Peerless Brahms and heaven-storming Sibelius

By Roy Westbrook, 03 November 2015

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Reviewed at Royal Festival Hall, London on 2 November 2015

Dubugnon, Caprice for orchestra

Brahms, Violin Concerto in D major, Op.77

Sibelius, Symphony no. 5 in E flat major, Op.82

Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor

Arabella Steinbacher, Violin

A brilliant UK premiere of John Adams’ After the Fall

David Karlin, 25th February

The Icelandic pianist and Finnish conductor make a superb case for John Adams' latest concerto; the Philharmonia play Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé strongly but don't convince completely.

****1

Salonen and the LA Philharmonic take on the forces of nature

Néstor Castiglione, 9th January

Reflections of nature and humanity's place within it in Salonen's 2026 return

****1

Salonen leads an Austrian feast at the Philadelphia Orchestra

Cameron Kelsall, 18th October

A delightful Mozart appetizer leads to a satisfying account of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony.

****1

Boulez, Millepied and Salonen at New York Philharmonic

David Wolfson, 9th October

Pierre Boulez’ Rituel in memoriam Bruno Maderna is choreograped by Benjamin Millepied for a New York Philharmonic performance, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen.

***11

Salonen leads an electrifying Boulez tribute in New York

Susan Stempleski, 3rd October

The Philharmonic continues its celebration of the composer-conductor’s centennial with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard as soloist in an innovative program juxtaposing selections by the modernist maestro with pieces by Debussy.

****1

New season, new horizons: Salonen opens the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 3rd September

Salonen and the Orchestre de Paris opened the Elbphilharmonie season with a vivid journey from Strauss’s dramatic energy, through a reflective new Horn Concerto, to Sibelius’s luminous, precise grandeur.

****1

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Roy Westbrook

Roy Westbrook gained a diploma in music history at London University (Morley College) and was for some years the head of music day schools at Oxford University, where he also led music summer schools. After some years leading the University's business school he has returned to music teaching and writing, and recently took part in the Arts in Residence courses on Bruckner, Mahler and Bach He is co-author (with Terry Barfoot) of a history of opera, and has taught day schools on Sibelius in Oxford and elsewhere.

Peerless Brahms and heaven-storming Sibelius from Salonen and the Philharmonia