Kochanovsky conducts the Philharmonia in ecstatic Scriabin

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Bachtrack by Mark Pullinger, 12 May 2023

 

The Philharmonia Orchestra’s all-Russian programme last night with an orgasmic F sharp major triad flooded in violet light. 

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All three works on the programme were composed in Russia in the period of upheaval in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917. There was a Scriabin-like sense of mysticism to Anatoly Lyadov’s symphonic poem From the Apocalypse, a work inspired by verses from the Book of Revelation. The Philharmonia brass again excelled, glowering severely over tremolando strings, a whiff of Orthodox chant discernible from the woodwind choir before the doom-laden finale. A miniaturist by nature, it’s tempting to wonder what the famously lethargic Lyadov could have achieved if he’d ever tackled symphonic form. 

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Kochanovsky led a very fine account. He has a wonderfully fluid baton action and a soft, expressive left hand, shaping the musical lines elegantly, but never imposing himself forcefully on the music. The Philharmonia’s strings glowed warmly, flickering flutes tickled the palate and Rachmaninov’s ingeniously-scored bell effects rang brilliantly in this deeply satisfying performance.