It would have been all too easy for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra to get swept away with the sheer size of their Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody concert, held as part of their MACA Limited Classic Series. Under the baton of Spanish conductor Jaime Martín, Tchaikovsky’s symphonic poem The Tempest, Rachmaninov’s showpiece Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Stravinsky’s ballet Petrushka made for an all-Russian offering ranging from sumptuous romanticism to theatrical modernism. In addition, the young Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov, whose 2019 concert commitments have so far seen him tour the US, Germany and South Korea, had made just one stop in Australia for his performance of Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody with WASO. However, despite the demanding repertoire and exciting international guest appearances, control and precision were key to the evening’s performance, with Martín leading a disciplined (but by no means stifled) performance by WASO.

Bezhod Abduraimov. Photograph supplied

From the opening chorale of Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest, Martín’s approach to the orchestra was revealed. Nothing short of pin-point accuracy would suffice, and WASO’s wind section moved beautifully through the chorale as one complete organism. The ceaseless movements of the strings were similarly unified,...