4 / 5 stars
Royal Festival Hall, London

Rachmaninov got the inspiration for his 1909 tone poem The Isle of the Dead from a print of Arnold Böcklin's painting of the same name. But where Böcklin's painting is a blanched depiction of the mystery of death, Rachmaninov's work plunges fatalistically forward into the darkness in an increasingly storm-tossed barcarolle, before collapsing into the composer's recurrent preoccupation with the Dies Irae chant. For a conductor, the challenge is to shape this masterly piece so that the return of the plunging rhythm at the end feels inexorable rather than anticlimactic. Jukka-Pekka Saraste achieved exactly that.

Rachmaninov's second piano concerto starts in the same relentless minor-key mood. But at heart this famous work is a celebration of the composer's own dazzling pianism, and above all his matchless ability to combine keyboard weight and lightness at often hair-raising speed. Nikolai Lugansky was equal to the challenge in every way. Lugansky's ability to articulate Rachmaninov's complex passage-work with the same clarity and colour as the soloist's more spotlit moments made this a hugely impressive and satisfying rendering, much enhanced by Saraste's skilled restraint with the orchestra.

Saraste's keen ear for balance and dynamics were also to the fore in his razor-sharp performance of Stravinsky's 1945 version of his Firebird suite. The lovely fluidity of the basses in the dark prelude signalled a Firebird whose emphasis was always balletic and quicksilver. Even in this early and showy work, Saraste was keen to remind us, Stravinsky never wastes a note. Nigel Black's horn took pride of place in some terrific wind playing, but it was the sheen of the strings that impressed most of all. The Philharmonia is certainly a treat to hear these days.