BBC Symphony Orchestra and Kristiina Poska at The Barbican
By Miss McLaughlin, Musician in Residence
On the 27th February, music scholars and students enjoyed a trip to see two iconic works at the Barbican Centre; Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto, played by Gabriela Montero, and Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony.
The concert was a showcase of female excellence in a traditionally male-centred profession, with superb conducting by Kristiina Poska and brilliant playing by Montero. A particular highlight was Montero’s entirely improvised encore, which used suggestions from the audience (the motif from Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and ‘If I Were a Rich Man’ from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’) for the melodic inspiration. The concert also featured a UK premiere of a work by Julia Adolphe, called ‘Underneath’, which was commissioned by the LA Philharmonic in 2018.
