He is joined by Nicholas McCarthy in Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand. The programme also features Walton’s First Symphony and Wagner’s Die Meistersinger Prelude.
Wigglesworth was announced as the Orchestra’s incoming Chief Conductor earlier this year alongside Chloé van Soeterstède, who became Principal Guest Conductor. Together, they share a Brahms cycle this season.
Music lovers in the South West are preparing to welcome Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s new Chief Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth, who makes debut appearances in the role this November.
Wigglesworth’s opening performances take place at the Orchestra’s home, at Lighthouse, Poole [20 Nov], and Bristol Beacon [21 Nov], where it is Orchestra in Residence. The Poole performance will also be available to watch live and for 30 days as a Digital Concert.
The opening programme features Wagner’s majestic Prelude to Die Meistersinger and Walton’s First Symphony, a work that erupted onto the scene in 1935 and has remained popular ever since.
Pianist Nicholas McCarthy – who made history, in 2012, when he became the first one-handed pianist to graduate from the Royal College of Music in its 130-year history – joins Wigglesworth and the Orchestra, to make his BSO debut with Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand.
Mark Wigglesworth, the BSO’s Chief Conductor, said: “It will be lovely to actually start making music on a regular basis with the musicians that I admire so much. We have planned wonderful concerts together and I am looking forward to turning these plans into reality. Hopefully the music will create many unforgettable experiences for all who come to listen.”
Dougie Scarfe OBE, the BSO’s Chief Executive, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming Mark into his new role as Chief Conductor in these opening performances this November. He’s built a fantastic rapport with the BSO’s musicians, audiences and staff over the last three years, since becoming Principal Guest Conductor, and we are thrilled to now embark on the next chapter together.”
Wigglesworth returns in early December – alongside pianist Boris Giltburg – with Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s orchestral suite from The Nutcracker (Act 2). Performances take place at Lighthouse, Poole [4 Dec] and Portsmouth Guildhall [5 Dec].
Further highlights this season include collaborations with violinists Alena Baeva (the BSO’s 2024/25 Artist-in-Residence) and Clara-Jumi Kang. Wigglesworth returns with Sir Stephen Hough, who performs his own piano concerto, The World of Yesterday, in February.
Mark Wigglesworth makes his debut as the BSO’s Chief Conductor – at Lighthouse, Poole [20 Nov] and Bristol Beacon [21 Nov] – alongside pianist Nicholas McCarthy. For full details see bsolive.com
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