Romeo and Juliet - Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No 1 - Tchaikovsky
Symphony No 4 - Tchaikovsky
How refreshing to hear Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto played as it was at the National Concert Hall last night. We have all heard plenty of performances in which the soloist's efforts were the main source of excitement - usually at the expense of subtlety and ensemble. Not many pianists play it as Bernd Glemser did on this occasion.
He was totally on top of the legendary technical challenges, and came across as the heroic soloist the piece demands. However, what made the performance was its musical integrity, which came from Glemser - from his finesse, rhythmic vitality, sense of phrase and long-range timing - and from the excellent unanimity between him, the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Alexander Anissimov. It was a treat to hear this music's many awkward corners turned so purposefully, and to realise that here was a soloist as aware of the orchestral part as anyone else on the platform.
These strengths were evident throughout the all-Tchaikovsky programme. The NSO and Anissimov have sometimes played in a more polished way; yet the best aspects of this increasingly fruitful partnership were never far away. There was expressive range, whether in the languorous pacing of the love theme from Romeo and Juliet or in the ferocious intensity of the Finale of the Fourth Symphony. Risks were taken, and most of them came off. And this was because there was interpretative certainty, though not of a calculated kind.