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Rimsky–Korsakov, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky: Tatiana Polianskaya (piano), Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra, Valery Poliansky, Cadogan Hall, London, 12.2.2009 (BBr)

Rimsky–Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture, op.36 (1887/1888)
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No.2 in F, op.102 (1957)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 in B minor, Pathetique, op.74 (1893)


I couldn’t help wondering why, when an English orchestra travels abroad, it never gives the kind of programme we had tonight – it wouldn’t be difficult to do, a decent overture, a piano concerto in lighter style, but with an heart of gold, and a major symphonic work – Sullivan’s Di Ballo Overture, Howard Blake’s Piano Concerto and Elgar’s 2^nd Symphony would make a wonderful concert. But it will never happen and as our own music is often given, at best, second place, we can only marvel at how much foreign orchestras plump for their own composers.

Rimsky’s Overture is more tone poem than Overture and it sits a little uncomfortably at the start of a concert, being somewhat heavy and portentous. There’s much to enjoy here but, like Capriccio Espagnole, there’s too much meat and not enough veg for a starter. It received a very fine performance tonight.

I heard the Shostakovich Concerto only a few days ago, with Demidenko and the Philharmonia under Tugan Sokhiev, and this performance stood in direct contrast to that. Polianskaya displayed a much lighter touch than Demidenko and thus she pointed the delightfully frothy music with a grace and style and brought a feminine charm and warmth to the slow movement. What impressed was that, undemonstrative as she was, she had the ability to fill the bigger music with exactly the right amount of strength. This too was a super performance.

Poliansky’s view of the last of Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies was that it is an essentially tragic work, and not a lament on the end of life, as might be imagined, considering that the composer was dead only a few days after its première. The almost balletic music of some of the first movement, not to mention the wistfulness of the second theme, were very well done but and the fire of the development section burst out with almost savage brutality. The coda was full of melancholy with its slow pizzicato tread and world weary brass chorales. Poliansky wasn’t afraid to pull the tempo about when the music needed it, purely for interpretative effect, and he made this work well in the second movement “waltz” where the middle section was held back a little to contrast with the jauntier dance music. The scherzo was again less of the showpiece we are used to, being darker and heavier than expected, but what a climax Poliansky built, rich and sonorous, only to be dispelled by the finale, full of devotion and deeply felt emotion. This was a life enhancing experience and such was Poliansky’s interpretation that it was over far too quickly.

This was as fine a show as any I have heard and it is a tribute to Zurich International, of whose Concert Series this was a part, that it has constantly brought such fine music making to our concert halls.

Bob Briggs


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