There was considerable potential disappointment in the run-up to the RSNO's concert on Saturday night. We were expecting the Russian lion, Boris Berezovsky, to be the soloist in Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. He was indisposed. They sent a volcano instead.
It was one of those moments you knew was going to be dynamite. On came a young Russian, the relatively little-known Eduard Kunz. Clearly, he meant business. The tie was off (literally). The sleeves were rolled up (metaphorically). Conductor Garry Walker and the RSNO rolled out the famous opening flourish of the concerto, and immediately everyone in the jam-packed concert hall - Walker, RSNO and audience - was running like hell to catch up with Kunz, who went off like a rocket and didn't stop for 40 minutes.
If you missed the image at the end, as Walker erupted in near hysterical laughter, almost falling off his podium at the glorious madness of everybody crossing the finishing line together (almost) you missed one of the great images of live classical music at its best, its wildest and its most life-affirming.
Kunz was sensational. His technique and delivery were out of this world. He might not yet quite have all the command that he requires (he can leave an orchestra standing), but he is bursting with passion, confidence and a vitality that marked every bar of his Tchaikovsky. It was an experience, with conductor and orchestra giving edge-of-the-seat performances, that had the adrenalin racing and the head spinning.
It was a great central climax to a good night, with interesting interpretations of Vaughan Williams's Tallis Fantasia and Elgar's Enigma Variations buttressing the concerto.
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