Martyn Brabbins Leads the SOI with Colour and Conviction

The Symphony Orchestra of India welcomed back Martyn Brabbins, recently announced as its Chief Conductor from January 2026, for an evening that highlighted both his interpretative breadth and the orchestra’s continuing evolution. The programme offered two towering works of the repertoire, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, contrasting in tone yet equally demanding in execution.

Brabbins treated Scheherazade not as a glittering showpiece but as a vast canvas for storytelling. At its heart was concertmaster Vladislav Pesin, whose solo violin embodied the voice of Scheherazade herself with lyrical poise and supple expressivity. His playing provided a unifying thread, weaving in and out of the orchestral fabric with persuasive charm. Each movement unfolded with a sense of inevitability: the brooding menace of the Sultan, the delicate shimmer of the sea, and the sweeping energy of the festival finale. What might have been indulgent spectacle became instead a carefully shaped narrative, full of vivid characterisation and finely judged pacing. The orchestra responded with commitment, relishing the kaleidoscopic orchestration and producing a sound that was both polished and exuberant.

The mood shifted dramatically after the interval with Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, a work that continues to fascinate for its layers of irony, defiance and tragic undercurrent. Brabbins approached the symphony with clarity and gravitas, eschewing overstatement in favour of structural integrity. The opening movement was taut, its restless energy sustained with precision. In the scherzo, he revealed the biting sarcasm with sharply etched rhythms, the waltz-like figures dancing on a knife’s edge.

The Largo proved the emotional heart of the evening. Under Brabbins’ direction, the strings played with hushed intensity, creating an atmosphere of haunting stillness that held the audience in silence. It was a moment of profound concentration, a reminder of the symphony’s emotional depth. The finale, often debated for its meaning, was given blazing energy, its surface triumph laced with unease. Brabbins did not shy away from the symphony’s ambiguity. The performance conveyed both the outward bombast demanded by authority and the inner cry of an artist under duress.

What stood out across both halves was Brabbins’ rapport with the orchestra. His direction balanced discipline with expressive freedom, never allowing detail to blur the larger vision. The SOI players responded with alertness and conviction, shifting from the opulent colours of Rimsky-Korsakov to the stark truths of Shostakovich with assurance.

This concert felt like more than a visiting engagement. With his appointment as Chief Conductor on the horizon, Brabbins has already begun to shape a partnership defined by insight, energy and trust. For the audience, it was an evening of striking contrasts: the intoxicating brilliance of Scheherazade, anchored by Pesin’s expressive violin solos, alongside the uncompromising truth of Shostakovich’s Fifth, eloquently framed by a conductor who is poised to guide the SOI into its next chapter.