This afternoon saw Vasiliy Petrenko making one of his welcome returns to the Philharmonic Hall, this time to conduct the orchestra in three pieces: Liadovs’s Baba-Yaga; Haydn’s Concerto in D Major for Cello and Orchestra (following a change in programme) and Shostakovich’s monumental Symphony No. 7.
Baba-Yaga, while lasting only three minutes, gave the orchestra ample opportunity to demonstrate their flair for storytelling, creating drama and tension to convey the menace of the iron-toothed witch stalking the forest in search of human children to eat, though the final chord suggests that – this time at least – her prey escaped.
While the original programme had scheduled a concerto by the Russian-born composer Victoria Borisova-Ollas, reduced rehearsal time due to the breakdown of the orchestra’s bus means we jumped from Russian folklore to the very different world of 18th century Germany and Haydn’s cello concerto. Composed in 1783, for a long time, there was doubt about its authorship until after WW2 when the manuscript was rediscovered. The concerto proved to be the perfect vehicle for demonstrating the remarkable talent of Victor Julien-Laferrière. Indeed, the audience was treated to a virtuoso performance of outstanding technical excellence combined with a warmth of tone and graceful lyricism showing why Julien-Laferrière has become one of the most sought after young players of his generation with the encore, Allemande by J.S. Bach giving further demonstration of the beauty of his playing.
After the interval, we were back to Russia, where the menace was provided not by Baba Yaga but by Hitler’s forces during the prolonged siege of Leningrad – the name by which the symphony is commonly known – where Shostakovich was working both as a composer and as an auxiliary fireman and so could see firsthand not only the deprivation and immense hardship as well as the spirit of resistance shown by the citizens but also the growing oppression by Stalin. While it is, of course, possible to appreciate the symphony as a piece of music on its own terms, an understanding of its origin adds to the emotional intensity, and Petrenko delivered a whole range of emotions and so much more in his leading of the orchestra.
The performance was nothing less than utterly riveting. Nowhere was this more evident than in the long crescendo of the extended march in the first movement. From the hushed taps on the side drum to the devastating climax, the orchestra offered inexorable build-up of a wall of sound but with Petrenko managing the crescendo with precision and attention to detail that served to augment the tension and emotion and highlight a wide range of colour and tone throughout.
But this is just one example among a plethora of moments where the mutual affection and understanding between Petrenko and the orchestra is still clearly in play. From the beautiful phrasing and lyricism of the woodwind, the bright martial clarity of the brass, and the searing recitatives from the strings, from the hushed intimacy of the pianissimo to the cataclysmic crashes of the finale, the extended standing ovation and cheers were an indication of the audience’s appreciation of the power of the symphony and Petrenko and the orchestra’s impeccable and compelling performance of it.
Vasily Petrenko – Conductor
Victor Julien – Laferrière – Cello
Reviewer: Johanna Roberts
Reviewed: 19th October 2025
North West End UK Rating: