Star-cross’d Prokofiev and Bernstein raise the emotional temperature

By Mark Pullinger, 18 March 2014

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Takezawa... revelled in reflective melancholy, with barely whispered playing in the cadenza”

Reviewed at Cadogan Hall, London on 17 March 2014

Mayazumi, Bugaku

Tchaikovsky, Violin Concerto in D major, Op.35

Tchaikovsky, Les Saisons (The Seasons) Octobre, Chant d'automne, Op.37a or Op.37b: October (Arr for violin and piano)

Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet: excerpts

Bernstein, West Side Story: Symphonic Dances

Toyama, Rhapsody for Orchestra

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra

Eiji Oue, Conductor

Kyoko Takezawa, Violin

Will Tuckett's Nutcracker for National Ballet of Japan is delightful

Naomi Mori, 19th December

National Ballet of Japan premiered production of Nutcracker choreographed by Will Tuckett, that features a stylish and dramatic Act 1 and a hilarious, colourful and unique Act 2.

****1

Tokyo Philharmonic and Myung-whun Chung launch European tour in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 28th October

The Tokyo Philharmonic visits the Berlin Philharmonie to bring finesse to a catchy programme featuring Bernstein, Gershwin and Prokofiev.

****1

National Ballet of Japan revives Ashton's beloved Cinderella

Naomi Mori, 18th October

The National Ballet of Japan gave an excellent rendition of Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, in spite of many new faces and role debuts.

****1

Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland dazzles again in Tokyo

Naomi Mori, 12th June

Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland returned to the National Ballet of Japan, a marvelous production that amply displays the many talents of the company.

****1

National Ballet of Japan's revival of Giselle: a dramatic return

Naomi Mori, 10th April

National Ballet of Japan has revived their production of Giselle, ahead of their tour to the Royal Opera House in London, replicating the triumphant success it had in 2022.

*****

Unity in Sound: Myung-whun Chung leads KBS and Tokyo Phil in Mahler 1

SangKwon Lee, 3rd March

Like the grainy intensity of a high-contrast black-and-white photograph, these rugged edges accentuated Mahler’s expressive extremes, reaffirming the conductor’s innate flair for crafting a grand aesthetic narrative within the symphony’s expansive architecture.

****1

More reviews...

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.