The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s latest concert at Royal Festival Hall promised an exciting lineup, with star pianist Vikingur Ólafsson tackling Brahms and the world premiere of a new orchestral work by rising composer Freya Waley-Cohen. While Ólafsson’s performance proved divisive, it was Waley-Cohen’s ambitious piece that stole the show and left a lasting impression on those who stayed past intermission.
Ólafsson Divides Opinion with Brahms Concerto
Anticipation was high for Icelandic pianist Vikingur Ólafsson’s rendition of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Known for his innovative Bach interpretations, Ólafsson seemed an intriguing choice for the monumental Romantic work. Yet his idiosyncratic approach yielded mixed results.
The Adagio unfolded with crystalline clarity, recalling Ólafsson’s celebrated Bach recordings. But elsewhere, quirky phrasing and exaggerated details interrupted the musical flow, while the thunderous passagework of the finale felt more perfunctory than poetic.
The performance was an odd mix of the fussy and the perfunctory…fierce, take-it-or-leave-it.
— Andrew Clements, The Guardian
A sizable portion of the audience left at intermission, perhaps finding Ólafsson’s Brahms not to their taste. But those early departures missed out on the evening’s true revelation: the world premiere of Freya Waley-Cohen’s Mother Tongue.
Waley-Cohen Triumphs with “Mother Tongue” Premiere
Commissioned by the LPO, Freya Waley-Cohen’s new 25-minute orchestral work explores how language encapsulates the history and culture of its speakers. The compelling concept translated into music of wild, thrilling colors and restless energy.
Every new piece by Waley-Cohen seems to come with a rich, allusive hinterland, and Mother Tongue is no exception.
— Andrew Clements, The Guardian
Though occasionally meandering, the score impressed with its bountiful ideas and keen orchestral command, signaling a composer of immense promise. Under Edward Gardner’s baton, the LPO brought fierce commitment to this challenging new work.
Gardner Ignites Bartók Ballet Suite
Following the Waley-Cohen premiere, Gardner led a ferocious account of Bartók’s suite from The Miraculous Mandarin. Building to a supercharged finish, it provided an electrifying coda to the concert.
A Night of Revelations and Questions
In the end, this LPO concert may be remembered less for its starry soloist and more for heralding an important new compositional voice. With her strikingly original Mother Tongue, Freya Waley-Cohen left an indelible mark and had audiences eager to hear what she will imagine next. Meanwhile, Ólafsson’s controversial Brahms raised intriguing questions about the boundaries of interpretive freedom in canonical repertoire.
Achievements and puzzles, triumphs and debates – such nights keep the classical world spinning. And as the music faded away at Royal Festival Hall, one thing was certain: the conversation surrounding this thought-provoking concert had only just begun.
