Vasily Petrenko entranced and mesmerised his audience with an evening entitled "Glorious Rachmaninov" at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
Such is the reputation of the Phil's Chief Conductor that he casts a spell over his loyal and growing army of fans - most of whom are of an age that makes them old enough to be his parents - and effortlessly leads them to new realms of pleasure.
It has to be said that this programme of Rachmaninov and Prokofiev was hardly calculated to be an instant crowd-pleaser since the pieces are not among the most popular and accessible of the two composers.
But Petrenko, together with one of his favoured pianists, Simon Trpceski, pulled-off a magical performance that carried the sell-out crowd with them, thanks to the passion invested in the music and the emotion conveyed.
Rachmaninov's challenging Piano Concerto No 4, is his least popular and bears the hallmarks of the jazz age, composed as it was largely in 1920s New York.
It was a flop when first performed in 1927 and the composer revised it several times before producing the 1941 version, heard in two performances at the Phil - the second being a date added to meet the huge demand for tickets.
In the confident and commanding hands of the Macedonian pianist Trpceski, accompanied by the syncopated surging themes conjured-up by the maestro and his orchestra, the connection with the audience - particularly through the central largo - was palpable and pronounced.
The performances have been recorded and will doubtless prove to be another success to add to the growing catalogue of Petrenko and Trpceski.
As a bonus Trpceski produced a sprightly encore, together with orchestra leader Jim Clark and cellist Jonathan Aasgaard. Their performance of "A dance from Skopje" had the audience tapping their feet at the syncopated sounds of keyboard and strings. Definitely one on which to hit "repeat" on the CD.
The scene had been set for the concerto with the opening piece, again from the 1920s: Prokofiev’s Symphonic Suite from his ballet Le Pas d’Acier (The Steel Step).
It stands as a memorial to Soviet factory co-operatives, conjuring-up mental images of throbbing machines and marching feet, through the tram of the timpani and the booming resonance of basses and cellos.
The impressive second movement "The Officials" displayed flashes of breathtaking brilliance that set the scene for the concerto to follow.
The show was scheduled to end at 9.15pm, but thanks to rapturous applause and the encore, the second half with Rachmaninov's Symphony No 2 did not begin until after 9pm.
From its sombre bass section opening bars, the exhilarating first movement "Allegro moderato" featured soaring crescendos and sweet sweeping motifs from violins and cellos.
The light and dark of the touching "Allegro molto" second movement was followed by an enchanting contribution from the solo clarinet and the oboe in the "Adagio" third movement.
By this stage Petrenko was like a mad magician, his hands casting weird and wonderful spells and his orchestra were as a single entity, producing an impeccable and technically perfect performance, which ranged from romantic and touching melodies through to the dramatic and inspiring fourth movement "Allegro Vivace" .
It is a combination of his passion and love for the music, and his own personal charm and good looks that endears Vasily to his audience.
The sweat on his brow as he turned to greet the audience at the end was a token of his complete commitment to the task of educating and entertaining his audience. A task that he had managed with great aplomb, leaving them, even at 10pm, wanting some more.
As he soaked-up five-minutes of rapturous applause, paying due tribute to each section of the orchestra, it was clear that this had been a great partnership in which each had played an important part, Vasily Petrenko, Simon Trpceski, the orchestra AND the Phil's loyal audience had combined to produce a truly memorable evening.
Click rating: 9/10
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