Whether in the brisk forcefulness she brought to Mars or the frigid stillness she found in the Saturn movement, this was a strikingly strong and fresh performance.
Equal credit for the performance must go to Mälkki, whose fearless control of the most demanding music had already been demonstrated in the Boulez with which she opened this concert. In his Notations 1-4 & 7 – extended orchestral revisitings of early piano pieces – she drew beautiful and striking colours from the excellent BBCSO. Allowing Notation 7 to act as a sort of slow movement, she framed it with playing of ferocity yet deep feeling.”