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CBSO, Viennese Masters, Symphony Hall

Mar 31 2008 By John Mclaren

IT'S not often that a piece unfamiliar to me such as Brahms's Piano Concerto No.1 can knock me completely sideways.

That's due to the veteran Vienna-based soloist Elisabeth Leonskaja, who might feel entitled to be at home baking sachertorte for grandchildren, but who travelled to Birmingham on an awful night to thrill an appreciative audience.

Simple, unfussy brilliance, always perfectly balanced with a CBSO superbly conducted by a Canadian little more than half her age, Yannick Nezet-Seguin.

Brahms apparently struggled for years to produce this masterpiece. The result is overwhelming.

With plenty of Sturm and Drang weather outdoors, Beethoven's dramatic Egmont Overture was a perfect start to the evening.

The filling in beween was a delicate rendering of Mozart's Symphony No. 40.

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