Old World Symphony, CBSO, Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 29 May 2024.

4✩✩✩✩ Review: David Gray & Paul Gray.

“Virtuosic violin and stirring symphonic playing.”

Bohdana Frolyak – Adagio in Memory of Myroslav Skoryk

Tchaikovsky – Violin Concerto in D

Dvořák – Symphony No, 7 in D minor

A work that wears its influences firmly on its sleeve, Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolak’s ‘Adagio in Memory of Myroslav Skoryk', formally channels Mahler’s famous Adagietto from his 5th Symphony and seems to owe a lot to Strauss in its orchestral colouration.

This is a moving and compelling work, none the worse for its honest borrowings. It is characterised by an interplay of light and shade, which works to poignant effect in the shadow of the current on-going conflict in Ukraine.

Ukrainian conductor, Oksana Lyniv, highlighted the work's significance by reading a heartfelt message from the composer.

Young Ukrainian violinist, Andrii Murza, displayed all the virtuosity required for any convincing reading of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. This piece really does present the soloist with some fiendish challenges. However, Murza's tone felt a little forced and was perhaps overly dark and lacking some lustre during the opening movement. This resulted in some micro tuning issues, with too many bass-rich harmonics going on. 

There was a more lyrical approach to the second movement, where the tone was allowed to sing out. The dance like final movement positively buzzed with energy and raced along at a pace. Lyniv was a calm but expressive presence on the podium and made sure that all the pieces of the jigsaw dovetailed together beautifully.

Programme notes tried to persuade us that Dvorak’s 7thSymphony is his ‘Tragic’. The performance said otherwise. True, the work starts in sombre hues, brushed with foreboding, and what unfolds thereafter has more than it fair share of tempestuousness, but Lyniv made much of moments where the sun breaks through the clouds. 

Lyniv is a precise conductor; she knows what she wants and communicates it clearly to the orchestra. The CBSO evidently got the message and responded accordingly with clean ensemble, incisive playingand richness of tone.

This was a well-paced piece of storytelling that took the listener on a dramatic journey through to a radiant, triumphant & genuinely uplifting conclusion.

Oksana Lyniv – Conductor

Andrii Murza - Violin