Review | Pavel Kolesnikov, Hong Kong Sinfonietta deliver fluid, buoyant Beethoven piano concerto
Soloist finds musical insights in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4, while orchestra shows its growth in Schumann’s ‘Rhenish’ Symphony

Siberian-born pianist Pavel Kolesnikov is known to have a surprise or two up his sleeve.
To highlight the “outrageous” side of Mozart’s music on February 19 in his Hong Kong City Hall recital, he chose to sport a supremely unflattering, baggy frog-green suit.
While it was an odd choice – although one best left to the fashion writers – his imaginative and thought-provoking juxtaposition of works by Mozart and Ravel was an eye-opener of far greater substance.
His performance was full of musical insights, the playing both fluid and tender in a work that is a shining gem of the concerto repertoire.
Sadly, and through no fault of his own, it was the piano itself that caused blemishes in an otherwise fine interpretation.