The Philharmonia Orchestra is celebrating its 80th birthday season with a busy calendar of performances and special events. One of these was to be ‘One concert, three concertos’ with pianist Evgeny Kissin playing concerti by Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev, and Scriabin at Royal Festival Hall this week.
Sadly Kissin had to cancel at short notice due to ill health and so the pianist and program were changed.
Russian-Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg stepped in and reshaped the evening around two major works instead of three: Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (not the First that Kissin would have played) and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2. There was some disappointment in the audience that the Scriabin Concerto had been removed, but still plenty of excitement at seeing Giltburg on stage.
Boris Giltburg is known for his thoughtful musicianship and individual technique, and that combination served him well here. In the Prokofiev, he kept the articulation tight and rhythmic, making the busy outer movements feel brisk and energetic rather than chaotic. The fast runs were clear and energetic, and the percussive writing had impact without too much flash.
The fireworks at the end of the Andante-Allegro first movement were so impressive that the audience couldn’t stop itself applauding; their appreciation was acknowledged with a warm smile from Giltburg. He showed some restraint in the quieter central movement which allowed the orchestra to shine, especially the woodwinds and strings.
And then it was the shining finale, with its rapid glissandos, that earned some warm applause from the audience. This piece is famed for its fiendishly demanding solo passages and Giltburg handled them with ease. Indeed, the composer himself acknowledged that ‘my Third Concerto has turned out to be devilishly difficult’.
And he should know – the premiere performance in Chicago in 1921 featured the composer at the piano.
The Prokofiev was preceded by Mussorgsky’s tumultuous A Night on the Bare Mountain (or Bald Mountain, depending on your music school) in the 1886 arrangement by Rimsky-Korsakov. This is Mussorgsky’s only symphonic work and was inspired by Liszt’s Danse Macabre.
Maestro Foster presided over a considered interpretation, almost subdued in some parts, highlighting its other-worldliness more than its Satanic frenzy, with soulful harp and bells. Now 84, Lawrence Foster’s decades of experience and deep musical knowledge more than make up for his less physical style, conducting seated, rather than standing.
This was well-played and clearly crafted but showed rather less emotional intensity than some readings.
After interval, it was two pieces by Rachmaninov who was renowned in his lifetime as a ‘transcendental’ piano virtuoso. The orchestra found plenty of colour and atmosphere in the first work, TheRock, bringing out its fine textures.
And then Giltburg was back for the final piece, Rachmaninov’s most-loved work, the Second Piano Concerto. This begins in silence, with just the piano, before the strings sweep in and the orchestra joins in full voice.
The players and the soloist showed a strong connection here as the music went back and forth, especially with the flute and clarinet. There were one or two moments where the synchronicity slipped just a tad, but overall this was an impressive rendition that came to a fulsome finish.
Giltburg is recognised as a leading interpreter of Rachmaninov with award-winning recordings of the concerti and performances around the world and that depth of knowledge showed here.
The appreciative audience was on its feet instantly and their generous applause was rewarded with an encore of Kreisler’s Liebesleid as transcribed by Rachmaninov.
It must be enormously challenging to change a concert program at short notice, so congratulations to all involved. We may have missed the Scriabin and Kissin but the Rach 2 was a fine addition to the program; I’m sure Boris Giltburg won a few new fans on the night.
