Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 10 Oct 2025
Fate is the seventh concert in the current flagship Symphony Series presented by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO). It was held in the Adelaide Town Hall and included Angel: Poem Nocturne by Feodor Akimenko, Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano No.1 in C, Op.15, and Tchaikvosky’s Symphony No.4 in F minor, Op.36. The concert was conducted by the internationally acclaimed Martyn Brabbins and featured Benjamin Grosvenor on the piano, and it was fabulous!
Feodor Akimenko (1876-1945) was a Ukrainian pianist and composer, and some of his catalogue can be found on YouTube, although he is not well known. This reviewer, and presumably other lovers of fine music, first became aware of Akimenko’s music in the days and months that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, when the broader arts community became interested in actively supporting Ukrainian artists and culture. Indeed, the ASO has recently performed works by Valentin Silvestrov and Victoria Poleva.
Akimenko's Angel, dubbed a ‘poem nocturne’, comes in at around ten minutes and is sublime. Its orchestration is lush but clean, and its melodies soar and descend as might a spirit exploring unworldly places. Martyn Brabbins ensured the orchestra played with exquisite articulation and phrasing, which was a feature of the entire concert. Angel gently encourages the listener to close one’s eyes and drift with the music. It is sublime. Angel does not leave the listener with an ‘ear worm’ to hum later, but it is deeply satisfying, and the feeling of contentment lingers long afterwards.
Benjamin Grosvenor is one of the finest pianists of his generation, and he partnered superbly with Brabbins to get right under the skin of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.1 and expose its rich melodies, tonal surprises, invention, liveliness, and humour. As intimated above, Brabbins ensured the orchestra’s phrasing was eloquent and empathetic to the soloist. Grosvenor was superb at the keyboard, and like Brabbins, he accomplished his music making cleanly and without distracting histrionics. Grosvenor looked calm and in total control, and during the lyrical and stately largo second movement, he almost gave the impression he was analysing the music as he played it. The dialogue between the piano and clarinet was simply gorgeous. The final movement saw Grosvenor unleash his virtuosic skills, but none more so than in the Ravel encore he generously performed at the concerto’s conclusion, which was a true highlight of the evening: elegant dynamics with impressive and precisely executed cross and overlapping hands. Grosvenor accepted the enthusiastic applause almost with humbleness, and the audience knew it had heard something special.
Brabbins reading of Tchaikvosky’s Symphony No.4 exposed the string sections of the ASO as the true stars that they are. The third movement features extended pizzicato sections, and the magnificence of the music only comes through clearly if each section of the strings plays ‘as one’ as the pizzicato is executed, otherwise it risks becoming blurred. The strings of the ASO came up trumps and it was a joy to see the principal string players lead with precision, clarity and unyielding strictness in timing and tempo. Brabbins allowed them to get on with it and never unnecessarily imposed himself on their music making. The symphony features a number of sumptuous and memorable melodies that are enthusiastically proclaimed by the brass, horns, and woodwinds, and by the time it is over one’s faith in humanity and the sheer restorative power of music is somewhat restored.
Fittingly, Brabbins insisted on every section of the ASO taking a well-deserved bow, not just some. This reviewer is still smiling that the strings were also singled out, and deservedly so. They are so often taken for granted.
Kym Clayton
When: 10 Oct
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
