THE programme was based on the first concert Sir Dan Godfrey conducted with the orchestra in 1893, but everything about this evening seemed fresh and up-to-the-minute.
Wagner is being heavily featured on the radio at the moment, since his 200th birthday coincides with the BSO's 120th. The orchestra's treatment of his Tannhauser Overture reminded us that his music can be as heart-stoppingly beautiful as it is big and dramatic.
Nicola Benedetti has recently joined the BSO at number one in the classical charts with their album The Silver Violin. In this concert, she led us from the gorgeous romanticism of pieces by Korngold and Shostakovich to an astounding display of her virtuosity in Saint Saens' Rondo Capriccioso.
Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 2 'Little Russian' also seemed to belong in the orchestra's present, based as it is on folk tunes from principal conductor Kirill Krabits' native Ukraine. It showed us the BSO together at full stretch, full of life, colour and drama.
Elgar's Nimrod, as an encore, reminded us of that great composer's links with the orchestra, and the whole evening showed that the modern BSO is every bit equal to its distinguished history.
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