Johnston's Tavener the highlight for the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra with MacGregor

Guy Johnston
© Frances Marshall

Ruth Rogers (violin)

Guy Johnston (cello)

Joanna MacGregor (conductor)

Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra

2.45pm, Sunday 29 March 2026

Brighton Dome

★★★★

Vaughan Williams, Ralph (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741): Le quattro stagioni, Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV269 'La primavera' (excerpts)

                                                                               Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV297 'L'inverno' (excerpts)

Richter, Max (b.1966): Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons (excerpts)

Ruth Rogers, Joanna MacGregor
& the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
© Nick Boston

Vaughan Williams:

'.... was a great place to start, allowing the BPO strings to demonstrate warm tone and strong ensemble'.

Vivaldi/Richter:

this was a highly enjoyable rendition, with Rogers leading with spirit, dancing to the offbeat rhythms in Richter’s obsessive take on Spring.

Vivaldi had the last word, and the BPO strings positively fizzed

Guy Johnston, Joanna MacGregor
& the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
© Nick Boston

Tavener:

'The star of the show proved to be cellist Guy Johnston, with an intensely focussed performance'.

'Johnston’s variety of tone ... was astonishing'. 

'A wonderful performance from Johnston, but also raising MacGregor and the BPO strings’ game to a new level'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Prom 68: Britten Sinfonia ablaze on the BBC Proms’ hottest night

Owen Gunnell & the Britten Sinfonia
© BBC/Mark Allen

Britten Sinfonia
Thomas Gould (violin/director)
Clare Finnimore (viola)

Owen Gunnell (vibraphone)

Miranda Dale (violin)

Caroline Dearnley (cello)

7.30pm, Wednesday 6 September, 2023

BBC Prom 68

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★★

Thomas Gould, Miranda Dale,
Caroline Dearnley & the Britten Sinfonia
© BBC/Mark Allen

Lera Auerbach (b.1973): Sogno di Stabat mater

 

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Concerto grosso in F major, Op. 6 No. 2

 

Michael Tippett (1905-1998): Fantasia concertante on a Theme of Corelli

 

Max Richter (b.1966): Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

 

Encore:

Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen: Shine You No More, arr. for string orchestra

Thomas Gould & the Britten Sinfonia
© BBC/Mark Allen

Auerbach:

'The Britten Sinfonia strings gave their sinking lines intensity, and the solo strings riffed on Pergolesi’s suspensions, with sinister dark tutti throbbing gradually taking over'.

Corelli/Tippett:

'Bright and energetic Corelli flowed straight into Tippett’s Fantasia concertante, thereby accentuating Tippett’s gradual stretching and unhinging of the Baroque'.

'Gould was almost rotating on the spot as soloist and conductor, and communication between him and the mostly standing players was palpable throughout, their gently swaying movements transmitting their enjoyment and commitment'. 

Richter:

'Gould and his players were constantly alert to their corporate roles, producing some of the finest ensemble playing heard in a long time'.

'Once again, the criminally underfunded Britten Sinfonia (are you listening, ACE?) demonstrated inventiveness and frankly stunning performance commitment, giving other orchestral outfits much to envy'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.