REVIEW: BPO's taste of Christmas

Drop the Dead Donkey actor Michael Fenton-Stevens stepped in to narrate at short notice and did an excellent job in what was probably the highlight for most of the younger members of the audience.

And a 28-strong all-girl contingent from the outstanding Brighton Festival Youth Choir were also there to add the vocal accompaniment.

The concert opened with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, where the truly brilliant John Williams has successfully conjured up a theme that captures all the elements of the hugely popular film.

Surely there is no-one to match Williams in his ability to add immensely to the visual modern day art form, which a little surprisingly has undergone something of a renaissance despite the advent of home videos.

The second half was devoted to 50 minutes of Act 1 of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, which BPO musical director Barry Wordsworth has conducted well over 100 times but confesses, never tires of and considers one of the composer's "most inspired melodic and theatrical creations."

The length and placing of the piece may have been trying for some of the youngsters but it was expertly performed by a heavyweight BPO line-up under guest leader Matthew Scrivener.

It is back to the more traditional for the BPO's next concert on Sunday week (December 6) when Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne and Thomas Carroll are the soloists for Brahms' Concerto for Violin and Cello.

Also on the programme are Rossini's Overture from The Thieving Magpie and Beethoven's No 8.

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