St. Petersburger Philharmoniker / Yuri Temirkanov

Someone setting out in search of the famous Russian soul might find it tonight at the Elbphilharmonie. The conditions are certainly perfect when the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under its principal conductor Yuri Temirkanov meet up with pianist Yefim Bronfman, who was trained in the Russian tradition. He is particularly fond of Prokofiev’s scores with their mix of playfulness, rhythmic complexity and powerful sound: he is one of the few pianists to record all five piano concertos by the composer, who died in Moscow in 1953. And the orchestra from the former city of the tsars also recalls the golden era of the Russian ballet: with sumptuous waltzes and tender pas de deux, it immerses itself in the melancholy world of what must be the loveliest fairy tale ballet of all time: Tchaikovsky’s »Swan Lake«.