Performer: Mikhail Pletnev

Van Cliburn winner Yunchan Lim, in his concerto debut with the Tokyo Philharmonic, shares the stage with Mikhail Pletnev to give a suave performance of Beethoven's “Emperor” Concerto.

A marvelous musician, Mikhail Pletnev, conveyed a fresh perspective on the inner works of Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto. 

The muscular piano playing of Nikolai Lugansky could not save the Russian National Orchestra’s shoddy Enescu and Prokofiev.

Although nominally a Polish Festival celebrating the music of Frédéric Chopin, there was lots of Tchaikovsky on offer at this year’s event. Leading the foreign charge was the Russian National Orchestra under the direction of their mercurial maestro Mikhail Pletnev.

Le musicien russe enchaîne des préludes fascinants par sa manière pianistique plus que par eux-mêmes. S'il se montre captivant dans Scriabine, Pletnev malmène tout de même notablement le texte de Chopin.

Le pianiste russe a livré en deux concerts une interprétation duelle, entre une langueur confinant à la mollesse et des passages vivaces au caractère très affirmé.

With concerts featuring Myung-whun Chung at the piano, Pinchas Zukerman leading from the podium, and inventive programming from Chief Conductor Andrea Battistoni, the Tokyo Philharmonic’s 2025 season straddles many divides.

In Tokyo, a fleet of youthful soloists complement a range of big repertoire works – Rite of Spring, Turangalîla-Symphonie, Macbeth, Boléro – full of sex and violence and all things sensual.

A slew of youthful soloists and conductors will appear with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in their 2023 season – alongside some venerable and prestigious elder hands.