Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Lighthouse, Poole

A TRIO of characterful works under the consummate direction of Kirill Karabits energised the BSO to feats of dexterity.

The centrepiece, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, drew sparkling playing from soloist Francois-Frederich Guy with the snappily happy ingestion of jazz inspired idioms in stylish accompaniment.

The slow movement's graceful beauty invited Guy's Gallic sensibilities to poetic nuancing, colourfully contrasted by the fun-fuelled Stravinskian touched finale. And a sensitive Debussy Prelude for encore.

Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet orchestral suites encapsulate the varying moods of each episode with often biting, frequently piquant orchestration. Karabits was atop these sensational scenes; the crashing chords of the opening commanding the BSO's most powerful attack.

The intensely dramatic Death of Tybalt and the dignity Karabits lent to the tragic finale were matched in musicality by the tenderness in the balcony scene and felicitous dances in this sumptuously played score. The Morning Dance encore resembled a tour-de-aerobics.

By this time the BSO players had already reached astonishing speeds with the opening flourish flashing past in Berlioz' attention grabbing Roman Carnival Overture. Immediately the meltingly melodic rich timbre of Ellen Marsden's cor anglais solo becalmed the proceedings until Karabits whipped up the BSO's lightning reactions in this much loved piece.