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| Benjamin Grosvenor & the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra © Sarah Louis Bennett |
Yuriy Yurchuk (baritone)
Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko (conductor)
7.30pm, Tuesday 3 February 2026
Royal Festival Hall, London
★★★★
Ustvolskaya, Galina (1919-2006): The Dream of Stepan Razin
Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827): Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Encore:
Moszkowski, Moritz (1854-1925): Quinze Études de Virtuosité, Op. 72 No. 11 in A flat major
Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975): Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93
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| Vasily Petrenko conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra © Sarah Louise Bennett |
Ustvolskaya:
'(Yurchuk's) intensity of expression was impressive throughout, and Petrenko and the orchestra highlighted the score’s individuality well'.
Beethoven:
'Grosvenor's understated yet commanding performance ... was full of sprightly articulation combined with contrasting expression. Petrenko marshalled the RPO with finesse'.
Shostakovich:
'The RPO were on fire, with power and intensity combined with electric precision at pace, and faultless solo work from woodwinds and horns'.
'The Scherzo was indeed violent, with fearsome stabbing from Petrenko, and the ominously slow-moving brass against the frightened rapid chase music in the rest of the orchestra surely had more than a whiff of fleeing in terror from the tyrant'.
'Petrenko drove on through to a fantastic finish, with even the timpani bashing out that D-S-C-H motto, as if Shostakovich was finally able to say, “I will not be silenced”'.
Read my full review on Bachtrack here.
