Review: Czech National Symphony Orchestra **

Seemingly Dvorak’s “New World” is the only symphony I ever hear the Czech National play, but they still dutifully go through it, though I cannot ever recall finding scherzo sounding so boringly repetitive.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Mar 2011, 08:41 BST

They were replacing a French orchestra and now at the eleventh hour we were robbed of the much anticipated appearance of the pianist, Anna Vinnitskaya.

She was replaced in Rachmaninov’s Third Concerto by the Russian-born, Rustem Hayroudinoff, a highly gifted young man who technically gave an immaculate performance.He now only needs to add the nobility and passion we hear in the composer’s recording.

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The conductor, Terje Mikkelsen, opened the concert with his compatriot, Grieg. His account of excerpts from Peer Gynt gave a tender picture of Solveig’s Song, but his rather abrupt tempo gear-change brought the Hall of the Mountain King to a breathless conclusion.

There was graceful cor anglais playing in the second movement of the “New World” and a welcome double bass presence, but there was little to remind us in this concert of the great Czech orchestras of yesteryear.