Vestard Shimkus delivers exhilarating Dreamscapes

By Andrew Larkin, 14 June 2018

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“Shimkus didn’t shirk in taking on the virtuosic demands”

Reviewed at Great Guild Hall, Riga on 13 June 2018

Bach, 9 Chorale preludes (transcribed Busoni)

Shimkus, Dreamscapes: 9 Etudes for piano

Vestard Shimkus, Piano

Apollonian radiance and women scorned: the Britten Sinfonia at Snape

Roy Westbrook, 18th June

Hell holds no fury like a woman scorned, and it was certainly so in Greek mythology, celebrated in this outstanding Aldeburgh Festival performance by the Britten Sinfonia and Helen Charlston.

*****

Black American music finds a new voice at the Concertgebouw

Clare Varney, 18th June

Dutch premieres, new faces and new arrangements result in a concert quite unlike any other from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Antony Hermus.

****1

A perfect landing with Harding and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Mengguang Huang, 17th June

Håkan Hardenberger joins the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Harding for a thrilling night concluding with a breathtaking, high-energy Beethoven Four.

****1

Improvisatory Gershwin from Ryan Wang with Chromatica Orchestra

Nick Boston, 17th June

Energetic yet atmospheric performances from Chromatica Orchestra, with Ingunn Korsgård Hagen providing firm yet spirited direction.

****1

Poise over fire: McGegan, Chen and the Orchestra of St Luke’s

Edward Sava-Segal, 16th June

A late substitution turns a violinist-led showcase into a polished, orchestra-centred Bach Festival evening at Carnegie Hall.

***11

Quatuor Diotima and Stéphane Degout haunt Wigmore Hall

Christopher Woodley, 15th June

An enterprising trio of works by Ligeti, Respighi and Schoeck leave a lasting impression of oppression, alienation and dark nights of the soul.

*****

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Andrew Larkin

Andrew Larkin is a pianist, composer and teacher from Dublin. Educated at Dublin and at Cambridge, he has performed all around Europe and Mexico. He currently teaches piano and composition in Dublin.

Vestard Shimkus delivers exhilarating Dreamscapes in Riga