Rohan Shotton

Manchester

Medical oncology & cardio-oncology PhD fellow | The Christie/UoM | Lymphoma, timpani/perc (@EUdocsorch), piano, reviews (@Bachtrack) & prog notes, cricket

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Articles

A measured and coherent Alpine Symphony from The Hallé and Sir Mark Elder

1 month ago | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

Sir Mark Elder’s first concert back in Manchester in his new Conductor Emeritus role with The Hallé saw him tasked with the safe navigation of Strauss’ monumental Alpine Symphony, alongside the world premiere of Huw Watkins’ Concerto for Orchestra. In acknowledgement of the presence of the orchestra’s Royal Patron, the Duchess of Edinburgh, the evening began with a curiously condensed and muted account of the national anthem, ending rather abruptly before anyone could be sent victorious.
Artistic licence in Gamzou's Mahler 9 with the BBC Philharmonic

2 months ago | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

Stepping in at a couple of weeks’ notice for an indisposed Mark Wigglesworth, Israeli-American conductor Yoel Gamzou sought to wring out every gram of drama from this meticulously crafted if episodic account of Mahler’s final completed symphony, the Ninth. Gamzou’s biography extolls his status as a renowned Mahler interpreter, as well as having completed a performing edition of the unfinished Tenth Symphony.
An all-encompassing Mahler 3 from Domingo Hindoyan and the RLPO

2 months ago | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

This Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra concert, originally scheduled for March 2020, was one of the North West’s very first pandemic cancellations. That it has taken five years and a change of Chief Conductor to restage the event is testament to the gargantuan demands of Gustav Mahler’s all-encompassing Third Symphony. Here, in Domingo Hindoyan’s sure hands, its course was charted with total clarity of direction and no shortage of drama along the way.
Swaggering Strauss and a UK premiere from Alpesh Chauhan and The Hallé

Feb 28, 2025 | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

Alpesh Chauhan, covering at short notice for an indisposed Han-Na Chang, directed The Hallé with lively charisma in this colourful programme. Two well-loved crowd-pleasers bookended the programme, Strauss and Prokofiev both providing plentiful opportunities for virtuosic orchestral playing, but it was the UK premiere of Maria Herz’s Cello Concerto which was most memorable.
An overwhelming Resurrection from The Hallé and Kahchun Wong

Jan 17, 2025 | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

If, as I did, one still needed clear proof of what The Hallé and Kahchun Wong are capable of together, this overwhelming account of Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony was the strongest possible statement. This was a Resurrection which achieved that rare feat of mastering the architecture of this sprawling symphony while wringing out all the highs and lows or the journey. The climaxes were suitably cataclysmic, but also adequately paced to leave something in the tank for the last pages.
Darkness and heroism in Shostakovich and Strauss from the BBC Philharmonic

Nov 17, 2024 | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

This well-attended Saturday evening BBC Philharmonic concert saw Alban Gerhardt plumb the depths of tragedy in Shostakovich’s G major Cello Concerto before a full-blooded account of Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben. The evening began with the UK premiere of Anna Clyne’s This Moment, a seven-minute tribute to the calligraphy of Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, reflecting on his words “This moment is full of wonders”.
Domingo Hindoyan opens RLPO season with late Romantic warhorses

Oct 17, 2024 | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

Opening the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s season, this intriguing programme saw Domingo Hindoyan pair late Strauss with early Mahler in front of a packed Liverpool audience. Before two concert-hall warhorses, Hindoyan opened proceedings with his compatriot’s Juan Bautista Plaza’s 1928 symphonic poem, Vigilia. Cut from an easy-on-the-ear cloth, this was elegant music of rich colours and melodic tunes.
Kahchun Wong ushers in the start of a new era at The Hallé

Sep 26, 2024 | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

The last time a new Principal Conductor stepped onto the Hallé’s rostrum, the orchestra – and indeed the rest of the world – were in a very different era. In fact, one only has to go back five Principal Conductors to see John Barbirolli taking up the post in 1943. With the considerable weight of attendant scrutiny on the back of his shoulders, this concert gave some hints as to what might be in store in the coming years.
Blood-and-thunder Beethoven and Holst in BBC Philharmonic season opener

Sep 22, 2024 | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

John Storgårds kicked off the new season with his BBC Philharmonic with a programme defined by a blood-and-thunder approach to Beethoven and Holst, elegantly accompanied by Grace-Evangeline Mason’s Ablaze the Moon. Premiered by the same orchestra at last year’s Proms, the Ablazeis a six-minute realisation of American poet Sara Teasdale’s 1930 poem Tonight.
Near perfect Bruckner from the Berliner Philharmoniker at the BBC Proms

Sep 2, 2024 | bachtrack.com | Rohan Shotton

The second of Kirill Petrenko’s two Proms with the Berliner Philharmoniker saw a near-perfect account of Bruckner’s Fifth Symphony neatly paired with a triad of motets by the same composer. One expects high things from these forces, with the rapid sell-out of tickets for these concerts testament to their status as perhaps the world’s most revered orchestra. Of course, there was that sound which one expects of the Philharmoniker, with purring, sonorous brass and a rich glow to the strings.