Saleem Abboud Ashkar proves a poetic Mendelssohnian but Wigglesworth’s Rachmaninov is more variable.

Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne

May 2, 2014

This program by the MSO and Mark Wigglesworth gave us musical extremes, from the sheer joy and exuberance of Mendelssohn’s youthful First Piano Concerto, to the grimmest moments of melodrama in Rachmaninov’s heartfelt Second Symphony.

I thought I recognised the piano soloist’s face. I first came across the young Palestinian pianist Saleem Abboud Ashkar about 10 years ago in a video documentary about Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – an attempt through music to improve relations between Arabs and Israelis. In it, he spoke gently and intelligently about his hopes for the future, and his desire that music bring about a positive change.

Those qualities of thoughtfulness and intelligence were mostly evident in his performance of the Mendelssohn Concerto, but his approach was more rhythmic than lyrical, sometimes missing the opportunities for moments of repose in the first movement. Unfortunately, the piano sounded both tinny and out of tune from the get go.

As in his Violin Concerto, Mendelssohn connects the first and second movement of this Piano Concerto without a break, and Ashkar gave an intimate, understated rendition of this poetic, almost...