> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Review: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra @ Lichfield Cathedral
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/review-bournemouth-symphony-orchestra-lichfield-cathedral/
- Published: 2011-07-18T06:07:42.000Z
- Updated: 2011-07-18T06:07:46.000Z
- Author: Annette Rubery
- Tags: Reviews, What's On, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 19:32

[![Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/bournemouth.jpg)](//lichfieldlive.co.uk/2011/07/18/review-bournemouth-symphony-orchestra-lichfield-cathedral/bournemouth/)

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra with principal conductor Kirill Karabits.

It was a stirring sight to see Lichfield Cathedral so packed for the closing concert of the [Lichfield Festival](http://www.lichfieldfestival.org/?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk) – a visit from the excellent [Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra](http://www.bsolive.com/?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk) – with people seated as far back as the Choir.

It was a barnstorming performance, too, from Kirill Karabits – Bournemouth’s new, young conductor – but before the all-Russian programme opened, Festival Director Fiona Stuart gave a short speech, announcing that attendance was up 30 per cent on last year, and thanking the audience for its “incredible support” during a difficult time for the arts.

Opening with a Suite from Khachaturian’s ballet Gayane (including the instantly recognisable Sabre Dance), [the BSO](http://www.bsolive.com/?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk) played with incredible energy and verve, wringing every ounce of drama from the score.

The same energy could be heard throughout Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 in C Minor (Op.18) with Russian soloist [Boris Giltburg](http://www.intermusica.co.uk/artists/piano/boris-giltburg/biography?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk): another young artist who has a bright future ahead of him. Providing incredible resonance and richness, Giltburg’s intense approach was the perfect foil for the strings, keeping the piece firmly away from saccharine romance, and delivering a confident – even strident – interpretation of a well-loved classic.

Rounding off with Ravel’s popular orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, Karabits made the most of the Ravel’s incredible orchestral colour, delivering a well-paced performance that built to a thrilling conclusion. It was the perfect end to an exciting evening, and to the Festival itself, which, despite a difficult financial climate, continues to deliver high-quality arts events to Lichfield and beyond.