Alexei Volodin delivers a dashing take on Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's lush first piano concerto and Anton Bruckner's unfinished 9th symphony are the oddest of odd couples – a glamorous Russian romp stuffed with folk tunes and an apocalyptic meditation on God and the infinite.

- Geoffrey Lim

CONCERT HANS GRAF & ALEXEI VOLODIN Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 & Bruckner Symphony No. 9 Esplanade Concert Hall July 24

It is testament to the versatility of maestro Hans Graf and the musicians of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) that they rendered both such incongruous works as if to the manner born.

The Tchaikovsky is probably the most ubiquitous piano concerto in the repertoire. But for all its popularity, it has many instances that can be frustrating to play on the instrument and its episodic splashiness can grate in the wrong hands. Graf, the SSO and the excellent Russian pianist Alexei Volodin delivered a dashing, trenchant performance that wisely refrained from milking the work's excesses.