Vladimir Jurowski infinitely boundless

Gwen Herat from the Royal Festival Hall - Southbank

Vladimir Jurowski is relentless and his music is inexhaustible and divine. The faultless touch of his baton has made him the most electrifying phenomenon and there is no denying this statement.

Ask anyone who has seen him conducting; they will fall short of words to describe the experience. It is his perfection that has taken him right to the top and I cannot see anyone in the horizon to eclipse him. It is the principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who is also its artistic advisor. He is Vladimir Jurowski, the man who commands the classical music scene around the world.

But today, he is not conducting the LPO but the prestigious Russian National Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in celebration of the LPO's 80th anniversary. I thought it was only me that was so excited about the event but from where I am seated I can see the light on all faces with an expectation for the arrival of the Messiah of music. Right now I feel intense and electrified waiting for the moment to arrive.

Homage

Jurowski was paying homage to his country by wielding the baton for the Russian National Orchestra of whom he is apparently attached to. He plays a key role this season attracting music lovers from around the world. Renowned for his thought provoking and wondrously crafted programs, he is taking on the Masters not only of Russian origin but all in one dashing sweep.

He has established himself and the LPO in such a manner that it has become a fabulously refined instrument. I am sad I will be missing the other big concerts especially the ones with my favourite, Chaikovsky and Shostakovich but what I am waiting for right now are as good as any. They are Vaughan Williams Symphony No.6 and Prokofiev's Symphony No.5.

Anything in the hands of Jurowski is as good as the original score by its own Master and no one else could present it in that tone.

This orchestrator of unsurpassed brilliance and creative impetus, at times are even played better than the original scores.

But Jurowski remains faithful to all original scores and never undermines their value.

He is respectful of the Masters, especially the ones from his beloved country and this season and pays homage to them. It is apparent by far that the compositions he play involve immaculate scoring.

He is the avant-garde conductor who does not miss even the drop of a single note by his orchestra. His ears are so sensitive that he picks up even the most minute miss in any instrument.

I would have preferred another composer than Vaughan Williams for the opening score but then, Jurowski has everyone in mind when he opts for different scores on different days. Not that I do not like V Williams.

In fact, I am enthralled by his The Lark Ascending which is an ethereal romance for the violin but seldom heard in concert halls.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

His music included a vast variety such as symphony, orchestral chamber, Opera and ballet. Williams was influenced by early English folk music and left its aura in most of his works. Born in Gloucester in 1872, he passed away in London in 1958. Though he was subject to the conservative English and German instructions along with modern French Orchestral techniques, he stayed very adventurously with typical English. Vaughan Williams scored many charismatic pieces of classical music though they never were on par with the top Masters and perhaps Jurowski's exposure. It will see an ascension in his works.

Symphony No.6 in E minor

Composed from 1944 to 47 and revived again in 1950, this is one of the finest symphonies of the century of wars and post-war periods as projected in the symphony. It contains four movements played without a break to surface the contrasting tragedy of turmoil with sober reflection, some thing that Jurowski is able to extract from his players. It ebbs away into uncertain optimism in the last magical movement, with one solo violin ending in a trail. Those last few notes are Jurowski's, I presume.

Sergei Prokofiev

Born in Ukraine, he passed away in Moscow. Highly influenced by the Russian School and Stravinsky, he remained a pure and romantic composer in his type of music that spanned symphony, opera ballet, choral, chamber and orchestral. Highly prolific in his compositions, the world of classical music remembers him for his haunting score for the full-length ballet of Romeo and Juliet. And there is no one who has not heard of it.

He was the most successful Russian composer and maintained his musical skills even under a dictatorship. At the piano, he was taught to rebel against the stifling conservatism. At the age of thirteen, he was brilliant at St. Petersburg Conservatory and caused a mild stir before his graduation with some of his musical compositions such as the First Piano Concerto with its fiery keyboard with unexpected harmonic and melodic twists and rhythms. No wonder, before he was twenty, he was famous.

But he burnt out after the initial brilliance. He left for Siberia through to Japan and America. When he later arrived in Paris in 1920, he met yet another expatriot, the iconic choreographer, Sergei Diaghilev who commissioned Prokofiev to compose for three of his bellets, chout - Le Pas D'acier and L'enfant Prodigue. Prokofiev had such an illustrious career that even to date, his popularity cannot be curbed.

This evening, The Russian National Orchestra is playing his ever popular Symphony No.5, Op 100 (1944) which is sheer magic. Like his sonatas, the symphonies should not be heard one after the other, the reason being they are not immediately accessible and should together prove emotionally charged. Many reviewers are of the opinion that his fifth symphony is probably the best of the seven but I think his Violin Concerto No.2 in G minor, Op.63 which is a slow movement is one of Prokofiev's loveliest concertos.The youthful energy and dynamism of the score was brilliantly high scored by Jurowski and ended in explosion by the audience in a resounding bravo, that lasted a long spell forcing Jurowski to return to the stand again.It was his conducting., the Orchestra's performance, the score of Prokofiev that made the evening memorable and magical.

And next, Jurowski will be conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra with the scores of Tchaikovsky, Britten and Shostakovich and you bet I will be there; rain or no rain; lashing winds or biting breeze.