Concert review – RLPO/Petrenko/Li – 19 October 2023

There is a deep affinity between Vasily Petrenko and the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra so it is always a pleasure to see the conductor return, especially for some of the core Russian repertoire he is renowned for. I was drawn to this concert by Shostakovich’s Eleventh Symphony, as it is a work that is not performed very often (surprisingly, it was the first time Petrenko had conducted it in Liverpool, considering he has recorded the complete Shostakovich cycle on the Naxos label with the RLPO). I was pleasantly surprised, however, with my level of enjoyment of the other items in the programme.

The concert began with Lyadov’s Kikimora, which is not a work I know too well. What a gem it is! Lyadov is a transitional figure when you look at the development of Russian music; chronologically he falls between Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, and this is evident in his music, too. Some of the folk-like themes in Kikimora are reminiscent of The Five and indeed Tchaikovsky (particularly the almost balletic moments), but the more dramatic moments and indeed the dark, brooding orchestral elements perhaps prefigure Shostakovich. The orchestra performed admirably, with a special mention to Drake Gritton for his moving cor anglais solo.

The following Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto is always a crowd-pleaser, being amongst the most virtuosic in the repertoire, and fifteen-year-old soloist Christian Li delivered a memorable performance of it. What I liked most was that it wasn’t overly extroverted – Li is an extremely thoughtful musician who takes care with every phrase and nuance, but he is also technically superb in his ability to make performing the work look like a breeze. His tonal projection and colour matched his outstanding facility; it was certainly a performance beyond his years. In fact, some of it, principally the finale, reminded me of David Oistrakh’s mastery of this concerto. It was that high a standard.

There was a slight interruption before the Shostakovich began, owing to an audience member’s phone alarm. (To this particular audience’s credit, they’re usually well-behaved, and such an event is a rare occurrence. It just happened during what might be one of the quietest openings to a symphony I can think of ….) Petrenko and the RLPO dealt with the disturbance admirably and offered a moving rendition of the symphony – the dynamic contrasts were well controlled and the more virtuoso moments were delivered with a crispness and attention to detail. The large percussion section captured the revolutionary spirit of the work well, with the magnificent snare-drum representing the machine gun fire, incessant xylophone passages, and bell ringing. I overheard an audience member comment that the work seems to end loudly and heroically unlike many Shostakovich works; indeed, this is one of the main reasons it was a major hit at the time, earning the composer the lucrative Lenin Prize and thus marking the exoneration from his earlier troubles with the Soviet regime. This performance showed what a triumphant success the work still is over half a century later.

Posted on: 23/10/2023, 23:21:22