Wagner, Brahms and Sibelius at the RFH esterday
evening's concert at the Royal Festival Hall was given by the Philharmonia
Orchestra under the Finnish conductor Leif
Segerstam - with his white hair and beard looking like a genial Father
Christmas in evening dress. After the opening work, Wagner's Overture to Die
Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Boris Berezovsky performed Brahms's First Piano Concerto. I wrote in a post
earlier this year about the poor critical
reception this concerto originally received, only becoming recognized as a
masterpiece later. It's a monumental work: Berezovsky gave a thoughtful and
restrained performance, if somewhat lacking in momentum; though the last
movement came closer to catching
fire.No such concerns about the final work, though, Sibelius's Second Symphony. Composed in 1902 at a time when Finland was struggling to escape from Russian domination, the Symphony (despite Sibelius's denials) became associated with the country's struggle. It's lyrical and melodic, though with a dark and dramatic undertow, and Segerstam conducted it with passion: the windswept Finnish lansdcape and the spirit of the country were convincingly evoked. Posted: Fri - October 3, 2008 at 10:38 AM by Roger Wilmut |
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Total entries in this category: Published On: Mar 11, 2016 05:00 PM |
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