Royal Philharmonic Orchestra came to the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall last week led by its musical director Vasily Petrenko...
When the Royal Philharmonic comes to Nottingham, on a cold October night, there really is no alternative but to turn up, especially when they are serving up enough winter warmth to last the season.
It began with the energetic Maskarade, an overture, marking the beginning to Carl Nielsen’s 1904 opera. From the outset there was a sense of a story being told in a fast framed frenzy, as the violins took us through the soft romance of a masked ball to the unrestrained whirl of the occasion, with a finale finish. This stand-alone piece awakened the senses of even the most reluctant of listeners.
The Orchestra, led by its musical director Vasily Petrenko, a conductor who first visited our city in this role in 2022, was then joined by the acclaimed piano soloist Simon Trpčeski for the familiar Greig’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16. A piece affectionally known from a Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special with André Previn. On this occasion Trpčeski most definitely played all the right notes in the right order. It was a truly beautiful piece, both tender and powerful.
Composed in 1868 when Grieg only 25, it draws on Norwegian Folk music, taking us from its dramatic drum roils through gentle solos, joyful pastoral dances and a free-flowing lyricism that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Trpčeski and Petrenko have worked together extensively as recording artists, and Trpceski’s engagement with the Orchestra was a joy to witness. There was a sense of him dancing across the music, even when he wasn’t playing, with his accompaniment elevating the whole. Rightly he received an ovation, treating us to a bonus solo.
The place was packed to the rafters with coaches outside transporting people back to towns across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire and the pleasure of the audience was palatable, with people looking stunned at the brilliance they had witnessed
For the final and longer Sibelius Symphony No. 2 the tone changed, with a seriousness that carried us through the symphonies four movements. Written from 1901 to 1902 it was seen at the time as resonant with Finland’s struggles for independence from Russia. Something that Sibelius denied stating that “as far as I am concerned, music begins where the world ends.” Yet you could hear, in its early, almost sinister undercurrents, why people may have thought this.
He began writing it whilst staying in Italy, and the music holds both Italian and Nordic sensibilities. Growing organically, it carried a wealth of held emotions, delivering a lyrical restless anger alongside gentle soothing questioning that culminated in a distinctly hopeful and triumphant conclusion.
This was my first outing to a classical concert and there was something truly astonishing about the experience. The delicacy of sound achieved by a multiplicity of violins and the soft plucking of the cellos, with not a note out of synch, was breath-taking. The largesse of the finales filled not only the auditorium, but all of my senses. It was both transporting and strangely personal, as if I were being closely listened to.
The place was packed to the rafters with coaches outside transporting people back to towns across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire and the pleasure of the audience was palatable, with people looking stunned at the brilliance they had witnessed. The Royal Philharmonic at The Royal Concert Hall may just be one of Nottingham’s best kept secrets. It was banging, and whilst I am no doubt spoiled for any future forays into the classics, what a way to be ruined.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra played at the Royal Concert Hall on Friday October 24th 2025.
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