Tonight the Royal Albert Hall played host to ClassicFm Live at the movies. Presented by Classicfm’s Simon Bates with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko , the audience were guided through music from some of the most memorable films of our time, performed by some of today’s most promising young artists.
With performances from four artists, as well as the RLPO, there was something for everyone to enjoy.
Lang Lang, the 25-year old pianist from China, captivated the audience with his performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 used in the film Brief Encounter. He attacked the piece with great enthusiasm and was very expressive throughout the whole performance, sometimes playing so fast that his fingers barely seemed to touch the keys. His passion for music was clearly visible in his performance and reflected well the romance of the piece. He received a thunderous applause and standing ovation from the audience.
After setting such a high standard, it was going to be interesting to see how well the other artists performed in comparison. Next to the stage was tenor Jonathan Ansell, former front man of the popular group G4. He performed two songs; The Godfather and My Own True Love, from Gone with the Wind, both of which are featured on his debut solo album. Jonathan has a very clear and distinctive quality to his voice which emphasised the lyrics of the pieces exceptionally well and he clearly enjoyed his performance, looking very much at home on the stage. He also received great applause from a very appreciative audience.
Blake then followed and performed two songs from their debut album; In Paradisum from the film Gladiator and Ashokan Farewell, two very different styles of song but both equally moving in their own way. The powerful Gladiator anthem sounded incredible when the harmonies of the 4 voices combined with the orchestra. This was then followed by the softer, more romantic and restful Ashokan Farewell which again was greatly enhanced by Blake’s unique harmonies. This is something that they do very well in that one voice is never more prominent than another and yet the power or the passion in the piece is always clearly reflected.
In the second half, the audience were treated to a very moving performance by violinist Ruth Palmer who played the hauntingly beautiful theme from Schindler’s List by John Williams. Anyone who has ever seen this film will know how emotional it is and as Ruth played, the Hall seemed hushed into a silent reverence. Ruth played with great intensity and feeling and truly captured the poignancy of the piece – it was quite simply beautiful.
A special mention should also go to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and their Principal Conductor Vasily Petrenko. They greatly enhanced each performance of the artists they accompanied and also on their own provided wonderful entertainment in the John Williams’ classics they performed. Petrenko led the orchestra with great enthusiasm and clearly delighted audience with songs from very well known and much loved films.
My only disappointment of the evening was that with the exception of Ruth Palmer, all the artists performed in the first act leaving the orchestra performing John Williams’ classics in the second half. Whilst they all performed them to an extremely high standard, it would have been nice to see the other artists spread out more throughout the concert. Nevertheless it was a very enjoyable evening, full of wonderful music and even the occasional firework display and I very much look forward to their next concert in September.
Programme:
First Half
- Bernstein: The Great Escape - Main Theme
- Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2 (Brief Encounter) – Lang Lang
- Rota: The Godfather – Jonathan Ansell
- Steiner: My Own True Love (Gone With The Wind) – Jonathan Ansell
- Zimmer In Paradisum (Gladiator) - Blake
- Ungar: The Ashokan Farewell - Blake
Interval
Second Half
- Williams: Raiders of the Lost Ark - Raiders March
- Williams: E.T.
- Williams: Schindler's List: soloist – Ruth Palmer
- Mussorgsky: Night on Bare Mountain - Fantasia
- Williams: Jurassic Park
- Williams: Superman
- Williams: Star Wars
