Stravinsky’s Petrushka by Magi, Khachaturian, A., Stravinsky, hAo 02 Beal 2025, Ó (2025/2025), Seoltóir Paavo Järvi, Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi is in his element with repertoire from Northern and Eastern Europe, and this programme features three such works. Vesper (Poem) by his compatriot Ester Mägi (b. 1922, d. 2021), ‘the first lady of Estonian music’, is a poetic work for strings inspired by St John’s Church in Tallinn. The Khachaturian Piano Concerto is proof that colourful, vibrant music was indeed written in the Soviet era. The work is imbued with the influence of Armenian folk music. And to add to the exotic atmosphere, the piano is accompanied by a musical saw in the middle movement! The work is grist to Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s mill, a pianist who for decades has excelled in original repertoire. Finally, there’s Petrushka, Stravinsky’s exuberant ballet music about a marionette who comes to life, falls in love and wreaks havoc on a Russian carnival. Listeners need no sets or dancers to see the story unfold before them, and the colourful music lets all the members of the orchestra shine.