# Wigglesworth leads Bournemouth Symphony through an uneven programme, with Sibelius soaring

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/bournemouth-symphony-orchestra-wigglesworth-review-phrasing-with-hospital-corners/
- Published: 2026-10-22T13:26:43+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T13:54:04+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/oct/22/bso-wigglesworth-marwood-review-lighthouse-poole-bbc-radio-three
- Topics: Americas, Culture, Entertainment, Health, Medicine, Music, World

## Key points

- Tippett’s concerto was the concert’s highlight.
- Sibelius’s Fifth had striking character and a gradual, powerful climax.
- Marwood’s Vaughan Williams performance was adventurous but affected by tuning issues.

## Summary

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s concert under chief conductor Mark Wigglesworth brought together works by Tippett, Vaughan Williams, Adès and Sibelius, revealing a shared tension between inherited forms and fresh expression. The performance was uneven, but Tippett’s Concerto for Double String Orchestra stood out for its precise, flexible phrasing, while Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony made a strong impression through its distinctive character and carefully shaped build to the climax.

Anthony Marwood gave Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending a cool, adventurous interpretation, though intonation problems affected it; his playing was more effective in Adès’s Märchentänze, which was less compelling without its original soloist, Pekka Kuusisto. The Sibelius included striking, shadowy details but also wind tuning issues and unusually direct trombones. The concert was due to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at a future date.

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