MUSIC REVIEW: Wowed by Walking in the Air

My young daughters accompanied me to the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s concert at the Guildhall on Friday.

The 4pm start time fitted perfectly within a busy family’s routine and that helped it to attract a good crowd.

The first half of the concert featured Paddington Bear’s First Concert for story-teller and orchestra by Herbert Chappell.

It was narrated by a star of the BBC’s CBeebies network, Pui Fan Lee, who is tantamount to royalty for my girls.

They were excited to see Pui and her cuddly Paddington bear. The piece was played well by the orchestra and the story told clearly by Lee.

The second half of the concert featured Raymond Brigg’s animated film, The Snowman, with Howard Blake’s wonderful score performed by the orchestra.

Most families attended the concert specially to see the 1982 film because it has become such a Christmassy classic.

The orchestra played the soundtrack brilliantly and their conductor, Hugh Brunt, did a great job of cueing the music to the film.

The imagery distracted my girls from the orchestra but they were wowed by the harp and when Constance Conway sang the treble solo, Walking in the Air. They sang it all the way home.

GEORGE BURROWS