The Orchestra has just returned from a trip to the US with conductor Vladimir Jurowski, violinist Vadim Repin and pianist Hélène Grimaud. We gave concerts at Boston’s Symphony Hall on 8 March and New York’s Lincoln Center on 10 & 11 March. The tour was generously supported by Dunard Fund, to whom we are very grateful.
The reviewers and bloggers seem to have enjoyed the concerts as much as the Orchestra did – here’s what we’ve read so far:
‘The London Philharmonic Orchestra, led by its principal conductor Vladimir Jurowski, gave high-impact, low-sentiment performances of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony … Repin’s violin spoke with authority in the concerto’s first bars, the tone full yet focused even in the predominantly soft dynamic of the work’s opening Nocturne. The movement’s long, wayward melodic lines in notes of equal duration are a challenge to perform convincingly, but Repin’s phrasing instincts and superb bow control served him well here … The Londoners proved a tight band indeed in the Scherzo, playing as one as they snapped out the movement’s irresistible rhythms. Crisp woodwinds took the spotlight again, especially Paul Richards’s sardonic bass clarinet’.
David Wright, Boston Classical Review
‘All in all, this was a performance of top-drawer status, with the LPO and Jurowski offering an involved and finely honed accompaniment … While Repin’s playing was wonderful, I found Jurowski’s accompaniment equally compelling. My in-concert notes commended his expert marshaling of the first movement’s long, uninterrupted and singing violin line, his clear and readable conducting gestures, and the transparent and open orchestral textures he achieved even when the music was heavily and densely scored. His involvement and control were total and commanding, and the LPO’s playing involved and spot-on.’
John Ehrlich, The Boston Musical Intelligencer
‘Jurowski brought out the same kind of clarity and expressiveness in the inner voices that he did in the Shostakovich but with even more rhythmic vitality. A palpable connection to the Shostakovich was made through the fugato in the third movement of the Beethoven. Sheer genius. The Allegro was brilliant in its drive to the end of Beethoven’s teasing coda. What really got to me was the expansive dynamic range—ranking above any recording or performance I’ve ever heard. The London Philharmonic made its mark on Boston and a full house at Symphony Hall.’
Richard R. Bunbury, The Arts Fuse
‘Vadim Repim did as good a job imaginable in this outstanding performance, reining in any implied triumphalism with a deeply equivocal reading that nonetheless expressed the workings-out of a profound inner debate. Persuasive in the opening Nocturne, he used his prodigious technical command to subtle changes in line and emotion, over a backdrop of void darkness provided by Jurowski. There was teamwork between soloist and conductor even in this most combative of concerti, especially in woodwind lines that not only matched or challenged the emotional sense of the violin line, but somehow managed to ape its tone too.’
David Allen, Unpredictable Inevitability
‘Playing with such elegance, Repin’s live performance was captivating. His cadenza was precise and brilliant, and he impressed the audience with his accurate sudden shifts from low to high positions.’
Carolyn Chang, The Tech
‘While Mr. Jurowski drew a disciplined and often brilliant performance from his orchestra, it was the concertos that proved the most riveting thanks to two first-rate soloists: The Russian violinist Vadim Repin drew on his powerful expressive reserves for a rendition of Shostakovich’s work that smoldered with suppressed passion; and the exquisite French pianist Hélène Grimaud imbued Beethoven’s concerto with profound humanity and compassion.’
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, The New York Times
‘The orchestra itself was of equal caliber throughout, exhibiting a glossy sound that never forced itself on the audience, even in the most martial of passages. Woodwinds, brass, and percussion were consistently tasteful in their delivery—especially piccolo player Ian Mullin, whose death-defying shrieks were astonishingly elegant while blending well with the rich lower winds.’
Michael Cirigliano II, Feast of Music
‘Mr. Jurowski established an easy ebb and flow between the orchestra sections, slowing the pace on the quieter sections and generating fierce aggression in the climactic repeats.’
Paul J. Pelkonen, Superconductor
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