| Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
| Former name | Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Concert hall | Lighthouse,Poole,Dorset |
| Principal conductor | Mark Wigglesworth |
| Website | bsolive |
TheBournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO[1]) is an English orchestra, founded in 1893 and originally based inBournemouth. With a remit to serve the South and South West of England, the BSO is administratively based in the adjacent town ofPoole, since 1979.[2] The orchestra is resident atLighthouse in Poole, with other major concert series given atPortsmouth Guildhall, the Great Hall ofExeter University andBristol Beacon.
Principal conductors of the orchestra have includedSir Dan Godfrey,Rudolf Schwarz,Constantin Silvestri,Paavo Berglund,Andrew Litton,Marin Alsop, andKirill Karabits. The current principal conductor isMark Wigglesworth, as of the 2024–2025 season. The orchestra's current chief executive is Dougie Scarfe.
The orchestra was founded as Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra in 1893 byDan Godfrey as a group of 30 wind players and a drummer, though several of the instrumentalists – as is the current practice with military musicians – were proficient in both wind and string instruments.[3] This flexible approach meant that the musicians could form a military band for open-air concerts (playing on Bournemouth Pier) or a more formal classical ensemble for indoor programmes. The group gave its first concert on Whit Monday 1893 at theWinter Gardens, with its first classical concert in October that year.
The band quickly expanded to become a full orchestra, gaining a reputation for championing British music.Edward Elgar andGustav Holst (among others) conducted the orchestra in their own works. The orchestra gave the UK premieres of major works byRichard Strauss,Camille Saint-Saëns andPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. On 14 December 1903, the Orchestra gave its 500th symphony concert, conducted by Godfrey; a souvenir booklet listed all the works played by the orchestra since its inception, noting any first performances.[4] The Bournemouth Municipal Choir, founded by Godfrey in 1911, sang regularly with the orchestra.
From 1922 to 1940, an Easter Festival was an important feature in the Bournemouth calendar. In 1927, the Festival was devoted to music of British women composers. In 1934, Godfrey retired as principal conductor, having conducted over 2,000 symphony concerts.[5]
The first recording by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra was made in 1914 and occasional records were issued during Godfrey's tenure: Godfrey's recordings included works such asFerdinand Hérold's overture toZampa,Daniel Auber's overturesThe Bronze Horse andThe Crown Diamonds, orSamuel Coleridge-Taylor'sPetite Suite de Concert, along with "novelty items" with titles such as 'Slippery Sticks' and 'Whispering Pines' by members of the orchestra and featuring them as soloists.
Godfrey remains the longest serving principal conductor of the orchestra, and his stewardship ensured that, unlike many of the seaside orchestras that functioned from the end of the 19th century up until the outbreak of World War II, the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra established an ongoing tradition of music making. Godfrey's programmes mixed populist elements, such as variety acts andlight music, with extracts from more serious pieces. Alongside these, he instituted a series of symphony concerts which introduced diverse repertoire. He cultivated connections with most of the prominent British composers of the day includingEdward Elgar,Hamilton Harty,Alexander Mackenzie,Hubert Parry,Charles Villiers Stanford,Ethel Smyth,Gustav Holst and the AustralianPercy Grainger.[6]
From the very beginning, Godfrey had a difficult relationship with theBournemouth Borough Council who saw the orchestra as a commercial concern which needed to pay its way. As part of Bournemouth's visitor attractions, any request for expansion of the orchestra or changes to their contracts were the subject of exhaustive debates in the Council chamber.[3] However, in general, Godfrey was successful at balancing both high artistic standards and box-office success.
Between 1929 and 1934Stanley Wilson became a regular guest conductor.[6] After Godfrey's retirement, the task of sustaining the orchestra fell toRichard Austin. Radio broadcasts took place from the Pavilion and a number of celebrated composers visited during this time, includingIgor Stravinsky,William Walton,Ernest John Moeran,Sergei Rachmaninov,Roger Quilter,Balfour Gardiner andPercy Grainger. At the outbreak of war, the orchestra was cut from 61 to 35, and then in 1940 to only 24 players. Austin resigned in the same year andMontague Birch helped keep the orchestra going during the war, giving many 'popular' concerts.Whilst the Municipal Orchestra struggled in a depleted state, the war years saw concerts in the town by the Wessex Philharmonic, a freelance orchestra conducted byReginald Goodall, which included some ex-members of the BMO.
After the end of the war, the orchestra found a new home at the 'new' Winter Gardens. In 1947,Rudolf Schwarz was appointed musical director of a re-formed orchestra of 60. He conducted the orchestra in its first concert in London since 1911, at theRoyal Albert Hall in 1948, and in two concerts at theRoyal Festival Hall during theFestival of Britain in 1951. Schwarz's tenure was marked by artistic consolidation, but also financial troubles.
Charles Groves took over as musical director in 1951, but a rising annual deficit and termination of players' contracts caused a crisis, averted only by support from the Winter Gardens Society. In 1952, a plan to merge the BMO with theCity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra was avoided by an arrangement with the Arts Council for the orchestra to accompanyWelsh National Opera for several weeks. The continuation of the orchestra was only secured by the formation of the Western Orchestral Society. In 1954, the orchestra changed its name to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. At the inaugural concert, Groves andSir Thomas Beecham shared the podium.[7]
From 1954 the BSO developed its present role of giving concerts at more venues in the southwest of England. Other work included accompanying theBolshoi Ballet on their first British tour in 1956.
In 1957 Groves and the orchestra made commercial recordings, for Classics Club, (with a local engineer from Ronaldsons ofSouthbourne), ofBeethoven's4th Symphony,Brahms'sAcademic Festival Overture andBizet'sL'Arlésienne Suite.
In 1962,Constantin Silvestri became principal conductor and raised the standard and profile of the orchestra, with an appearance at theEdinburgh Festival in 1963, a first European tour in 1965, notable recordings and regular radio broadcasts. The orchestra gained its first international recognition during Silvestri's tenure, such as in a joint performance with theLeipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in the Winter Gardens by the combined string sections of both orchestras, playingEdward Elgar'sIntroduction and Allegro. His tenure was cut short by his death from cancer in 1969. His recorded legacy includes Vaughan Williams'sFantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis,Rimsky-Korsakov'sScheherazade, and a 1966 recording ofTchaikovsky's1812 Overture with the additional forces of theBand of HM Royal Marines.
Recent releases on BBC Legends, transferred from recordings of live concerts given at the Winter Gardens and elsewhere during Silvestri's tenure, provide a vivid record of the orchestra's style in this era. These include accounts of Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony and Elgar's Enigma Variations.
In addition to its roster of principal conductors, other conductors affiliated with the orchestra have includedGeorge Hurst, who served asde facto principal conductor from 1969 to 1972, between the tenures of Silvestri andPaavo Berglund, without having been formally appointed to the post. Hurst ensured continuity during that conductorial interregnum.
Paavo Berglund's tenure as principal conductor from 1972 to 1979 included commercial recordings such as the complete symphonies of Jean Sibelius for EMI. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Berglund made the world premiere recording of theKullervo by Jean Sibelius. Berglund led Sibelius Centenary Concerts with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1965, and became the principal conductor in 1972, concluding his tenure in 1979. Berglund led the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra with distinction, significantly raising the performing standards, as can be heard from the many recordings made by it for EMI.[citation needed] During this period, Nordic repertoire became a staple of the orchestra.
Roger Preston, co-principal cello, who worked with Berglund on many occasions, has said:
Anyone who played with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in the largest wooden church in the world, Kerimäki Church, Finland, as part of the BSO's 1981 tour will tell that it was a truly unforgettable experience. On this tour we played all the Sibelius' Symphonies, with Paavo on spectacular form. This particular concert featured Sibelius' Fourth Symphony plus the Violin Concerto played superbly by Ida Haendel.
I joined the BSO in 1979, as much because I had seen and heard them play under Berglund and knew that he (and they!) were quite exceptional. Many of Paavo's comments, criticisms and demands are as fresh in my mind as though it were only yesterday.
He remains, for me one of the best, if not the best conductor that I have ever played for and am so grateful to have caught the latter days of Paavo's extraordinarily fruitful relationship with the BSO. For any string players reading this, I particularly loved it when he used to say, "violins, you play like in a telephone booth", i.e. use much more bow!".[This quote needs a citation]
Edward Greenfield wrote in a review of a concert by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Berglund inThe Guardian in 1972, that the brilliantly richful strings left behind many interpretations from London.[This quote needs a citation] (Translation from Vesa Sirén's 2010 bookSuomalaiset kapellimestarit,ISBN 978-951-1-21303-1).[page needed]
The Finnish newspaperHelsingin Sanomat told in their 80th year birthday interview of Paavo Berglund that his one-time assistant from Bournemouth, Simon Rattle, called him "one of the last great", and uses Berglund's bowings in his Sibelius performances. The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra always gets very suspicious when a visiting maestro wants to change Paavo's Sibelius markings. The visiting maestro is silenced by saying that the markings are Sibelius'.
Recordings by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Berglund:
The Israeli conductor Uri Segal succeeded Berglund from 1980 to 1982. During his tenure, the BSO recorded suites from Benjamin Britten'sGloriana andThe Prince of the Pagodas.
Rudolf Barshai served as the BSO's principal conductor from 1982 to 1988. His BSO recordings included theSymphony No. 8 ofDmitri Shostakovich, and aGramophone Award-winning release ofTchaikovsky'sPiano Concerto No. 2 from 1988.
The American conductorAndrew Litton first conducted the BSO in 1986,[8] and subsequently became the BSO's principal conductor from 1988 to 1994, the first American principal conductor of the orchestra.[9] Litton subsequently was named the BSO's Conductor Laureate. His recordings with the BSO include William Walton's symphonies and concertos for Decca, and the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies (including theManfred Symphony) for Virgin Classics. In February 1997 Litton's recording of Walton'sBelshazzar's Feast with the BSO, Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and soloistBryn Terfel won aGrammy Award.
Principal guest conductors of the BSO have includedKees Bakels (1990–2000) andRichard Hickox (1992–1995).
Yakov Kreizberg was principal conductor from 1995 to 2000. Whilst he made no commercial recordings with the orchestra, he and the BSO toured the United States, including their debut atCarnegie Hall in April 1997.[10] Kreizberg and the BSO also performed a 3-day residency at theMusikverein, Vienna in 1999.
Marin Alsop, principal conductor from September 2002 to 2008, was the BSO's first female principal conductor and the first female principal conductor of a UK orchestra.[11] Her time with the orchestra continued the programming of American repertoire from Litton's tenure, which she often introduced to the audience from the podium in the style of her mentorLeonard Bernstein. She conducted all of theMahler symphonies except theSymphony No. 8. She and the BSO recorded several CDs for Naxos, both European and American repertoire.[12][13]
In November 2007, the BSO announced the appointmentKirill Karabits as their 13th principal conductor, the first Ukrainian principal conductor of a UK orchestra.[14] Karabits held the title of orchestra's principal conductor-designate for the 2008–2009 season, and became principal conductor with the 2009–2010 season.[15] With the BSO, Karabits made his first conducting appearance atThe Proms in August 2009.[16]
The BSO's first commercial recording with Karabits (ofRodion Shchedrin's Concertos for Orchestra Nos 4 and 5) was released on the Naxos label in April 2010. The BSO and Karabits have also recorded music ofAram Khachaturian for the Onyx label.[17] In August 2011, the BSO extended Karabits' contract as principal conductor through the 2015–2016 season.[18][19] In April 2015, the BSO announced that Karabits had signed a rolling contract as its principal conductor, to extend his tenure to a minimum date of 2018.[20][21][22] In January 2023, the orchestra announced that Karabits is to stand down as its chief conductor at the close of the 2023–2024 season, and subsequently to take the title of conductor laureate and serve as artistic director of the orchestra'sVoices from the East project.[23]
In November 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment ofMark Wigglesworth as its next principal guest conductor, with immediate effect.[24]Chloé van Soeterstède first guest-conducted the orchestra in 2022. In March 2024, the orchestra announced simultaneously the appointments of Wigglesworth as its next chief conductor and of van Soeterstède as its next principal guest conductor, both effective with the 2024–2025 season and with initial contracts of four years for each conductor.[25] The Calleva Assistant Conductor for the 2024–25 season is Enyi Okpara.[26]
In 1968, theBournemouth Sinfonietta was founded, with a complementary remit to tour the smaller towns of the south and west, as well as concentrating on classical repertoire. Despite artistic acclaim throughout its history, financial difficulties and funding withdrawals led to its sudden closure in November 1999.[27][28] Since then, sections of the BSO occasionally tour to smaller venues in the south and west.
Kokoro is a contemporary music ensemble of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, consisting of players from the orchestra and freelance musicians (formed 1994).
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra currently gives around 150 concerts a year. In September 1995 the orchestra, conducted byRichard Hickox, was the first to give a complete concert cycle of the symphonies ofRalph Vaughan Williams.[29]
The orchestra underPaavo Berglund made the world premiere recording ofSibelius'sKullervo in 1970. Other notable recordings includeDeryck Cooke's completion ofGustav Mahler'sSymphony No. 10, conducted bySimon Rattle;Elgar'sIn the South (Alassio) withConstantin Silvestri,Tchaikovsky's2nd Piano Concerto withRudolf Barshai andPeter Donohoe as soloist (withNigel Kennedy andSteven Isserlis in the slow movement);Anthony Payne's completion of Elgar's3rd Symphony withPaul Daniel, andLeonard Bernstein'sChichester Psalms withMarin Alsop.
The orchestra recorded a complete cycle of theTippett symphonies for Chandos, the Vaughan Williams symphonies for Naxos (with Kees Bakels for seven of the symphonies and Paul Daniel forA Sea Symphony and the 4th). The orchestra has also recorded for Naxos a complete series of the symphonies of SirCharles Villiers Stanford.
The orchestra performs regularly in theBBC Proms at theRoyal Albert Hall and has played in other great halls of the world, such asCarnegie Hall in New York, theMusikverein in Vienna, and theRudolfinum in Prague.
For many years until his death in 2003,Ron Goodwin gave an annual series of Christmas concerts with the orchestra around the south and west of England.
Premieres given by the orchestra include the following:
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In addition to the first acoustic recordings by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra in 1914, early mass media activities included radio broadcasts from the original Winter Gardens on2LO in the 1920s. Subsequently, the BMO gave regular concerts on theBBC, including Godfrey's farewell concert. ThePathé archive contains short films of the orchestra conducted by Dan Godfrey and Richard Austin made at the Pavilion Theatre in 1930 and 1937.
In 1963, the nave ofWinchester Cathedral was cleared for the first time in several hundred years to enable a live television broadcast of the orchestra, conducted by Constantin Silvestri, performingWagner's "Good Friday Music" fromParsifal.[3]
In the 1970s the orchestra appeared inSouthern Television'sMusic in Camera series, conducted byOwain Arwel Hughes. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra recording ofGustav Holst'sThe Planets, conducted byGeorge Hurst, was used on the soundtrack ofNicolas Roeg's filmThe Man Who Fell to Earth.
The orchestra were featured in a short-lived series of programmes on the local commercial radio station2CR. Members of the orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Chorus recorded ajingle for theYellow Buses, Bournemouth's local bus company.
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