Classical concert: London Philharmonic Orchestra with Andrey Boreyko

Karina Canellakis has been generating critical buzz and captivating audiences as chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and principle guest conductor of the London Philharmonic, and I was keenly anticipating her appearance at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall. The eleventh hour announcement that she would be unable to conduct was a disappointment.

Thankfully, though, Andrey Boreyko - fresh from his stint as artistic director with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra - stepped in at a moment’s notice and the concert was able to go ahead. Serendipitously, Boreyko already has a working relationship with the orchestra, having previously conducted them in performances of Russian repertoire - a boon given the inclusion on the programme of Tchaikovsky’s monumental Fourth Symphony.

Boreyko demonstrated a conducting style that was commendably old-school: rigorous and precise with no exaggeration or showboating; economical of gesture for the most part, with the big flourishes reserved (shades of Giulini) for the real orchestral fireworks. In slower or quieter passages, he relinquished the baton and shaped the music with his hands, elegantly drawing nuance and detail from the players.

Sibelius’s tone poem En Saga opened the concert, an atmospheric soundscape to which to the more austere qualities of Boreyko’s technique were ideally suited. This was followed by an entirely warmer and wittier piece, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, with soloist Benjamin Grosvenor joining the London Philharmonic. Often approached as an exercise in flamboyance, and freighted with a slow movement that can easily fall prey to corny sentimentality, it takes keen musical intelligence to preserve the concerto’s Haydnesque wit and allow the music to breathe. Orchestra, conductor and pianist proved their mastery of the medium in fine style, and the audience’s approval was full-throated.

And the best was still to come. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth is a symphony of contrasts and complexity, from the blazing intensity of the first movement to the melancholy colourations of the andantino; from the eccentric syncopations of the scherzo to the sustained dramatic sweep of the finale. A good performance requires focus, discipline and raw power from the orchestra. A couple of years ago at the Barbican, I saw a world-famous ensemble under a well-regarded conductor let this symphony get away from them. Fortunately, there was no such fallout here in Nottingham. On the contrary, Boreyko and the London Philharmonic delivered a barnstorming account of the work, full of vigour and excitement. Audience members rose in a standing ovation, calling out their appreciation as the crescendo rang through the hall and a beaming Boreyko turned to take his bow.

It was a triumphant night, albeit bittersweet for Karina Canellakis’s absence. Here’s hoping their schedule brings the London Philharmonic back to Nottingham soon, with Canellakis taking her rightful place on the podium.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra performed at the Royal Concert Hall on Tuesday 28th of January 2025.