Rachmaninov with an authentic Russian flavour at Cadogan Hall

By Mark Pullinger, 05 October 2018

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“double bass groans, cello sighs, wistful woodwind chords”

Reviewed at Cadogan Hall, London on 4 October 2018

Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake: Suite, Op.20a

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

Rachmaninov, Symphony no. 2 in E minor, Op.27

Elgar, Chanson de Matin

Russian State Symphony Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko, Conductor

Barry Douglas, Piano

Oppression and exile: Russian fare at the Konzerthaus

Chanda VanderHart, 17th October

One repressed, one who struggled, and one who got away: Jurowski, Andsnes and the Russian State Symphony delight with varied programme of Russian composers at the Konzerthaus.

****1

Turangalîla underwhelms at the Southbank’s Multitudes festival

Roy Westbrook, 23rd April

Serious music ill-matched by filmic limitations as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra tackles Messiaen’s epic “symphony” as part of the Southbank’s cross-genre festival.

**111

Petrenko’s searing Shostakovich overshadows Grosvenor’s Beethoven

Nick Boston, 3rd February

Stylish Beethoven from Benjamin Grosvenor and dramatic Ustvolskaya from Yuriy Yurchuk, but Petrenko and the RPO’s blistering Shostakovich steals the show.

****1

Vasily Petrenko brings precision and power to Shostakovich’s Leningrad

Leighton Jones, 19th October

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s former Chief Conductor returns for a concert of mostly Russian repertoire.

****1

Charisma and colour from Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic

Chris Garlick, 7th September

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s BBC Proms matinee proves an ideal opportunity to demonstrate their strengths in a programme of Respighi, Milhaud and Vaughan Williams.

****1

Vasily Petrenko dances in symphonic form with the RLPO

Leighton Jones, 3rd July

The Conductor Laureate brings a balletic sense to a programme of Weinberg, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky that nodded to dancing as a theme.

****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.