The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra are bringing Colour and Light to Lighthouse Poole on Wednesday 15 October. Gergely Madaras conducts soloist Kristīne Balanas through Sibelius’ violin concerto for a vibrant evening of classical music.

Elgar’s magnificent orchestral showpiece is more than just a mere transcription of Bach’s organ Fantasia. It slowly swells as more and more layers of orchestral colour are built up until the full-throttle climax. In his Violin Concerto,

Sibelius staggers solo and orchestra in a succession of wonderful melodies until reaching a giddying climax. At times dreamy and reflective and at others turbulent and darkly passionate, it is full of technical prowess – a deep and gritty orchestral exploration from darkness into light.

The origins of the Bohemian hymn on which Suk based his Meditation can be traced back a thousand years. A work that pays homage to one of the most revered saints in Czech history, it is both heartfelt and nostalgic, interweaving Suk’s personal sense of patriotism with a deep spirituality.

Respighi’s symphonic suite Church Windows depicts four imagined religious scenes forever captured in stained-glass windows. His supreme orchestral mastery is on full show, shimmering with refracted, kaleidoscopic colour as light floods through.

Works and composers

JS Bach - Fantasia & Fugue in C minor

Sibelius - Violin Concerto

Suk - Meditation on St Wenceslas

Respighi - Church Windows

This concert is part of an ongoing series on Wednesday evenings at Lighthouse, Poole. Multibuy discounts are on offer for all concerts booked through the BSO Box Office – so the more you visit, the more you save! They will also be streaming 19 Digital Concerts this season so check out their What’s On page on bsolive.com, to see which concerts you can watch from the comfort of your own home.