BBC Prom 42. E.Elgar, F. Chopin piano concert No1 & R. Strauss Aus Italien

Santtu-Matias Rouvali is a Finnish conductor. His debut at the BBC Proms took place last year, after which he travelled all over the UK and then Europe - Spain, Germany, Hungary with his Philharmonia Orchestra.

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In modern times we have become used to conductors and soloists giving us a visual theatrical performance to add to the sound. With Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Seong Jin Cho there was none of this. There was nothing to detract from listening to the music - so listen we did. When I sit and watch a concert I often wonder what it is the conductor is doing there; I am pretty sure the orchestra could deliver the piece with the aid of their leader alone. But what slips my mind is the work in the rehearsal room. An expression used to describe pop music bands is that they are 'tight'. Well the Philharmonia under Rouvali are 'tight' Not a note out of place. Not the tiniest variation in timing. This all comes from the rehearsal room.

Their playing of Elgar's In the South was technical perfection. I was carried on a wave of sound, my mind wandering here and there, almost a meditation, just as I am swimming slowly along in the Mediterranean under an azure blue sky.

 

Seong-Jin Cho performs Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1

To contrast with the Elgar piece I was shocked out of my reverie by Cho's playing of Chopin's piano concerto No. 1 in E minor. If I had thought the orchestra was perfection, then Cho is in his own league. I cannot drum my fingers on the table as fast as he can play notes on the piano. I was completely bedazzled by the man and the composer. Where Elgar allowed me to drift with the Italian clouds, Chopin nailed me to the floor and said 'Listen!' And what a pleasure it was to listen.

Seong-Jin Cho was born in Seoul, studied at the Paris Conservatory, and in 2015 won first prize at the International Piano Chopin Competition in Warsaw. He now lives and works in Berlin. This is his third appearance at the BBC Proms concerts. For an encore, the pianist performed an E-flat nocturne filled with lovely nuances, Op. 9

After the interval came a Strausы piece, Aus Italien. Well if I had wanted to settle into my chair after my interval drink, Straus was having none of that! An orchestra with 5 french horns and four trombones really packs a punch! I cannot say that the piece really conjures up Italian scenes for me but I loved the way the melodies were passed around this brass heavy orchestra.

So what to say to conclude? It has to be that Cho's fleetness of playing I will remember for a very long time.

Paul Lakra

 Photo Chris Christodoulou