Bournemouth, Pride of the South……well I must hand it to Percy Whitlock; he did a grand job composing the Song of Bournemouth, stirringly set with easily assimilated chorus to which the congregation gave hearty voice.

And it was not without fantasy or humour; The air they sniff on under cliff, At eighty miles an hour. Was that wind speed or road speed?

For good measure son of Bournemouth Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem brought this splendid concert to a rousing conclusion.

The attendance of the Mayor of Bournemouth as the town celebrates its 200th Anniversary lent formality to the event.

And with a similar anniversary for the great liturgical composer S S Wesley (born 1810) the choirs of St. Stephen’s and Durlston Court School with the Festival Orchestra under Ian Harrison performed a number of his works, finest among them being Ascribe unto the Lord.

“I must confess to enjoying being the only composer in tonight’s programme still alive”. Anthony Caesar’s response caused great mirth after Durlston Choir beautifully performed his setting of Blake’s The Echoing Green.

Festival Organist Andrew Fletcher’s sparkling performance of Handel’s Organ Concerto No.4 and the orchestra’s fine account of Parry’s Lady Radnor’s Suite, in which every movement was a study in elegance, provided an inspired balance to the programme.