4:02pm Sunday 21st February 2010
By Stan Meares
WHEN the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra travels to the Wycombe Swan, with a “Grand Tchaikovsky Gala”, one anticipates West End concert hall standards.
And, under the baton of its Polish born Principal Associate Conductor, Grzegorz Nowak, one most certainly got it.
Naughty, early thoughts that the first and last works, which both included the old Tsarist National Anthem, were there to “dum down” the occasion, were soon dispelled. True, Marche Slave is no masterpiece, but this was no routine unrehearsed outing to the “provinces” to keep the commuters happy.
This was proven from the first entry of the highly gifted Tashkent born 20 year old pianist Behzod Abduraimov in the 1st piano concerto. He dazzled the audience with what, I feel, was an exceptional performance.
This was certainly a young man’s presentation, dashing and irrepressible - though perhaps he might have shown more consideration during the lead cello’s 2nd movement melody.
Noticeably he had the wisdom to train his eyes regularly on to the conductor’s beat. Only at the very end did Nowak turn to face the young man to co-ordinate the last moments. No wonder Abduraimov was Grand Prize winner of the 2009 London International Piano Competition. It was stunned enthusiasm, rather than ignorance, that caused the audience vigorously to applaud the 1st movement.
The same high standards continued with the Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture , not the easiest Tchaikovsky, but a refined handling of the romantic tragedy with some truly ecstatic moments. Here the interpretive skills of Nowak were well shown, to produce a deep and satisfying performance.
The same attention to detail was lavished on the 1812 Overture, often branded a “pot boiler” - certainly not on this splendid occasion, though the concluding bells might have been better placed acoustically.
This vivid rendering brought back memories of a war-time cartoon by Illingworth. It depicted a retreating Hitler, with behind him a vision of a burning Moscow and Napoleon wryly commenting, “At least I got there first”. There is more to 1812 than is superficially apparent, and there always will be.
I look forward to the RPO’s October return with relish.
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