The Russian-born, German-based pianist Igor Levit has been much in the spotlight recently, but in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 27 in B flat in last night’s Prom he seized the attention in the most unexpected way. The orchestra had opened the concerto conventionally enough, but Levit’s piano entry was reticent, his hushed tone compelling us to listen. It was a reading of remarkable introspection and subjectivity, matched by equally ear-catching detail from the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Peter Oundjian. One never quite knew what lurked round the corner: a wonderfully fresh and original approach to a familiar masterpiece. His encore — a Shostakovich miniature delivered with extraordinary delicacy — was likewise as far from the image of a keyboard virtuoso as it is possible to get.
Oundjian’s handling of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony in E major was no less imaginative. He adopted fleet tempi and elegantly shaped phrasing that delighted the ear and helped it to grasp the all-important structure of Bruckner’s mighty movements. Traditionalists might have felt short-changed in terms of weight and grandeur, but there was ample compensation in the naturalness and humane quality of the interpretation. The orchestral execution was more than creditable.
The BBC Proms (bbc.co.uk/proms) continue until September 12
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