London,

Prokofiev: man of the people?

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Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Belvedere Road
SE1 8XX

Prokofiev: Man of the people? might be an exam question, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra's Prokofiev series of that name has something of the essay about it. The thesis proposed by Vladimir Jurowski, the orchestra's artistic director, is that we've focused on the political context of Prokofiev's career at the expense of the music itself.

Whether playing Prokofiev's lesser-known works will reveal a "man of the people" is debatable but this opening concert gave his music every chance to shine. Conductor Alexander Vedernikov opened with the score Prokofiev wrote for Lieutenant Kijé, a 1934 Soviet film. If music "of the people" should be tuneful, evocative and colourful, this fitted the bill. Throw in genial and acerbic, and you get the measure of Vedernikov's reading, full of pungent solos delivered with insouciant sparkle. What might Prokofiev have written if he'd worked in Hollywood?

Soloist Danjulo Ishizaka needed to be at his fleet-fingered best to locate the Cello Concerto's expressive heart among all the technical challenges. His Stradivarius's tone was not huge but it had plentiful colour and texture, from harsh abrasiveness to soothing sweetness.

Ishizaka's grace and Vedernikov's flexible control maintained the narrative flow throughout: some achievement. Whenever you thought the piece had run out of steam, Prokofiev threw another lovely phrase into the mix to draw us right back in.

Kijé and the concerto were written around the time of Prokofiev's return to Russia from exile. His Seventh Symphony came years later, not long before his death (he died within hours of Stalin). Some find it irresistible but despite a superbly crafted performance, it seemed a prettily decorated shell from which all spirit had drained away, leaving only a thoroughly conventional exterior. Man of the people? Case not yet proven.

Series runs until Feb 1 (0844 875 0073, lpo.org.uk)

Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.