Buniatishvili in London

Jean Sibelius: Karelia Suite
Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Antonin Dvorak: Symphony #7 in D minor, Op. 70
Khatia Buniatishvili, piano
Philharmonia Orchestra/Paavo Järvi
London, Royal Festival Hall, 7 April 2013

At first glance, the concert of the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi at the London Royal Festival Hall on April 7 couldn’t have been further removed from the “blazing originality” label that the orchestra’s 2012/13 cycle at the Southbank Centre brandishes on its posters and programs. Sibelius’ Karelia Suite, Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony seem rather safe Sunday matinee fare instead. Yet with an electrifying Khatia Buniatishvili bringing insight and character to the Grieg, with an inspired maestro and above all a Philharmonia in tremendous doing, the concert was nothing short of revelatory.
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Roman Dvořák

Antonín Dvořák: Symphony #9 in E Minor, Op. 95 “From the New World”
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Mario Brunello, cello
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma/Antonio Pappano
EMI Classics 914102-2 DDD 2CDs 86:35

Antonio Pappano plays Dvořák

Hyped as a “marriage made in heaven”, Antonio Pappano ushered his Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome out of obscurity into the international spotlight. Guided since 2005 by the busy maestro – who combines his Roman post with that of music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden – Santa Cecilia embarked upon a series of tours, recording at the same time for EMI Classics popular symphonic works from Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Respighi and Mahler, as well as operas from Rossini and Puccini. Their most recent release bravely pairs two Antonin Dvořák’s warhorses, the 9th Symphony “From the New World” and the Cello Concerto, taped live and assembled from a handful of concerts in Rome in 2011/12.
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Batiashvili’s Brahms

Johannes Brahms: Concerto for Violin in D Major, Op. 77
Clara Schumann: 3 Romances for Violin & Piano, Op. 22
Lisa Batiashvili, violin
Alice Sara Ott, piano
Staatskapelle Dresden/Christian Thielemann
Deutsche Grammophon 4790086 DDD 48m

Lisa Batiashvili plays Brahms

The Georgian violinist Lisa Batiashvili teams up for her second Deutsche Grammophon disc with the Staatskapelle Dresden and its principal conductor Christian Thielemann in this new recording of the Brahms Violin Concerto. The 33-year-old Batiashvili has quickly established herself as one of the most acclaimed and sought-after violinists of the day. She holds the position of “Capell-Virtuosin” in Dresden for the 2012/13 season, emphasizing her special relationship with the reputed orchestra and while falling short of being revelatory, her Brahms nonetheless makes a fine stand among the many reference recordings available.
Read the full review on Classical Net