Performance: Sibelius, Weill & Shostakovich. , Roderick Williams/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vasily Petrenko

 27 April 2025, Royal Festival Hall, London

I last encountered the Seventh symphony livearound 40 years ago - Leningrad Philharmonic & Mariss Jansons in Manchester. It was chilling, at that time, and set me off on my journey through Shostakovich’s symphony. I caught in again - on the radio - in 2014 with David Atherton conducting the National Youth Orchestra. It’s a work that can really get under your skin. But after this long break I hadn’t heard it live so a Sunday afternoon performance was ideal.

Petrenko is an elegant and vigorous conductor asking the orchestra for vigorous, telling, attack and charecterful phrasing - which was very  good from the RPO wind section. The brass (doubled in this symphony) were piercing and especially clean in the end of phrases. The nine horns were stoic.

Only the strings lack that additional bite which Petrenko gets in Liverpool. But these are minor aspects of a very fine reading made even better for Petrenko’s ear for detail and persistent signals for more weight from his players.

The concert started with Sibelius’ Finlandia - horns across the back, double brass to the right and a full complement of strings and winds for this patriotic barnstormer.  Petrenko’s conducting style looks like a lot of work but it pays off with ensemble, piquant solos and disciplined strings.

Next a slimmed down orchestra accompanied Roderick Williams in Kurt Weill’s Four Songs by Walt Whitman published in 1947.  Roderick Williams sang beautifully but his voice couldn’t cut through the orchestra at times - at least from my perch at the front of the balcony.  The four songs with themes of loss and war and as Petrenko labelled the whole programme, resilience, were perfect. I hope to hear more Weill’s in the concert hall - he’s due a retrospective. Fabulous programme - memorable programme.

Sound: 10

Interpretation: 10

Performance: 10