Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi kept the orchestra on its toes through the UK premiere of his countryman Erkki-Sven Tüür’s new cello concerto.
Petrushka, given here in the pared-back 1947 revision, was a little foursquare at first, but the orchestra soon loosened its stays, tossing off a string of whirling dances with ripely characterful solo contributions (the contrabassoon got an audible chuckle for a fabulously vulgar subterranean fart).
The Philharmonia, conducted with notable clarity by Tüür’s fellow countryman Paavo Järvi, was kept on its toes, fragmentary ideas ricocheting back and forth like musical bullets.
A slightly lopsided programme coupled the 30-minute concerto with Stravinsky’s equally substantial Petrushka, while the totality of the second half comprised the same composer’s 23-minute Firebird Suite.
Erkki-Sven Tüür’s new cello concerto opens with a mighty thrum and concludes with the orchestra dissolving magically into the ether.
