Dresden Philharmonic in London
Dresdner Philharmonie's Russian London programme of Mussorgsky, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky last night was the best orchestral concert I’ve heard in Cadogan Hall for a long long time. Possibly even ever. Last night the visiting orchestra demonstrated their agility in mastering the hall’s acoustic in the hall to create a musical event that had weight, depth and poignancy. [...]
Conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky stripped everything right back creating a rich tapestry of textures and colours that revealed far more detail in the score than would normally be perceptible in larger venues. Kochanovsky’s love for detail added depth to this performance. [...]
There was more detail to revel in Tchaikovsky’s 6th symphony – the strings continued to demonstrate their considerable mettle throughout, with a real ‘close-to-the-mic’ feel that revealed a lot more varying texture in the score than I’ve heard before.
The final movement lament took me by surprise. Impassioned playing that really resonated on a personal level. Kochanovsky succeeded in shaping increasingly intense emotional peaks and troughs that met the constraints of the physical space.
After the final chord sounded, performers and audience alike were suspended in silent reflection for what felt like an eternity, marking the end of a performance that at times emotionally felt a little too close to the bone. Just like art should be. Perfect.