Tchaikovsky Double: Piano Concerto No.1 by Tchaikovsky, P. I., Kalinnikov, V. S., From (2021/2021), Conductor Martyn Brabbins, City Halls, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto grabs you with a burst of golden brass, steamrollers you with a thundering piano, has you swooning at a big, beautiful melody… and that’s only the first 20 seconds! Pavel Kolesnikov will bring some Russian authenticity to this, the most passionate of all Romantic piano concertos. Come for the Tchaikovsky, but stay for a neglected Russian classic that may soon become one of your favourites. Kalinnikov’s First Symphony from 1897 has all the breadth, melodies and lush grandeur associated with Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky but rarely appears in concert halls. Here, Martyn Brabbins is its champion on the podium.