RUSSIAN National Orchestra's eagerly-awaited UK tour began with an exhilarating performance at Newcastle City Hall. The wave of sound produced as the strings primed themselves was a taste of what was to come. And, indeed, the concert was launched like a mighty rocket with a dynamic rendition of Shostakovich's Festival Overture. The next act held the audience enthralled, with the rising Russian star Alexander Melnikov taking on Rachmaninov's less familiar Piano Concerto No 1.

The programme notes he is a qualified pilot. Well, he was firmly in control of the keyboard as his music soared to the stratosphere and beyond. He displayed the clearest articulation and his glissandi were quite stunning. And all the time, he exuded an extraordinary calmness and self assurance. He was rewarded with applause sounding like a wild hailstorm on a vast tin roof.

The evening's maestro was Mikhail Pletnev, who shaped an eloquent and enchanting account of Prokofiev's Symphony No 7. Every contrasting mood was conveyed with compelling conviction, with the allegreto driven to a thunderous climax. When the audience demanded more it was treated to a waltz from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, with sweeping string work of heavenly beauty. The audience's enthusiasm remained undampened and Pletnev obliged with an explosive rendition of the Russian Dance from the Nutcracker Suite. A thrilling evening.

Published: 24/03/2004