London Philharmonic Orchestra concert 10 October 2009 - Program One

Featuring:
- Graeme Koehne Powerhouse - Rhumba for orchestra
- Ravel Piano Concerto in G major
- Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Piano
Vladimir Jurowski - Conductor

Holy crap. I was so looking forward to this concert and the concert met my every expectation. Let me just declare this: I have never heard an orchestra whose members are on the edge of their seats on every second of the concert. To plagiarise someone else's word on LPO: 'This is an orchestra on fire'. I bought the program; it costs 20 bucks - a bit expensive, but I'm quite happy with the quality of it. Another way to think about this is: I got a circle seat for both concerts for $25 each. That's pretty much unbeatable price. Paying extra $20 for the program won't hurt me at all after that.

So, let's start with the concert: Graeme Koehne's Powerhouse, subtitled Rhumba for orchestra, is a piece for large orchestra and clearly obsessed with the Rumba dance. A good piece, although with some popular tunes in it. Although inspired by some popular musics, the pieces itself contained considerable amount of good ideas. Vladimir Jurowski gave a very exciting reading LPO executed music passages effortlessly. One musician that caught my eye immediately was the leader of the second violin who was really into the music. The orchestra never seem to run out of energy and stamina, and always delivered the extra punch during climaxes to heighten the effect.

A very stylish Jean-Yves Thibaudet came out as the soloist for Ravel's masterpiece - Piano Concerto in G major. The orchestra size is much smaller compared to the massive force required in the Koehne's piece. The playfulness of the first movement was brought out successfully and Jurowski impressed me again by bringing out little details that I never noticed before. Jean-Yves executed the piano glissandos in the beginning wonderfully. He also listened attentively to the orchestra and made the performance much more intimate for the soloist and orchestra. I enjoyed all of the movements very much, but the 2nd movement, as beautiful as it was played, fell a bit short of my expectation. The third movement made up for it, and it was played with such energy. A very solid performance.

The main program of the night is Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony. This is the piece that I can hum from beginning to end, and so I thought I know all the details. I was wrong. Jurowski revealed that there's a lot more to this symphony than what I know. The first movement began with a big fanfare which was brilliantly played by LPO brass. Jurowski took a slower tempo than what I normally comfortable with, especially in the sections before the fate motif reappears in the middle and the end of the movement. The tempo was so dangerously slow that it can bore the audience if not executed to perfection. Jurowski maintained the intensity throughout and used the slow tempo that he maintained throughout the development section to do a big contrast during the recapitulation of both reappearances of the fate motif when he did an accelerando. That was seriously glorious. The 2nd movement was poignant, as it should be, and I am seriously impressed with the reading of the second theme of this movement. The 3rd movement is an orchestral showcase for pizzicato strings, and excruciating part for the piccolo. No trouble at all here. Each pizzicato was clear as crystal and the dynamic and colour contrast between each of them are ultimately brought out. Allegro con fuoco is the marking of the 4th movement and that's how Jurowski interpreted it: furious with neck-breaking speed. All players are on the edge of their seats, the climaxes were overwhelming and I heard more stuff that I never heard before. The finale is just otherworldly and ultimately brought down the house. After a prolonged applause and standing ovations, we were given the Russian Dance from the Nutcracker suite as an encore.

This concert was seriously awesome. Let me comment on Vladimir Jurowski. He's such magnetic and charismatic on the podium. His gestures are precise, grandeur and just so exciting to watch. His left hand is just crazy, he probably showed other conductors so many interesting things one can do with that hand only. His musical interpretation is superb. Details are being attended to, climaxes are overwhelming. His reading of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony, especially the 1st movement is thought-provoking for me. This is the first time I felt this way about a performance. Also, he never underestimated the importance of a phrase in the entire 4th symphony. Each musical phrase is treated at utmost respect and executing them brilliantly throughout is a huge feat.

I seriously can't wait for tomorrow's concert. Tchaikovsky's violin concerto and Beethoven's Eroica are pieces that I'm too familiar with. Gave another thought-provoking reading of them tomorrow, Maestro Jurowski!

Finally, it's a bit disappointing not to have full house in Hamer Hall, although both seats in the Circle and Stalls are at capacity. So if you want to go tomorrow and wonder if there are any seats left, the answer is yes.

On a personal note, I sat next to a Russian lady in the audience. We chatted a little, and more when I found out that her musical knowledge is pretty good. She loved Mahler, and complained about the conservative taste of Australian audience. When discussing about piano concerto, she mentioned she enjoyed Saint-Saens' 2nd piano concerto and Prokofiev's. 'Which one (of the Prokofiev)?' I asked. '2nd or 3rd?'. To my surprise, she said she loved the 2nd! And to her surprise, I responded, 'Yes! finally someone who loved that piece!'. And finally, she impressed me again by saying, 'You know..there are some composers who don't like Tchaikovsky's music. Brahms doesn't like Tchaikovsky'. To which I replied, 'Yes, Tchaikovsky hates Brahms too. The feeling is mutual there'. She apparently loved my reply :). Aaaahhhhhh, how I wish everyone is as knowledgeable as this old Russian lady.