music review Pianist adds glitter to second RSNO concert

For their second concert in the Perth Concert Series at Horsecross, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra had as guest conductor Cornelius Meister, who made the first work, Smetana’s usually bubbling Overture to The Bartered Bride, a little staid.

The conductor seemed to have sacrificed a sense of fun and excitement to orchestral accuracy and discipline. Missing were the fizz of the running string lines, happily bucolic tunes from the winds and the charm of the slower section.

What a change with the arrival of Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski in Rachmaninov’s Variations on a theme of Paganini.

The orchestra retained its precision, but made much more of the character of the piece.

Meister was fine in his care for detail and dynamics and Trpceski gave a reading both glittering and atmospheric. Both combined in the 18th Variation where its romantic fervour came over fully.

The work ended with an invigorating turn of speed, fantastic bell imitations from the RSNO and a knowing wink from Trpceski to the audience in appreciation of the throwaway ending.

To great applause, Trpceski proposed an encore to the audience. Surprisingly for a soloist, he was willing to share the limelight with the RSNO’s principal cello, Aleksei Kiseliov, in a glowing performance of the slow movement from Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata.

The final piece was Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, given a very serious cast by conductor Meister. The horns, then brass, of the RSNO sounded balefully resplendent in the opening fanfare.

The return of the fanfare was cataclysmic and the final stretch was a sonic spectacular bringing finally a ray of light and life.