THE Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor paid a birthday tribute to its ‘wonderful’ musicians.

Speaking before Saturday night’s 125th anniversary concert at the Pavilion, Kirill Karabits said they were “an absolute joy to work with.

“I always think of myself as a beginner here, but in fact next season is my tenth year here. Then I will be the longest serving chief conductor apart from Sir Dan Godfrey,” he said.

It was Godfrey who founded the Bournemouth Municipal Band in 1893 and it would become the BSO.

Mr Karabits told the Echo: “The BSO is a very special orchestra, even after ten years I can say that. They are very open-minded, fantastic musicians. They are quick, they are enthusiastic and they like music. Not all orchestras like music. Some orchestras prefer bureaucracy to the music, they prefer to do things the way they are used to, but this orchestra always delivers the best for every concert.

“This is why I am still here after ten years. I don’t know how long I will stay but actually it feels very natural, I like it more and more. That is a very nice feeling to have. The musicians can play anything and we are doing more and more British music. This is their territory and we are getting deeper and deeper into that.”

The celebration concert featured Elgar’s Enigma Variations, first performed in Bournemouth in 1911. The chief conductor said he was always very conscious of the history of the BSO and the illustrious roll call his predecessors such as Barshai, Berglund, Silvestri, Kreizberg - and of course Sir Dan himself.

“They are all interesting personalities and I am very happy to be on the list,” he said.

Addressing a full house at the concert’s interval, chief executive, Dougie Scarfe spoke of the BSO’s extraordinary 10,000 square mile geographical remit, its world class music-making and groundbreaking community work with schools and especially in the field of dementia care and healthcare generally. The BSO has won awards for its contribution to dementia care and other medical initiatives.

“Music should be available throughout our lives and it has the power to reach into the soul and the mind in a way that almost nothing else can. Our community work is really at the core of everything we do and it is so important to all of us,” Mr Scarfe said.

“At the heart of what the BSO is today, lies an act of faith back in 1893 between the town hall of Bournemouth and a young conductor in his 20s.

“As part of our celebration we wanted to pay tribute to that act of faith. I believe this orchestra is the best it has ever been. It is at the top of its game.”

The concert was one of a number of community and family events across the borough over the weekend to mark the anniversary. It will be broadcast on Classic FM at 8pm on Friday.