Here at last, the eagerly awaited opening concert with new Chief Executive Dougie Scarfe welcoming us all. His remarks also included the BSO’s dedication of this concert to Maestro George Hurst, Artistic Advisor to the BSO and Sinfonietta.

I have long cherished the conception of following The Planets with the contemporaneous Music of the Spheres by Langgaard. However here the option of preceding Holst’s masterpiece with just one of Mozart’s-the Symphony No41-carrying the epithet ‘Jupiter’ with little justification, showed Kirill Karabits and his orchestra to be on top form.

With a nod to authenticity in layout and forces Karabits asserted the genius of Mozart in every aspect; gentle, soft-hued motion in the Andante, grace and due weight in the minuet and considerable drive in the fugal finale. Even so, the inclusion of a harpsichord amongst the power of modern instruments proved to be a ‘mute’ point.

Karabits assimilation and deployment of Holst’s amazing palette was truly something to be savoured. Mars went off like the proverbial rocket and in Venus he allowed solos to shine and sonorities to sing with uncanny insight.

Mercury ‘did what it says on the tin’ and that majestic moment in Jupiter, set within the hurly-burley of merriment was impressive.

Saturn’s deathly tread was conveyed with Karabits’ astutely tuned ear for nuancing and Uranus’ tricks were turned with a magician’s sleight of hand.

The finesse engendered in Neptune was beautifully enhanced by the range of voices from the ladies of the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus; just a pity they were silenced too abruptly.