Czech Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Hall, Birmingham | Thursday 12 February 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
Czech Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphony Hall, Birmingham | Thursday 12 February 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A very fine orchestra, playing with power and precision.”
Janáček - Prelude & Pantomime from the Cunning Little Vixen
Bruch – Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor, Op26
Shostakovich – Symphony No 10 in E minor, Op 93
It is inevitable that a Czech orchestra on a European tour should play music by one of their national composers. To kick off this first concert on their tour, the Czech Janáček Philharmonic naturally chose a work by its namesake composer, Leoš Janáček.
Janáček’s Prelude & Pantomime from the Cunning Little Vixen was, however, a rather odd choice for a ‘getting-to-know-you’ kind of piece for a new audience. This is an introductory type of work that seems to spend its six minutes never quite getting around to what it’s supposed to be introducing you to! A lack lustre opening to this concert, therefore. But it did give a glimpse of what this orchestra is capable of, and of what it had in store for us.
To follow, Jennifer Pike gave a cool, calm, collected, and somewhat steely reading as the soloist in Bruch’s unfailing crowd pleaser, his Violin Concerto No.1. Her tone was brilliant throughout, and her technique flawless. This was quite literally a pitch-perfect performance of dazzling virtuosity. However, in the first two movements, she might have injected some of the more earthy, gutsy tone that she brought to bear in the last movement. This is particularly true of the central Adagio; which was beautifully played, but maybe just a bit too ethereal. It might have benefited from coming down to earth a bit.
In this concerto the orchestra provided delicate support and played with gusto when the spotlight shifted onto them. Conductor, Daniel Raiskin wielded that spotlight well, illuminating what needed to be illuminated with skill and acute judgement. This was a very fine performance but sometimes felt a little too safe.
This could not be said of the final work of the evening. There is nothing safe or easy about Shostakovich’s 10th Symphony. Written after the death of Stalin, one might have expected a self-consciously celebratory piece. While it does have a brilliant conclusion, as is often the case with this composer, one is never quite sure whether Shostakovich means it, or whether he’s just playing with us.
Raiskin’s reading of the opening movement gave us a bleak landscape intermittently decorated with woodwind colours; rather like tattered bunting flapping in a barren wind. Surges of energy tried vainly to gather momentum before collapsing back on themselves. Shostakovichian ennui at is purest and finest.
The mechanistic march of the second, Allegro movement, was suitably relentless. Things unravelled a little during the Allegretto section. Raiskin’s attention to detail, hitherto a boon, here seemed to bog things down; it got a little episodic and lost a sense of direction and narrative flow.
Raiskin’s reading got back into its stride in the last movement which provided a real demonstration of what a very fine orchestra this is. Strings: robust, bold and muscular where it is needed; yet delicate and yielding when called for. The woodwind: astonishingly integrated and virtuosic. The brass: commanding. The percussion: polished. This was a dazzling conclusion to a remarkable symphony, yet it still left one wondering - which is as it should be with this most difficult to pin down of composers.
Daniel Raiskin – Conductor
Jennifer Pike - Violin