Venue: Auditorium di Milano Fondazione Cariplo

An exhilarating journey through three Russian suites with LaVerdi in Milan. 

Schumann, Goldmark and Malipiero feature in a seasonal programme in Milan. 

In Milan, a timely reminder of the contemporary appeal of Bach's music. 

If the orchestra's playing was marked by poise and balance, so was the programme taken in its entirety. The buoyancy that had prevailed to now brought out the darker hues of Schubert's “Unfinished” Symphony deliciously.

La Verdi dispatched each of the works with panaché under audience favourite Oleg Caetani. There is plenty of swagger to their playing at present – a Gallic cock with plenty of feathers in its tail.

La Verdi possessed the necessary bloom to portray Scriabin's rich colour scheme under former LSO Assistant Marius Stravinsky. At times, they were irresistible.

This was raw Mahler at its most all-embracing. The musicians seemed to embrace the entire world. As an audience member made to leave the hall, Axelrod leant over the balustrade to shake his hand.

As a pianist, Mustonen failed to deliver as would have been hoped, though as a conductor his rapport with the orchestra bore delightful results.