Tag Archives: Rachmaninov

Repressed passions, Russian melancholy: Elīna Garanča makes a splendid Wigmore Hall debut

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Brahms, Duparc, Rachmaninov: Elīna Garanča **** Wigmore Hall, 11th December 2015 Poise, control, stillness. Within two minutes of her Wigmore Hall debut, the qualities that make Elīna Garanča a consummate Lieder recitalist were evident. The Latvian mezzo is no scenery-chewing … Continue reading →

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Inspired juxtapositions: Rachmaninov’s Vespers imaginatively clothed at Milton Court

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Rachmaninov: Ex Cathedra/Skidmore; Osborne **** Milton Court, 27th September 2015 “I write the music which I hear playing inside me,” wrote Rachmaninov. “I am a Russian composer, therefore my temperament, outlook and music are quintessentially Russian.” There are few more … Continue reading →

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Prom 70: Vivid storytelling in softened Russian accents from the St Petersburg Philharmonic

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov/ St Petersburg Philharmonic/ Temirkanov **** Royal Albert Hall, 7th September 2015 I’m not sure where Sinbad was sailing to in the St Petersburg Philharmonic’s Prom last night, but he sure wanted to get there in a hurry. … Continue reading →

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Brooding Rachmaninov 3 from Gergiev and the LSO

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Rachmaninov: Symphony No.3; Balakirev: Russia Of Rachmaninov’s three symphonies, the Third enjoys the least popularity. There’s a certain notoriety to the First because of its disastrous première (thanks to a drunken Glazunov conducting), while the Second is adored for its … Continue reading →

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Uneven recital as Carlo Colombara rides to the Rosenblatt rescue

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Mark Pullinger

Carlo Colombara: Rosenblatt Recital Wigmore Hall, 4th March 2015 “The show must go on.” Any artist stepping in for another at short notice deserves our gratitude and our understanding. The Rosenblatt Recitals series has suffered more than its fair share … Continue reading →

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