A not so brief encounter with the Moscow Phil

By Mark Pullinger, 24 May 2017

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“like stepping back inside an old Melodiya recording”

Reviewed at Anvil, Basingstoke, Basingstoke on 23 May 2017

Rimsky-Korsakov, Sadko, symphonic poem Op.5

Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor, Op.18

Chopin, Étude in E major “Tristesse”, Op.10 no.3

Mussorgsky, Khovanshchina: Prelude "Dawn on the Moscow River"

Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition

Rachmaninov, Vocalise, Op.34 no.14

Mussorgsky, Khovanshchina: Dance of the Persian Slaves

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Freddy Kempf, Piano

Yuri Simonov, Conductor

A night of grand gestures from the Moscow Philharmonic and Simonov

Alexander Hall, 10th October

Yuri Simonov showcases his musicians in ballet scores by Tchaikovsky and Khachaturian, while Alexandra Dăriescu embraces the Romantic spirit in Rachmaninov.

****1

Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich with an authentic Russian accent from the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Peter Marks, 6th May

Though impressively performed by the Moscow players, conductor Yuri Simonov's interpretative choices did not always convince in Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.

***11

Moscow Philharmonic and Yuri Simonov: Mussorgsky and Rachmaninov in Manchester

Rohan Shotton, 18th October

The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra enjoyed an evening of youthful exuberance in the Bridgewater Hall with an all-Russian programme, conducted with grace and refinement by Yuri Simonov.Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on the Bare Mountain explicitly paints what the composer called “Spirits of darkness...and the Black Mass” in a progressively wild orgy before the bells of dawn break the scene.

****1

Le concerto pour alto de Schnittke : la musique au-delà des normes et des barrières

Manuel Gaulhiac, 31st May

Concert Mozart - Schnittke - Brahms, qui nous permet notamment d'entendre le concerto pour alto de Schnittke, oeuvre d'une incroyable richesse stylistique et expressive.

****1

A night of grand gestures from the Moscow Philharmonic and Simonov

Alexander Hall, 10th October

Yuri Simonov showcases his musicians in ballet scores by Tchaikovsky and Khachaturian, while Alexandra Dăriescu embraces the Romantic spirit in Rachmaninov.

****1

Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich with an authentic Russian accent from the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Peter Marks, 6th May

Though impressively performed by the Moscow players, conductor Yuri Simonov's interpretative choices did not always convince in Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.

***11

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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.

A not so brief encounter with the Moscow Philharmonic