The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Rachmaninov 4th Piano Concerto etc.

[Guest]

Did anyone listen to or attend the Liverpool Philharmonic Concert which was broadcast last night?

A great rendition of the Rachmaninov 4th Piano Concerto by Simon Trpceski. This concerto often sounds somewhat ‘bitty’ but the pianist and orchestra managed to pull off what I considered a masterly cohesive performance.

Since I bought that first cheap EMI recording of what was then ‘a promising young artist’ Trpceski has now established himself as an outstanding pianist.

How the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has come on under Petrenko! It must now compete with the leading UK orchestras. To listen to their Sibelius No.1 was such an revelatory experience for me.

Some time ago we could always say that the LSO. was the leading UK Orchestra in the U.K. but now there are so many!

[Pianorak]

I have been following Simon Trpceski's career ever since I heard him at the Brighton Festival many years ago. He's a very fine pianist and his recording of the Concert Suite from The Nutcracker, trans. Mikhail Pletnev, is probably even better than Pletnev's own recording, IMO of course.

I too listened to the Rachmaninov last night and agree it was an excellent performance. Although possibly the weakest of his concertos I think the Fourth is an interesting work to study as it shows up both Rachmaninov's strengths and weaknesses.

[salymap]

Thanks DT. I missed it but shall listen on iplayer to the Sibelius 1. I doubt whether any of the same players are in the Liverpool Phil but they played Sibelius a lot years ago under Sargent, then Pesek. I'm not too keen on the Rach PC 4 I'm afraid but glad you enjoyed it.

[Mary Chambers]

The RLPO is my nearest orchestra, and I was at one of the concerto performances - Trpceski played it 3 times in 3 days, all more or less sold out. I expect performances with Petrenko to be good, but I'm no judge of this concerto. I didn't really know it, and certainly didn't like it much, although the performance sounded pretty good to me. I hadn't even noticed it was on the radio!

[Nachtigall]

I'm no judge of this concerto. I didn't really know it, and certainly didn't like it much, although the performance sounded pretty good to me.

I'm puzzled. What exactly is there to dislike about this concerto?

[Peter Katin]

A great rendition of the Rachmaninov 4th Piano Concerto by Simon Trpceski. This concerto often sounds somewhat ‘bitty’ but the pianist and orchestra managed to pull off what I considered a masterly cohesive performance.

How the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has come on under Petrenko! It must now compete with the leading UK orchestras. To listen to their Sibelius No.1 was such an revelatory experience for me.

I thought both concerto and symphony magnificent. I was particularly overwhelmed by what came through on my speakers. Any way of finding out if this was an HD broadcast? True, the piano seemed to wander at times but I didn't feel like nitpicking. And if Petrenko continues to produce such incredible performances...

[Mary Chambers]

I'm puzzled. What exactly is there to dislike about this concerto?

I see I'm not alone on this thread in not taking to the concerto.

I found it rather disjointed, tending to alternate between bombastic and sentimental - but as I say, I don't know it, and that was only a first impression. It's not a reflection on the performance at all. I admire both Trpceski and Petrenko.

(Very glad to hear Peter Katin's opinion, by the way.)

[Bryn]

I'm puzzled. What exactly is there to dislike about this concerto?

Two lovely black eyes in the slow movement?

[Cellini]

Only when the conductor is so bad that the soloist lets off two bullseyes in the interval.

I once restrained a solo pianist who wanted to do for the conuctor at the end of the concert. (He was a friend of mine, the pianist that is). "Too late" I said, "you should have done it in the interval and then we would have been spared the second half ..."

[Daring Tripod]

That's just the point with the Rachmaninov 4th Piano concerto. Many times when I have heard it, it sounded 'bity' and so different from Nos. 2 and 3 but I found the more I listened to it the concerto started 'hanging together'. This performance, for me, hung together so well.

So often, first impressions are not the lasting ones and the more one listens to a piece of music which one does not like initially, it starts to take on a different meaning.

[Dave2002]

Only when the conductor is so bad that the soloist lets off two bullseyes in the interval.

I once restrained a solo pianist who wanted to do for the conuctor at the end of the concert. (He was a friend of mine, the pianist that is). "Too late" I said, "you should have done it in the interval and then we would have been spared the second half ..."

Do you really mean a "solo pianist"? I assume you meant a soloist in a concerto or similar piece, but if your friend was truly a solo pianist, then why was he bothered about the conductor?