RSNO Favourites: Shostakovich

Tonight’s programme is a surprising one; a curious contrast, it would seem. When brought to life, however, Beethoven’s Piano concerto no. 1 and Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony aren’t too far apart. Both composers conjure expectations of drama and intensity, and both fail to remain entirely true to this expectation. Both are also expressed tonight in their full grandeur and deep intensity by a passionate RSNO.

The piano concerto makes a fantastic opener. Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter is the picture of relaxed composure from the very start, and her effortlessness forms part of the performance throughout. Apart from a rare late entry, the piano and orchestra work in fabulous coherence. Beethoven’s rhythmic juxtapositions especially well iterated by the piano and wind simultaneously. The quiet and serene passages express the same colourful range as those with more movement, and even solo piano passages fill the hall with the same brilliant sound as the entire orchestra.

The second half arrives to great anticipation. Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony, subtitled The Year 1905, is based on the Bloody Sunday massacre of 1905. The work paints a picture of St. Petersburg on a bitter winter morning, before portraying the horror that followed. From the open fifths of the beginning, the orchestra create the exact eerie and ominous feel needed to create apprehension within the listener. As the work gathers momentum, the wind section punctuate the string colours clearly and with depth and the brass maintain an apt energy throughout. They portray fanfares with perfect phrasing and dynamics, just as the hugely ominous repeating phrases can almost strike fear into the audience.

Conductor Thomas Søndergård is an inherent part of the orchestra tonight. He moves with their every change and nuance, and his directions appear to be carried out by the players in the same instant he iterates them. The percussion section are relentless throughout, both when portraying the terrifying gunshots central to the piece and in bringing the work to a close with fabulously intense bell strokes. The orchestra succeed in portraying the sheer brilliance and terror of this work. Still far from the end of the RSNO concert season, tonight leaves us anticipating more of the same over the next month.