National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine
Conductor: Volodymyr Sirenko
Piano: Mariia Pukhlianko
Cadogan Hall, 17 March 2026
I first saw National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine at Fairfield Halls, Croydon in 2023. I admired their distinctive style then and, if anything, it’s even more striking now as they enter formally and sit with second violins to the conductor’s right and cellos next to firsts with basses behind. And Volodymyr Sirenko is the only conductor I have seen – anywhere, ever – who takes his final bow centre stage holding up the leader’s hand on his right and the principal second violin on his left to form a symmetrical triumphal arch. It rather wonderfully confers on second violins exactly the equal status they deserve.
It is also a joy to be able to see and hear second violin work so clearly throughout an enjoyable concert which launched with a pleasant surprise. Maksym Sozontovych Berezovsky – of whom, in common I suspect with most Brits in the audience, I had never heard – was a Ukrainian contemporary of Haydn. His “symphony” in C minor (1770-72) is really a three-part miniature, very charming, tuneful and ideal as a concert opener. And it was played with here with affection and verve.
Then we got one of the finest accounts of Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto I have heard yet. Resplendent in voluminous sparkly scarlet, Mariia Pukhlianko took it slightly more slowly than some soloists choose to do, working though all those mood changes in the first movement with sensitivity. It’s odd that she looks mostly at the keyboard and rarely directly at Sirenko but the chemistry clearly works in other ways because the balance with the orchestra was close to perfection. She gave us stunning right hand work at the end of the first movement and her trills in the adagio came close to perfection.
I always judge this concerto by the handling of the transition passage between the adagio and the rondo – one of the most enchanting moments in the whole of the classical/early romantic repertoire. Here it was done with exactly the right delicacy and tension. And incidentally, partly because of Cadogan Hall’s excellent acoustic and partly because of Sirenko’s attention to detail, I heard a timpani entry (crisp with hard sticks) just before the final crescendo in the rondo which usually passes unnoticed.
The climactic post-interval work was Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony, every note like an old friend but here sounding as fresh and revolutionary as Beethoven could have wished. Highlights of a moving performance (you have to remember where this orchestra comes from) included the wonderful horn climaxes and incisive chords in the first movement and a lively scherzo which avoided the temptation to run at break-neck speed. Too many conductors see it as a look-how-fast-we-can-play-it challenge at the expense of the finer points. There was some excellent horn playing in the trio. Even in the finale Sirenko packed it with passion and energy, without rushing. and allowed the wind chorale moment to work its glorious magic.
Most impressive of all, however, was the funeral march. It’s a very long movement requiring a great deal of sustaining and control. Here we felt the passion in every bar. And the grandiloquent horn playing (quite an evening for horns, really) was tenderly powerful.
Overall, a memorable concert of (mostly) old favourites played with a commendable blend of respect and vibrancy.
