Let’s dance! Kantorow's Tchaikovsky and Rhorer's Saint-Saëns enchant Rome

Devilish dances, imperial ballets and symphonic triumphs: for the end of its season, the Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia could not have programmed a more spectacular finale. Last Thursday, both the conductor Jérémie Rhorer and the pianist Alexandre Kantorow made their Rome debuts with three masterpieces of eclectic writing and enthralling rhythm, giving the audience a sensational night. The concert's title Ballet Imperial was a reference to George Balanchine's 1941 ballet which employs Tchaikovsky's lesser known Second Piano Concerto as its score. 

It was impossible not to be impressed by the Tchaikosvky, with Kantorow demonstrating his extraordinary ability as a virtuoso. The French pianist – gold medal winner in the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition, where he played this very concerto – offered perfection. The technical clarity of Kantorow's performance was incredible, but so was the entire structure of the work, which was very consciously thought out by Kantorow; when he moved from the majesty of the first movement to the nostalgia of the second, the French pianist gently intruded in the singing of the string duo with great softness. He shared with the other soloists – string players Carlo Maria Parazzoli and Luigi Piovano – a nervous and dramatic frisson, which made this Andante non troppo not the usual Tchaikosky lament. In the finale, the return to lightness in the Allegro con fuoco became a playful parody of the first movement, a continuous struggle between Kantorow's flair and the orchestra.  

In the second half of the concert, Rhorer conducted Saint-Saëns' Symphony no. 3 in C minor, a magniloquent composition in the form of Viennese classicism, which the composer attempted to challenge by incorporating an organ and four-hand piano. The movements of this symphony are a thematic jubilation that never stops. Rhorer demonstrated his ability to manipulate and dissolve the themes with calculated mastery: his conducting was emphatic, though never excessive except in the final bars, where he allowed himself to go over the top, almost challenging Tchaikosvky in the previous concerto. It worked well: the closing movement was powerful and the audience appreciated it. 

The night has opened with a very well-known piece by Saint-Saëns, the Danse macabre. A diabolical (and always thrilling) short composition that was in danger of being over-complicated in its interpretation. Instead, the Santa Cecilia's playing was clean and accurate, the perfect welcome to the season-closing performance.