St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Middlesbrough Town Hall

“THE biggest audience in ten years” welcomed the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra (SPSO) to Middlesbrough Town Hall on a chilly February evening.

The SPSO is 83 years old, and has shared in the dramatic history of the great city of St Petersburg, evolving from a small, radio ensemble to the world renowned orchestra we know today.

It was the only orchestra which remained in the city throughout the Siege of Leningrad, as St Petersburg was then called, where between 670,000 and 1.5m people died of starvation in temperatures of -35°. In 1942, the orchestra performed the historic premier of Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony which, reportedly, was relayed on speakers all over the city.

The SPSO has performed with world-famous soloists including Yehudi Menuhin, Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, David Oistrakh, and many others. Since unrestricted touring became possible, the orchestra has performed in countries all over Europe to great acclaim.

With the exception of the Karelia Suite by Sibelius, the programme for the evening consisted of work by Russian composers, Shoshtakovitch’s Hamlet Incidental Music and two works by Tschaikovsky – Piano Concerto No.1 in B flat minor Op. 23 and Romeo and Juliet Suite.

The star of the evening undoubtedly was the renowned pianist Noriko Ogawa, who tackled the opening of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with all the energy which this great work demands. The tension-building sequence of massively significant double-handed chords always has the effect of making me hold my breath. It was a great performance, given a standing ovation by the record audience.

The conductor Vladimir Altschuler’s style is smooth and understated, but expansive when appropriate, and though totally without histrionics, he has considerable stage presence. A calm dignified figure, his impressive CV includes the introduction of many new works to his Russian audiences such as Child of our Time by Michael Tippet.

Sibelius’s Karelia Suite Op. 11 followed the interval, with its familiar opening sounds of the hunting horn, and brisk military beat demanding our attention immediately. The final programmed item – Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture, Romeo and Juliet – ended the concert with a mood change as we followed the fate of the ill-starred lovers. However, the stamping and clapping enthusiasm of the audience was rewarded with two delightful encores – both from Glasounov’s ballet Raimonda.

Irene MacDonald