Tunbridge Wells Symphony: Chopin and Bruckner 4

By Ken Ward, 04 February 2014

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Reviewed at Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells on 2 February 2014

MacCunn, The Land of the Mountain and the Flood

Chopin, Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor, Op.11

Bruckner, Symphony no. 4 in E flat major, "Romantic", WAB 104

Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra

Neil Thomson, Conductor

Aleksandar Djermanović, Piano

Yuja Wang with the Mahler CO: between lyricism and volatility

Edward Sava-Segal, 1st May

Yuja Wang and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra frame Chopin’s E minor concerto with two Prokofiev works, the First Symphony and Second Piano Concerto.

****1

Eric Lu brings scintillating Chopin to Singapore

Chang Tou Liang, 1st May

A world premiere by Wang Chenwei, familiar Chopin and a rare outing for Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta make for satisfying fare in Jahcun Wong’s Singapore Symphony programme.

****1

BBC Philharmonic’s bold but unbalanced Stravinsky and Adams

Leighton Jones, 1st May

Balance issues mar an otherwise compelling programme from John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

***11

Denis Kozhukhin: captivating storytelling with the London Symphony

Clare Varney, 1st May

At the Konzerthaus Dortmund, Sir Antonio Pappano and the LSO are joined by Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin to plunge into the depths of despair in Bernstein’s melancholic The Age of Anxiety.

***11

Echoes of Albion: Julian Bliss joins Chromatica at Wilton’s Music Hall

Mark Valencia, 30th April

An uncluttered evening of English music includes Gerald Finzi’s gorgeous Clarinet Concerto and Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge.

***11

Elim Chan and TSO reign supreme in Shostakovich’s Ninth

Michelle Assay, 30th April

After a Rachmaninov concerto that resembles a harangue, an uneven Toronto Symphony programme comes into focus with a sharply characterised Shostakovich Ninth.

***11

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Ken Ward

Ken Ward spent most of his working life driving buses for Eastern National and London Buses. With a life-long enthusiasm for the works of Bruckner, he became editor of The Bruckner Journal in 2005 and was awarded The Bruckner Society of America 'Kilenyi' Medal of Honor in 2011.

Djermanovic saves the day with a noble Chopin piano concerto