Echoes of the Americas: Sierra and Ginastera meet Dvořák in Vienna

Effortless Brahms and rich Sibelius from Sado and the Tonkünstler-Orchester, with elegant Mozart from Yeol Eum Son at Cadogan Hall.  

This concert at Usher Hall delivered extraordinary playing, in repertoire ranging from Beethoven to Bernstein and Sibelius.

Yutaka Sado and the Tonkünstler excel in the epic passages of the Sibelius and the outer movements of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, less convincing in more lyrical moments. 

For the first of three concerts at the Cadogan Hall, the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra gave a heavy account of Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 4, lightened by the graceful playing of Angela Hewitt, followed by a rich New World Symphony.

Eastern European folk rhythms and the spirit of fin de siècle Russia resonate through Basingstoke as the Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra plays Kodály, Rachmaninov and Dvořák. 

The position of Composer in Residence at the Grafenegg festival may as well be called Composer-Conductor in Residence, as the appointments of Tan Dun, HK Gruber, and now James MacMillan have established a tradition whereby the lucky candidates are not only required to be intimately involved with the programming and preparation of their music, but also to stand in front of an orchestra and lead the