In the past decades, Esa-Pekka Salonen has
emerged as one of the most consistently persuasive interpreters of the
twentieth-century post-romantic repertoire, and the chance to hear him lead the
Berlin Philharmonic through works by Ravel and Bartók would, on its own, have
guaranteed an engaging concert. On this evening, however, the main attraction
was the German première of Mr Salonen’s own Sinfonia concertante for
organ and orchestra, which was completed and given its first performance (in Katowice) only six days ago. With Olivier Latry on the Karl Schuke organ of the
Philharmonie and spirited direction from the composer himself, the new work
provided a compelling centrepiece to an evening that never lacked excitement.
The Sinfonia concertante was
bookended by orchestral works by Ravel, whose wide-ranging tonal palette and
refined…
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