christmas having had a festive treat indeed.
Rating: 5/5
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Joe Stilgoe presented Last Night of the Christmas Proms at the Lighthouse Poole on Saturday 21st December 2024 for more information of future concerts visit www.lighthousepoole.co.uk or call the box office on 01202 280000.
Poole Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG