Brighton Festival – London Symphony Orchestra, Leila Josefowicz (violin), Susanna Mälkki (conductor)

What a risky programme! Not so long ago it would have scared away the crowds but the promise of a super-star soloist, a top-rank conductor and the LSO had the Dome well loaded with a very excited audience.

Julia Perry’s sensational A Short Piece for Large Orchestra certainly matched the mood of the hall. I am astonished that I hadn’t heard it before. I look forward to repeating the pleasure again soon. It set the scene perfectly for the Stravinsky Violin Concerto which is a vigorous piece, even in the slower sections. Leila Josefowicz seemed to attack her violin, stabbing, chopping and tearing sound from it, as if flicking notes across the texture of the orchestra. For all her animation she had such a delicate touch too that skimmed over the rich strings of the LSO. The duet with the Leader, Andrej Power, all too brief, was exquisite. There was plenty of bowhair flying free during this performance.

Leila Josefowicz

It was in the Bartók that the orchestra came fully to the front, as you’d expect with a Concerto for Orchestra. Susanna Mälkki’s wonderfully clear beat and daring shifts of tempo brought the thrill of Bartók’s dance tunes to fever pitch. It’s no wonder that the audience hammered out applause that was rewarded by the generous encore of Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances. We were buzzing all the way home!

Brighton Dome Concert Hall,
17 May 2025

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