Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Dutoit at Festival Hall
Three voices of Mother Russia: Stravinsky who in his Symphonies of Wind Instruments set out neither “to please an audience, nor to arouse its passions”; Rimsky-Korsakov who, in his Scheherazade, had every intention of doing both; and, as a centrepiece, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, which continues unfailingly both to please and to arouse every passion in the book.
Especially in a performance such as that by Vadim Repin. This solemn Siberian seduces by stealth. His command of this concerto is so secure, so structurally infallible, that he has no need of wit or whimsy, manner or sentiment, to reach the music’s or the listener’s heart. His sophisticated phrasing, tightly coiled passages of figuration and closely attentive ear to the playing of the Royal Philharmonic had a cumulative effect that drew the audience in ever more compellingly. Michael Whight’s clarinet duetted with Repin in the gentle elegance of the canzonetta, and in the finale every player joined the dance with both gusto and with meticulously prepared steps. Hilary Finch
