Alexander Raskatov: Piano Concerto (Night Butterflies); Stravinsky: Rite of Spring | Album Review

The opening of Alexander Raskatov's 2013 Piano Concerto is vivid enough to convey clear notions of flight. And an early downwards swoop from an unusual orchestral intruder – a slide whistle – would certainly make you sit up and wonder. The starting point was an evening visit to a butterfly greenhouse, and the work's 12 contrasted sections are like a series of étude-like character studies. The music shares something of the in-your-face violence of Rite of Spring. Conductor Ludovic Morlot is happy to allow Raskatov and his tireless soloist, Tomoko Mukaiyama, off the leash, though in the Stravinsky he does sometimes smooth an edge or two. url.ie/u3lq