Fast and furious: Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique

By Jack Dhainaut, 19 January 2016

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“The sound writhed around, ringing off the walls... a truly ecstatic climax”

Reviewed at L'Auditori: Sala Pau Casals, Barcelona on 17 January 2016

Wagner, Lohengrin: prelude to Act 1

Scriabin, Le Poème de l'extase (The Poem of Ecstasy), Op.54

Tchaikovsky, Symphony no. 6 in B minor, "Pathétique", Op.74

Munich Philharmonic Orchestra

Valery Gergiev, Conductor

At home in Hamburg: Munich Philharmonic at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 6th February

Lahav Shani offers fresh perspectives on Debussy, Mozart and Schoenberg, favouring structural clarity and youthful energy over traditional late-Romantic weight and atmospheric suggestion.

***11

Zubin Mehta brings the Munich Philharmonic to Carnegie Hall for Brahms

Edward Sava-Segal, 3rd February

Yefim Bronfman reunites with his old collaborator for Brahms' First Piano Concerto, reinforcing the qualities that exemplify him as a great chamber music player.

****1

A proficient but flawed opening at Dvořák’s Prague

Frank Kuznik, 8th September

Myung-whun Chung and Pablo Ferrández shine separately, but never quite get on the same page.

***11

Child's play: Crumb and Strauss make unconventional bedfellows

Matthew Rye, 12th November

Zubin Mehta brought together works by George Crumb and Richard Strauss in his latest concert as the Munich Philharmonic's honorary conductor.

****1

Grand Romantic statements from Gergiev at the Enescu Festival

Edward Sava-Segal, 6th September

Two giants of the Romantic repertoire that were met with disdain by Eduard Hanslick at their premieres are given persuasive readings in Bucharest.

****1

Technicolor Shostakovich and Brahms from the Munich Philharmonic

Laurence Vittes, 3rd September

A full frontal assault by Valery Gergiev on Brahms' First Symphony and Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto in explosive performances.

****1

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Jack Dhainaut

Having studied foreign languages and literature at King’s College, Cambridge and the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Jack is currently teaching English and French in a small but lovely village in deepest Catalonia, where he is one of two tenors in the local choir. A double bassist and erstwhile clarinettist, his musical interests range from the symphonies of Shostakovich to the Catalan Nova Canço.

Fast and furious: Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique with Gergiev in Barcelona