Transcendent talent: Alexandre Kantorow makes Wigmore Hall debut

By Roy Westbrook, 21 March 2024

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“Kantorow displays jaw-dropping virtuosity, but in a poetic cause”

Reviewed at Wigmore Hall, London on 20 March 2024

Brahms, Rhapsody in B minor, Op.79 no.1

Liszt, Transcendental Études, S 139: no. 12 Chasse neige

Liszt, Années de pèlerinage, Première année, S 160: Suisse: Vallée d'Obermann

Bartók, Rhapsody for Piano, Op.1 (Sz.26)

Rachmaninov, Piano Sonata no. 1 in D minor, Op.28

Bach, Violin Partita no. 2 in D minor, BWV1004: Chaconne, arr. Brahms

Alexandre Kantorow, Piano

Alexandre Kantorow in recital: a pianophile’s dream

Sam Jacobson, 16th April

A daring mix of rarities and late masterpieces at Severance Music Center confirms Alexandre Kantorow as a pianist of both staggering technique and uncommon depth.

*****

Paavo Järvi marks his new LPO appointment in Tchaikovsky and Sibelius

Mark Valencia, 4th March

Paavo Järvi demonstrates just why the London Philharmonic Orchestra has chosen him as its next Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

*****

Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain in Hamburg

Mengguang Huang, 26th June

Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s charismatic leadership and the Orchestre Métropolitain’s seamless unity brought Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and Tchaikovsky to life in a gripping, deeply expressive Hamburg performance.

*****

Saint-Saëns illuminated by the Orchestre National de France in Seoul

SangKwon Lee, 29th April

A sumptuous exploration of Saint-Saëns at Lotte Concert Hall in a programme forming a cohesive tapestry woven from the composer’s fascination with colour, all traced back to a distinctly Parisian sensibility.

****1

Thrilling Liszt and Bruckner from Kantorow and the Philharmonia

Roy Westbrook, 9th May

Alexandre Kantorow dazzles in Liszt’s Piano Concerto no. 2, against Bruckner’s mighty, unfinished Ninth Symphony. Manfred Honeck and the Philharmonia win new friends for both composers.

****1

A triumphant return to Singapore by the Hong Kong Philharmonic

Chang Tou Liang, 20th February

On its 50th anniversary concert tour, the Hong Kong Philharmonic pulls out all stops in Singapore, joined by star French pianist Alexandre Kantorow.

*****

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Roy Westbrook

Roy Westbrook gained a diploma in music history at London University (Morley College) and was for some years the head of music day schools at Oxford University, where he also led music summer schools. After some years leading the University's business school he has returned to music teaching and writing, and recently took part in the Arts in Residence courses on Bruckner, Mahler and Bach He is co-author (with Terry Barfoot) of a history of opera, and has taught day schools on Sibelius in Oxford and elsewhere.

Transcendent talent: Alexandre Kantorow makes sensational Wigmore Hall debut