Recent Press Reviews
Listed below are a selection of recent national and international press reviews of concerts by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
“The Ninth Symphony, deemed flippant at its 1945 premiere, was done with tongue-in-cheek wit, beyond which darker emotions were very much perceptible. It was nicely played, above all by the RLPO's woodwind, who negotiated their treacherous solos with great dexterity.”
The Guardian 4****review for Shostakovich Symphony No. 9/Wagner Parsifal
“A great recording of a great Shostakovich symphony that doesn’t come from Russia, but from Liverpool….a performance of such heat and intensity, it conjures the spirit and the atmosphere of this symphony like no other modern recording. If the rest of the cycle is like this, it’s going to be a benchmark enterprise.”
Gramophone Awards 2011; BBC Radio 3’s Rob Cowan on the recording of Shostakovich Symphony No. 10, winner of the Orchestral Recording of the Year (Naxos), October 2011
“Petrenko and the RLPO identify the zest, the orchestral lucidity and the rhythmic thrust that marked the composer’s later years. An exhilarating performance.”
The Telegraph 5***** review of Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3; Vocalise; Caprice bohemian, February 2012 (EMI Classics)
“…..thrilling evidence that this Merseyside partnership is firing on all cylinders. I have no doubt that he (Vasily Petrenko) and his dazzlingly accomplished band set new standards in this music. Absolutely not to be missed.”
The Classical Review on the recording of Rachmaninov Symphony No. 3; Vocalise; Caprice bohemian, February 2012 (EMI Classics)
“….and my spine is still shuddering from the 11 extra brass unleashed at the climaxes of the Leningrad Symphony…there’s no denying the electrifying effect that Petrenko has — not just on his Liverpool players but also the punters, who rose and cheered.”
The Times review of Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, January 2012
“…utterly riveting …the finale, sounding particularly glorious on the RLPO strings, had a noble beauty that spoke of tragic grandeur rather than despair. Petrenko looked drained when it was over. The standing ovation that greeted him and his orchestra – by no means the first during this series – was richly deserved.”
The Guardian 4**** Mahler Symphony No. 9, December 2011
“What many consider the Soviet master's greatest symphony gets its finest digital-era recording to date under the young Russian maestro, whose Shostakovich symphony cycle gets better with each new release.”
The Chicago Tribune reviews Shostakovich Symphony No. 10, December 2011 (Naxos)
“The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are on a high and demand attention. Their "Symphony of a Thousand" was a knockout….converting us all to a spontaneous belief in Mahler and the RLPO in general, and Petrenko in particular.”
The Observer reviews Mahler Symphony No. 8, October 2011
“…the performance touched on magnificence …there was a standing ovation at the end, to which Petrenko responded by repeating the final chorus – the first time, in my experience, that part of a Mahler symphony has ever been encored.”
The Guardian 4****review for Mahler Symphony No. 8, October 2011
“Between them, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Huddersfield Choral Society and four other choirs packed enough sonic welly to raise the roof of Giles Gilbert Scott’s huge cathedral…. the young Russian maestro takes no prisoners on these big occasions, conducting his mighty army with nerveless precision.”
The Times reviews Mahler Symphony No. 8, October 2011
“…the RLPO and Vasily Petrenko has established and maintained extremely high standards, both in terms of the quality and technical finesse of the orchestral playing and in the way that Petrenko leaves his stamp on the performances …. testifying to the secure, fertile artistic bond that Petrenko and the RLPO have forged.”
The Telegraph 5***** review of Shostakovich Nos.6 & 12, October 2011 (Naxos)
“They make a surprisingly effective coupling and, as we have come to expect from previous releases in his cycle of Shostakovich symphonies with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko makes weird and wonderful sense of both.”
The Financial Times 4**** review of Shostakovich Symphonies Nos. 6 & 12, October 2011 (Naxos)
“Previous releases in Vasily Petrenko's Shostakovich cycle for Naxos have been heaped with praise, and this superb pairing of two of the less performed symphonies comfortably maintains the same high standard.”
The Guardian 4****review of Shostakovich Symphonies Nos. 6 & 12, October 2011 (Naxos)
“Vasily Petrenko(s), pulverising performance honoured the work as the first great masterpiece of Stravinsky's American career….Rachmaninov's Third Symphony is a work “about Russia and our devotion to our beloved country". Petrenko chose the piece to commence his sixth season with the RLPO; and though he is well settled in Liverpool, it is on inspired nights like these that he seems to miss St Petersburg terribly.”
The Guardian 4**** review of Stravinsky/Rachmaninov, September 2011
"In the five years since Vasily Petrenko became chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra they have together demonstrated rare finesse and confidence in a wide repertoire."
Andrew Clark, Financial Times, May 2011
“Bliss, from start to finish.”
Tim Ashley, The Guardian 5 stars, January 2011
“Under the charismatic Vasily Petrenko, the RLP outshone stiff competition at the opening Proms weekend with a thrilling Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony.”
Sunday Times Best Concert of 2010
" It was simply sublime, from the exquisitely-controlled opening bars of cello and bass to the creamy, satin smooth playing which ebbed and flowed in repeated waves of loveliness."
Liverpool Echo, November 2010
"...…for classical music and Beatle lovers it was a rare, satisfying and unexpectedly poignant treat."
Liverpool Daily Post, October 2010
"...a dazzling performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. Petrenko and his players lavished attention on subtleties of colour and articulation, then let rip, maximizing exhilaration without ever straying into vulgarity."
David Fanning, The Telegraph 3 stars, September 2010
Reviews of Prom 4 on Monday 19 July 2010:
"Outstanding as this [Prom 3] performance was, it was trumped by Vasily Petrenko's staggering account of Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic at Monday-night's Prom... All I can say - again - is lucky Liverpool."
Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times
"Petrenko and his orchestra's reputation for insightful rethinking were fully vindicated by a gripping account of Tchaikovsky's 1885 Manfred symphony."
Martin Kettle, The Guardian 4 stars
“…Petrenko’s strings and woodwind achieved tiny miracles of deftness with the apparition of the alpine fairy amidst glistening waterfalls in the symphony’s virtuosic scherzo.”
The Independent 4 stars
"Ripe interpretation, stature, intensity and exhilaration and a balanced, long-sighted performance that made musical sense."
The Telegraph 4 stars
"[S]ince Vasily Petrenko became its chief conductor, [the RLPO] has become a Premier League orchestra, although London rarely has the chance to see it."
London Evening Standard 4 stars
Click here to read more about the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's performance at the BBC Proms
View an updated list of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic concert reviews for the 2010/2011 Season
View a full list of concert reviews for the 2009/2010 Season
