Vasily Petrenko has earned rave reviews for his 5 March concert with Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and cellist Kian Soltani.
Paul-André Demierre writes in Crescendo Magazine writes, “Here, from the very first bars, Vasily Petrenko imposes a rigorous precision on the orchestral canvas, allowing the soloist to make his way through a plaintive lyricism that the double strings amplify to stand up to the omnipresent winds.
“…In the second part, Vasily Petrenko presents Johannes Brahms’ First Symphony in C minor op.68. In veritable sound arches punctuated by the timpani, he erects the overture with a grandeur that then dominates the Allegro, whose phrasing he elaborates in the shape of a fan through the intervention of the woodwinds. The development exacerbates the colours under the meticulous control of a baton which then cultivates half-tones in an Andante sostenuto whose melodic line is sung successively by the oboe, the solo violin and the horn. This serenity then spreads in the brief Un poco allegretto grazioso that the clarinets titillate with dancing inflections. The Finale impresses with the tension that runs through the opening Adagio with its pizzicato pianissimo with mysterious hints giving way to a majestic chorale proclaimed by the horns and strings. The mixing of themes produces a surging swell carrying the peremptory tutti to a climax, before concluding with the anthemic motif bordering on a veritable apotheosis that the audience applauds with delirious enthusiasm, which shows once again the impact of a talented conductor on an orchestra perfectly disposed to follow his instructions. Great art!”
