Review: Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, at Symphony Hall

We know from long experience of the BBC Symphony Orchestra how efficient broadcasting orchestras have to be.

And the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra confirmed it, beginning with an account of Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina Prelude which was delivered with sharp instrumental detail.

At the other end of the evening came Rachmaninov’s wonderful Second Symphony, again richly-detailed and delivered with a fluent ebb and flow of rubato.

The highlight of the evening was Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 3, Simon Trpceski the soloist. The quirky fairy-tale interludes were set into an appropriate context, and Trpceski’s virtuosity never stole the thunder of this enchanting music.

Trpceski’s encore, a miniature Prokofiev March, was just perfect.