One can become suspicious of the photogenic artist in case they think they can distract us from any shortfall in talent by their striking appearance. Nemanja Radulovic at first bore comparison with Prince but it was soon apparent that the parallel could be carried forward to a similar level of virtuosity and not remain a merely visual reference.The title of last night's concert, Fireworks from Armenia, gave us expectations of excitement and bravura, knowing Khachaturian from the extravagant orchestration of Spartacus and the hell-bent explosions of Sabre Dance. The Violin Concerto did nothing to dispel any of that except that it was the andante second movement that impressed beyond the pyrotechnics with its sostenuto reaching lyrical, emotional places that no amount of rapid technique can conjure.
Radulovic communicated openly and happily with the orchestra and conductor in a compelling performance of an excellent, perhaps insufficiently known, piece of the repertoire which would be ordered on disc already were it not for the welter burden of Buxtehude already on its way here. One simply can't keep buying more music when there are only so many hours to listen to it.
I wasn't quite at my best on a day when I'd had a setback in the morning but the concerto and its rapturous reception did much to restore me.
Tchaikovsky's Suite no.3 is very 'orchestral', sharing the theme through out the sections, including an attractive passage for woodwind. Leader, Amyn Merchant, had a prominent part with an extended solo part and the rousing finale, which built once before subsiding only to return even more grandly, gave the percussionists opportunity to bash and bang in a piece that delivered considerably more than might have been expected.
Russian, and Armenian, folk tunes echoed throughout the programme with traces of something like the Volga Boat Song to be heard in the themes from the all-too-short Seven Beauties Waltz by Kara Karayev onwards.
As usual, the Bournemouth put on an impressive show and in Nemanja Radulovic there is another sublime musician to look out for. You can't miss him.