Halle, Westmorland Hall, Kendal

Two remarkable musicians - perhaps unfamiliar to many Lakeland Sinfonia devotees - joined forces with the ultra-familiar and beloved Halle. The result was a magnificent evening of music making.

Karl-Heinz Steffens presided over exciting performances of three powerful works, each requiring the highest levels of musicianship from all concerned to bring them to life.

The glowing, radiant melodic contours, the rhythmic energy and crisp ensemble work, so characteristic of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake music, both demanded and received polished interpretations that superbly set the scene for the pleasures to come.

As the prolonged, enthusiastic applause marking the end of an incredible performance of Prokofiev’s 1st Piano Concerto rang around the hall, I sat back and eventually remarked, "strewth!" Denis Kozhukhin and his partners had just provided the highest possible levels of virtuosic musicianship that this piece demands. Stunning, glittering, dynamically-Russian pianism was supported by identical orchestral wizardry. It was, simply, awe-inspiring.

Sibelius’s 1st Symphony with its sweeping melodies, full-blooded climaxes, romantic lyricism, and vibrant intensity, was revealed in all its glory. Principals and rank and file alike were thrillingly united whilst responding to Steffen’s every wish.

Brian Paynes