Spellbinding Schumann from Gardiner and the LSO

By Young-Jin Hur, 12 March 2018

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“Gardiner held the symphonic line superbly without sacrificing the fiery elements”

Reviewed at Barbican Hall, London on 11 March 2018

Schumann, Genoveva, Op.81: Overture

Berlioz, Les Nuits d'été, Op.7

Schumann, Symphony no. 2 in C major, Op.61

Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Conductor

Ann Hallenberg, Mezzo-soprano

London Symphony Orchestra

Heavenly Mahler – and Strauss – from Lucy Crowe and the LSO

Roy Westbrook, 21st May

Songs and symphonies from Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra, concluding with a vision of “heavenly life” from Gustav Mahler.

****1

Denis Kozhukhin: captivating storytelling with the London Symphony

Clare Varney, 1st May

At the Konzerthaus Dortmund, Sir Antonio Pappano and the LSO are joined by Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin to plunge into the depths of despair in Bernstein’s melancholic The Age of Anxiety.

***11

A dream of a Gerontius from Pappano, the LSO and Chorus

Roy Westbrook, 21st April

Giving their 27th performance of the oratorio, the London Symphony Chorus excel as angelic angels and demonic demons.

****1

Pappano and the LSO: a thrilling collision between heaven and hell

Charlotte Gardner, 16th April

Vilde Frang joins Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican for transcendent Korngold alongside darker fare.

****1

Han Kang’s The White Book takes on a compelling new life

Peter Quantrill, 5th March

At the Barbican, Laura Bowler's new work for Barbara Hannigan translates Han Kang's novel into a soundscape of icy stillness

****1

A curious evening from Noseda, Kopatchinskaja and the LSO

Mark Valencia, 26th February

Good, bad, but never ugly, a curious evening unfolds at the Barbican, inspired at times, ill-judged in places.

***11

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Young-Jin Hur

Young-Jin Hur is a PhD candidate in psychology at University College London, researching themes in aesthetics centred around the sublime. An ardent CD collector, Young-Jin finds much affection in symphonic and orchestral works from between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries, especially of Austro-German, Nordic, and Russian traditions, and in sacred vocal music. He also writes for MusicWeb, Corymbus, and Seoul Arts Center. He tweets at @yjhur1885 and blogs at Where Cherries Ripen.

Spellbinding Schumann and Berlioz from Gardiner and the LSO at the Barbican