Bychkov and the BBCSO revive some rare Russians

By Andrew Morris, 01 September 2017

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“Gerstein's... razor sharp articulation carried well across the cavernous hall”

Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 31 August 2017

Taneyev, Oresteia, Op.6: Overture

Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto no. 1 in F sharp minor, Op.1

Tchaikovsky, Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op.58

Kirill Gerstein, Piano

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Semyon Bychkov, Conductor

Sakari Oramo, Yeol Eum Son and the BBC Symphony in Seoul

SangKwon Lee, 26th March

Yeol Eum Son’s Britten Piano Concerto formed the evening’s centre of gravity, played with lucid line, structural command and sudden fire. In Brahms’ Second Symphony, Sakari Oramo found conviction, proportion and a warmth that felt earned rather than applied.

****1

Sakari Oramo and Yeol Eum Son summon up vivid landscapes

Christopher Woodley, 13th March

Yeol Eum Son's superb performances of Bartók and Finzi are matched by intense and heady readings of Stravinsky and Weir by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo.

****1

From snow to sludge: Icelandic music at the Barbican Centre

Marat Ingeldeev, 22nd February

A bewildering evening at the Barbican, where ambitious Icelandic programming collapses under its lofty ambition of defying genres and making music more appealing to a wide variety of audiences.

**111

Fine Lindberg and Stravinsky double bill from the BBC Symphony

Roy Westbrook, 6th February

After a performance of Magnus Lindberg’s First Violin Concerto by Lisa Batiashvili at the Barbican, Stravinsky’s Perséphone stands the test of time.

****1

UK premiere of Julia Wolfe’s unEarth impresses on scale, not substance

Susannah Moody, 23rd January

Wolfe's climate-change oratorio, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, already feels out of date.

**111

Sir James MacMillan delights with his Christmas Oratorio

David Karlin, 19th December

MacMillan's large scale choral work offers a rich variety of texts and musical ideas, the composer conducts the BBC Symphony with unerring precision.

*****

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Andrew Morris

Andrew is a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in The Strad and International Record Review. He is particularly interested in Russian music and the violin. He also writes about music at his blog Devil's Trill and can also be found on Twitter at @devilstrillblog.

Prom 63: Gerstein, Bychkov and the BBCSO revive some rare Russians