Performer: Lise de la Salle

A most appealing Romantic programme by the French pianist at Sydney's City Recital Hall, played with accurate finesse in search of emotional highlights. 

In a thrilling concert oscillating between lush sentiment and explosive tension, pianist Lise de la Salle and conductor Diego Matheuz lead the NSO through Rachmaninov’s emotional grandeur and Shostakovich’s wartime defiance. 

Russian-Ukrainian conductor Anna Rakitina doesn't quite land on her debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, while Lise de la Salle uncovers the lighter side of Rachmaninov.