United Kingdom Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky: Bruce Liu (piano), City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra / Kazuki Yamada (conductor). Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, 5.3.2026. (CP)
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No.1 in B-flat minor, Op.23
Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition
The omens are good for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s thirteen concert tour of Europe led by the charismatic Kazuki Yamada and supported by the astounding Bruce Liu at the majority of venues. The orchestra will carry the good wishes of Warwick Arts Centre patrons who warmed to the conductor’s skill to engage with his audience to the extent of inviting the players to stand to give an enthusiastic wave goodbye. Many in that audience were young people representing West Coventry Academy and Stoke Park School for whom the evening must have been a most exhilarating experience.
Yamada follows in the footsteps of charismatic leaders at CBSO, notably Rattle, Nelsons and Gražinyte-Tyla, having graduated from chief conductor in 2021 to music director in 2024. He claims to be an optimist and ‘the happiest conductor in the world’, a long way from his early conducting experience with a youth choir in Japan. His relationship with the players is extraordinary, his enthusiasm for his work is to be much admired. He benefited from the time he spent with Berliner Philharmoniker in 2025. Bruce Liu joined the orchestra for a first rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 at lunchtime on the day of the concert. The first recital that evening was a striking display of style and subtlety with Liu’s playing being deft and delicate with sparkling fingerwork.
From the grandiose chords which accompany the opening melody he insisted on a deliberate, combative pace accompanied by glorious clarinet playing and an attention-grabbing timpanist (Toby Kearney). Liu’s early combative efforts were replaced by a sensitively delivered cadenza which concluded with a virtuosic finish before the end of the movement was heralded by the trombones. The second movement, Andantino semplice, began with the CBSO’s string sections playing delicate pizzicato before being overtaken by charming flute playing (Marie-Christine Zupancic), Liu settling for a deeper exchange with the orchestra with occasional marked increases in pace. Once considered unplayable and clumsy, the concerto is not the most coherent of works. However, Liu offered an intense and at times animated performance. Tchaikovsky borrowed a Ukrainian folk melody for the first movement and further folk songs on which to base the last movement during which Liu was accompanied by rumbling timpani and strong orchestral playing progressively building to the tour de force which concludes the work. Those ranks of students applauded enthusiastically. As the winner of the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2021, the encore was inevitably a Chopin étude played with much emotion.
One of the 14 ‘forever bells’ belonging to Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was wheeled on the platform into the hands of Adrian Spillett before the Mussorgsky epic triumph began. Originally designed as a suite of piano pieces, the work is now an extremely popular orchestral crowd pleaser. CBSO employed eight double bass players, saxophone (Carl Raven), euphonium (Gemma Riley), cor anglais (Rachel Pankhurst) and contrabassoon (Margaret Cookhorn) and two tubas in the hands of David Vines who manhandles enormous straight mutes which add significantly to the thunderous sound for at least two of the Victor Hartmann’s picture depictions.
CBSO observed five distinct ‘promenades’ which portray the composer walking, sometimes striding through the gallery. Trumpets presented a meandering theme before the full orchestra joined. The depiction of the first picture, Gnomus, is an unsettling melancholic one with wind sections snapping at each other. Further ‘promenades’ lead the composer through nine more pictures, from The Old Castle, the Bydlo (Polish Oxcart) in which a Polish peasant drives a lumbering oxcart cleverly depicted by heavy brass involvement. CBSO’s brass playing is exceptional – a most delightful duet between two harps and a tuba was an encouraging display of the cohesion within this orchestra. With 13 concerts on tour during the remainder of March, that team cohesion will indeed be tested! It is in good shape.
By the time CBSO reached the tenth picture, The Great Gate of Kiev, the percussion unit had shown itself to be one which commands respect across UK orchestras. Led by Adrian Spillett, who took charge of the prized ‘forever bell’, a fine team has grown with Sophie Hastings working hard and successfully with the concert bass drum. What a thrill for those young music students from Coventry schools to experience such a remarkable musical event led by the very capable Yamada. He is trusted by his musicians who allows them to bloom. Birmingham will no doubt work very hard to retain him.
Clive Peacock