Infernal Liszt: Ott, Pappano and a Faustian pact

By Mark Pullinger, 27 November 2017

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“Yet Ott's devil wore an impish grin, the pianist exchanging gleeful smiles over her shoulder”

Reviewed at Barbican Hall, London on 26 November 2017

Liszt, Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième année, Italie: Sposalizio, S 161 no. 1 (orch. Sciarrino)

Liszt, Totentanz for piano and orchestra, S 126

Chopin, Nocturne in C sharp minor, "Lento Con Gran Espressione", Op. posth, B 49

Liszt, A Faust Symphony, S 108

Alice Sara Ott, Piano

Brenden Gunnell, Tenor

Gentlemen of the London Symphony Chorus

Simon Halsey, Choirmaster / chorus director

London Symphony Orchestra

Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor

Han Kang’s The White Book takes on a compelling new life

Peter Quantrill, 5th March

At the Barbican, Laura Bowler's new work for Barbara Hannigan translates Han Kang's novel into a soundscape of icy stillness

****1

A curious evening from Noseda, Kopatchinskaja and the LSO

Mark Valencia, 26th February

Good, bad, but never ugly, a curious evening unfolds at the Barbican, inspired at times, ill-judged in places.

***11

Borodin steps into the symphonic limelight: Noseda and the LSO

Mark Pullinger, 15th February

Seong-Jin Cho continues his Artist Portrait series with the LSO by performing Chopin's poetic Second Piano Concerto.

****1

Rattle and the LSO sell a travel package to Hungary and Spain

Roy Westbrook, 18th January

Opening her LSO Artist Portrait series, Patricia Kopatchinskaja plays Béla Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto before Rattle and the LSO whisk the audience to Falla’s Andalusia.

****1

Rare Vaughan Williams from Pappano and the LSO

Chris Garlick, 7th December

Tchaikovsky and Vaughan Williams make rare bedfellows, but Pappano's grip on these disparate scores impresses, with the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra on wondrous form.

****1

Top drawer French music from Ott, Bloch and the LSO

Roy Westbrook, 27th November

Debussy and Ravel frame a performance of Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra as Alexandre Bloch guests with the London Symphony Orchestra.

****1

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Infernal Liszt: Alice Sara Ott, Antonio Pappano and a Faustian pact