The Dome, Brighton, 11 January 2015

Andrew Gourlay brought bite and enthusiasm to his reading of both the Brahms’ Piano Concerto and Beethoven’s 7^th Symphony. The symphony was conceived as a single arch, opening with controlled crescendi before launching into the gentle dance of the first theme. There was nothing deadly about the slow movement, its rhythms seeming closer to the scherzo of the 5^th rather than the funeral march of the 3^rd. The third movement romped along with a rather soupy Trio from the horns before we were almost literally blown away with the speed of the finale. It was a compelling approach which was obviously to the taste of the audience.

Brahms’ first Piano Concerto proved somewhat more problematic. Tempi were again on the fast side, with a fine sense of tension between the more strident passages and Brahms’ more indulgent moments. However, not until the final movement did the soloist, Martin Roscoe, seem to be fully at ease with the orchestra. Though there had been nothing to fault with his own approach, in the opening movement his playing had seemed somewhat distant from the intensity of the orchestra. Thankfully he suddenly came alive in the finale which was full of fire and virility.