St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra

Leeds Town Hall

Russian music played by Russian bands continues to exert immense audience pulling power as demonstrated by a (predictably) full house. Kazakh-born conductor Alan Buribayev and the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra opened with a sparkling account of Prokofiev's evergreen 'Classical' Symphony. The stately Gavotte movement sounded delightfully idiosyncratic, thanks to Buribayev's generous rubato and heavily accented rhythms.

Tchaikovsky's scintillating Piano Concerto No 2 in G Major is something of a calling card for Peter Donohoe - a renowned Leeds International Piano Competition alumnus. Donohoe's interpretive insight and dazzling finger-work created a palette of dazzling colours. His filigree decoration of the Andante movement was preceded by the salon-like intimacy of the introduction, exquisitely played by the violin and cello section leaders. Donohoe's audacious brilliance in the fast and fiery finale unleashed a torrent of applause and a clamour for more. The encores duly followed: Rachmaninov's Prelude Opus 32, No 12 and 'November' from Tchaikovsky's The Seasons. Leeds Piano Competition founder Dame Fanny Waterman - ninety seven years young - could be seen watching intently from her customary balcony seat

The cellos, growling double basses and mournful woodwind wonderfully conveyed the brooding melancholy of the opening bars of Tchaikovsky's 'Pathetique' Symphony No 6 in B Minor. Alan Buribayev's vigorous downbeat gestures were frequently accompanied by a loud intake of breath as he exhorted his players to ever-increasing levels of emotional intensity in this most grief laden of Russian symphonies. Buribayev's urgent pacing combined with the raw emotion of the strings, incandescent brass chorales and exquisitely sculpted woodwind solos made this a performance to savour. But can any encore follow the anguish and despair of those tragic final chords? The contemplative slow movement from Bach's Suite No 3 in D (the 'Air on a G string') followed by the exuberant Hungarian Dance No 1 in G minor by Brahms undoubtedly delighted the capacity audience.

Geoffrey Mogridge