Music from Scandinavia. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, 24 October 2025, 5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

Photo Credit: Mark McNulty.

Music from Scandinavia. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, 24 October 2025,

5☆☆☆☆☆. Review: William Ruff.

“Soloist, conductor and orchestra breathe new life into familiar repertoire.”

At first sight, this concert had ‘safe and sellable’ written all over it.  For a start it featured conductor Vasily Petrenko, a favourite with Nottingham audiences for many years and now in charge of the Royal Philharmonic.  And then there was the programme: a celebration of Scandinavian music, featuring a famous overture from Denmark, the most popular Norwegian concerto and perhaps the best-loved Finnish symphony.  A ticket-selling winner if ever there was one.  However, it was much more than that, just proving that nothing beats live music-making for surprises and for making the old sound new.

Nielsen’s Masquerade overture got proceedings off to a fizzing start.  This barely 5-minute curtain-raiser must be the most often played piece of Danish classical music - and it’s not hard to see why.  It has an explosive opening, full of bright brass and energetic strings.  It has an instantly memorable main theme, dance-like, playful and buoyant.  Then there’s a graceful, lilting waltz, lots of witty interplay between the different sections of the orchestra and lots of snap, crackle and pop as the music brims with excitement and anticipation at the end.  Of course, this all needs discipline and razor-sharp ensemble if it’s to make its mark.  Petrenko ensured that the RPO had plenty.

Grieg’s Piano Concerto came next.  He was only 24 when he wrote it and its mix of Romantic sweep, catchy melodies and rhythmic joie de vivre have made it irresistible to pianists and audiences ever since its first performance.  As it’s so well-known, it needs a soloist who can breathe new life into it and who has the right mix of fiery virtuosity and poetry.  Soloist Simon Trpčeski not only had plenty of fire in his fingers for the dazzling pyrotechnics but he was able to wring every bit of emotion from the heart-on-sleeve lyrical sections.  Simon was also extraordinary to watch.  The way he establishes relationships with audience, conductor and orchestra is fascinating.  In this performance he coaxed a huge range of colours from the keyboard, always completely in control of what he was doing, right up to the final note at which he sprang off the piano stool.  The audience’s cheers led to more Grieg as an encore.

After the interval Sibelius’ 2nd Symphony, one of the cornerstones of the symphonic repertoire.  When first performed in 1902 it was not only a musical triumph but also seen as a symbol of Finland during a period of intense political struggle.  It’s a work of strong contrasts. The gentle opening movement evokes Finland’s rugged beauty; the second, full of dark undertones with sombre basses and plaintive woodwind, creates a sense of tension and foreboding.  The energetic scherzo is turbulent and unpredictable.  And then there’s the Finale, a piece which confirmed Sibelius’ status as a national hero: triumphant in tone, dominated by powerful brass and jubilant strings which bring the symphony to a rousing, optimistic close, resonating with hope and resilience.  Petrenko and the RPO gave a thrilling performance, managing to sound free and spontaneous whilst giving an unshakable sense of where the music is going.  It brought the house down.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko (conductor), Simon Trpčeski (piano).