Prom 37: BBC SSO, Alexander Gavrylyuk & Thomas Dausgaard
Royal Albert Hall, London
JJJJ
Prom 37 began with a moment to make the heart stop. Out of the shadows at the back of the darkened auditorium came the sound of a muted Russian orthodox chant, and black-robedsingersprocessed slowly into view – the Latvian Radio Choir, singing an Easter chant. As it ended, orchestra and pianist took up the melody without missing a beat, and we were into the opening movement of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 3.
But the bated-breath intensity was maintained by both orchestra and soloist, the elaborate pianism being delivered with muted restraint. The effect of this musical juxtaposition was to show how deeply Orthodox chant is embedded in Rachmaninov’s music, whether intentionally or not.
Even in the short cadenza this Ukrainian-born Australian pianist maintained a ruminative eloquence, his warm tone blending perfectly with that of the orchestra. But the finale of this much-loved work requires a very different kind of pianism, and here too Gavrylyuk shone, digging furiously into the keyboard to galvanise an orchestra which was more than ready to be galvanised to create the barnstorming close. After which his encore – Rachmaninov’s exquisitely-turned arrangement of his Vocalise – brought us back to the initial mood of hushed benediction.
The rest of this Prom consisted of the same composer’s Second Symphony, with Thomas Dausgaard expertly steering the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra through a beautifully-organised forest of melody.