A night full of wonderful surprises
Vassily Petrenko takes the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on a technical challenge during his performance of White Nights. A reminder of the rich history of the society started off the night, with a parting speech by the outgoing artistic director, who was quite keen to give way to the night of music. The penultimate concert of the season kicked off with a rendition of Miaskovsky’s Symphony No.21 in true miniature masterpiece style. Though itself a reflective and mellow rendition, it was not lacking in volume or gusto, very occasionally encroaching on the dynamics of the piece. However, clarity and attention to silences were well preserved, an overall well played rendition.
Johan Dalene takes on the role of the solo violin in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.2 and wows the audience well off their seats. His attention to precision, tone and emotion was immaculate, dishing out crisp notes even in the most technical sections, and always occupying the leading role of the piece without overpowering the accompaniment. Movements were well contrasted, and respect was paid to the pace set. There were minor occurrences where in the most technical sections of the climax, it felt like the accompaniment was rushing, which was then corrected later before they overdid it and were slower ever so slightly. However, staccatos and silences were very well honoured by the entire orchestra, a commendable feat for such a technical piece. Johan’s exceptional performance earned him a well-deserved extended round of applause which he responded to with a delicate solo- a very well received surprise. The surprises didn’t stop there tonight though!
Rachmaninov/Respighi’s Three Études-tableaux consists of three tales, told as cinematic miniatures through challenging fast paced sections that demand high volume. The orchestra performed well in capturing the serenity of the sea and the seagulls and particularly excelled in conveying the menacing wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf. Dynamic volume was broad, staccatos were crisp and impactful, and unity and balance well preserved- a truly commendable feat for such a challenging piece. There were slight occasions where the lower brasses struggled with balancing clarity with volume, with clarity taking the backseat.
According to the order of the night, Respighi’s Roman Festivals was meant to end the night through an experience of highlights of the roman calendar. It was well rendered by Vasily as a continuous narrative, highlighting the cyclical flow of events, with clear contrast between the heroic and gruesome nature of the circus games and the jubilant atmosphere during the epiphany. The night was well received by the audience, earning the orchestra a standing ovation, and encourages for an encore. Vasily complied without needing much convincing, treating us to a whimsical piece, which highlighted the technical triumph of the orchestra in performing delicate sets.
Overall, it was an enjoyable night full of surprises- all well-received- and only held back by minor technical flaws, which was a fair expectation given the challenges posed by the selected set pieces.
White Nights was performed at the Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Hall on the 9th of July 2026.