LSO with Matsuev: Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, Barbican

The second date in the London Symphony Orchestra’s 2014/2015 season at the Barbican continues their celebration of great Russian music. Piano prodigy Denis Matsuev– a celebrity in Russia since he won the International Tchaikovsky competition– will accompany the world-class orchestra over three masterworks. 

Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 (1917) is one of the first neo-classical compositions, predating Stravinsky’s  Pulchinella by three years. Less than fifteen minutes long, it imitates the ordered, logical world of Haydn and Mozart while retaining its composer’s distinctive voice. Although it occasionally veers into dissonance, it is largely elegant and light-hearted. Both Western-inspired and the work of a clear individual, it represents a style of music that would soon be outlawed by Stalin’s regime.

Prokofiev called his Fifth Symphony (1944), which closes the concert, “a hymn to a free and happy man.” With the Second World War devastating the land around him and Stalin’s continuing artistic suppression, it is his most Russian symphony, a dizzying concoction of sugary rushes and bittersweet descents showcasing his masterful control of the form.

Perhaps most exciting, though, is Tchaikovsky ’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (1879-80), a fiendishly complex work that will give Matsuev ample room to showcase his astounding virtuosity. Casting these furious piano passages against luscious and tuneful orchestration, the performance promises to be extraordinary.