What emerged in the first movement ... was a lean and muscular sound, the brisk basic pulse taking the argument forward with clear-eyed determination.
At once visceral and disciplined, (Roth) drew scintillating playing from each section...
Most impressive of all was Pappano’s well-prepared, glamorous interpretation of Vaughan Williams furious Symphony no. 4 ... with a cleanness of delivery that revealed the carefully conceived intricacies of the orchestration.
The celebratory energy of Tippett’s writing shone forth. Here, truly, was dynamic rhythm — not a matter of assertion or aggression, but of spiritual grace.
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Searing and magnificently played, this was the kind of performance that seemed to present as if for the first time all the anger, nostalgia, pride and sorrow of this hammering symphony.
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Under [Roth's] guidance, the LSO’s delivery of the score was truly miraculous.
The key change at the climax was shattering, the ensuing restoration of calm rather uneasy… a fine Seventh Symphony, continuing Noseda’s impressive Shostakovich cycle.
Roth drove this uncompromising score forward with a thrilling and theatrical precision.
From the stirrings of the lower strings at the outset of the Finale … and the commanding snapped pizzicatos that followed, there was a collective sense of a gathering resolution, aided by pulses of rhythmic energy and propulsion.
Haïm brought out the acrobatic grotesquery of the Monkey’s Dance and the final Chaconne had a glittering quality at its close.
The Finale was everything it should be – the noble theme erupting into a frenzy of charged emotions, stoically battling on … Noseda and the LSO went at it with a fervour and volatility that proved devastating.
[Cargill] also hones the most exquisite tone colours, the perfect match for the LSO's hyper-refinement under Pappano.
The Allegro marcato swung along with plenty of insouciance and caustic bite – all superbly balanced and showcasing individual LSO talents to pleasing effect.
