Conductor: Edward Gardner
The London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the assured baton of Edward Gardner, delivers a thrilling and beautifully curated programme at the Royal Festival Hall, culminating in a breathtaking performance of Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony. This is an evening of vivid storytelling, technical brilliance, and expressive depth.
The concert opens with the European premiere of Pasajes, a 2022 work by the LPO’s composer-in-residence, Tania León. Drawing on the landscapes and rhythms of her childhood, León creates a striking orchestral tapestry – delicate, vibrant, and exuberantly rhythmic. A serene opening gives way to the calls of an imaginary bird, layered within shifting textures that evoke the percussive energy of Caribbean music. Gardner and the LPO capture its intricate interplay with clarity and warmth, bringing out its luminosity and rhythmic vitality. The final section, inspired by the exuberance of Carnaval, is particularly compelling – a burst of colour and energy performed with dazzling precision.
Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor follows, with soloist Steven Osborne delivering a performance of both commanding virtuosity and heartfelt lyricism. The famous opening flourishes are executed with sparkling precision, leading into a first movement that balances grandeur with a wonderful fluidity.
The Adagio is breathtaking – Osborne’s phrasing exquisitely shaped, his touch light yet expressive, complemented by the LPO’s warm and sensitive play. The finale is full of dance-like exuberance, building to a thrilling final statement of the soaring flute melody, now transformed into a rhapsodic, full-bodied climax on the piano. Gardner and the orchestra provide impeccable support throughout, ensuring a performance of remarkable cohesion and depth.
The evening’s crowning achievement is Strauss’s An Alpine Symphony, a vast and cinematic orchestral landscape that follows the journey of a climber from pre-dawn ascent to the summit before descending into darkness. The LPO, bolstered by Wagner tubas, an organ, and offstage horns, delivers an extraordinary performance filled with grandeur and detail. The opening shimmers with an expectant hush before surging into life, the brass blazing as the climber sets off. Gardner sculpts the music’s narrative with masterful control, ensuring each moment unfolds with breathtaking immediacy – soaring vistas balanced against passages of introspection. The storm, a ferocious orchestral climax, is thrillingly visceral, but it is the moments of quiet reflection – Strauss’s contemplation of human insignificance in the face of nature – that leaves the deepest impression.
Gardner and the LPO have proved themselves yet again, to be master storytellers, crafting an evening of brilliance, beauty, and emotional depth.
Reviewed on 21 February 2025
