Raymond Gubbay presents Beethoven's Ninth: Christmas at the Barbican

By Ken Ward, 31 December 2011

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Reviewed at Barbican Hall, London on 29 December 2011

Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat major "Emperor", Op.73

Beethoven, Symphony no. 9 in D minor "Choral", Op.125

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Christopher Warren-Green, Conductor

Royal Philharmonic Chorus

Alexandra Dariescu, Piano

Mairead Buicke, Soprano

Jennifer Johnston, Mezzo-soprano

Daniel Norman, Tenor

Njabulo Madlala, Bass

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

Edusei’s Beethoven and Rangwanasha’s Strauss thrill at Cadogan Hall

Christopher Woodley, 26th February

Kevin John Edusei, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra celebrate the joys of a life well-lived – rounded off to the sounds of larks ascending.

****1

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

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

Perception-altering Shostakovich from Serebrennikov and Petrenko

Mark Pullinger, 27th April

As part of the Southbank Centre's Multitudes festival, Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony is given a stunning visual direction by Kirill Serebrennikov to match the RPO's gripping playing.

*****

A trio of exiled composers: Petrenko and the RPO at the RFH

David Truslove, 23rd March

Assured performances from the RPO as part of its ongoing “Lights in the Dark” series that brought career correspondences between three markedly different composers.

****1

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Ken Ward

Ken Ward spent most of his working life driving buses for Eastern National and London Buses. With a life-long enthusiasm for the works of Bruckner, he became editor of The Bruckner Journal in 2005 and was awarded The Bruckner Society of America 'Kilenyi' Medal of Honor in 2011.