Page 373 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book
P. 373
11 February 2023
A trio of Russian works given fresh light in
Liverpool
By Leighton Jones, 11 February 2023
Nikolai Myaskovsky’s Symphony no. 21 in F sharp minor may not set box offices alight, but
it provided a fitting opener to an evening of otherwise popular Russian classics. The Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s guest conductor was Kahchun Wong who gave a quite
cool but intriguing performance. He was not afraid to push the tempos of this expansive one
movement symphony but that didn’t reduce its expressive qualities; the slightly austere
aspects were communicative without being excessively sentimental — the music spoke for
itself. From the opening clarinet solo, and the first and second subjects of the work, Wong
made the textures crisp and the phrasing exquisite, which prevailed to the closing bars in
which he created a magical, mysterious ambience.
Kahchun Wong
© Wesley Storey
