The Master and His Pupil

In September 2002 the famous Russian conductor Valery Gergiev gave some master classes in Rotterdam to three young, and talented, but just starting colleagues. Under Gergiev's supervision the three aspiring conductors were asked to conduct the Rotterdam Youth Philharmonic Orchestra in a demanding programme of two works by Scriabin - "Poem of Ecstasy" and "Prometheus". The comparisons between Spanish/American Alexis Soriano already with his own orchestra - the State Hermitage Orchestra in St Petersburg - and who has Gergiev's fire and passion but not yet the precision to go with it, and Anglo/Chinese conductor Jason Lai, assistant conductor of the BBC PO, too technical and metronomic for Scriabin, and the Dutch conductor Otto Tausk are revealing. The unsung heroes are the orchestra displaying just how accomplished youth orchestras are these days. On the debit side the additional film music was not required two works by Scriabin are enough music for any film.