Review | Champion Hong Kong pianist Aristo Sham joins Rome-based orchestra in powerful concert

The ensemble impressed – most notably in Rachmaninov’s beloved Symphony No 2 in E minor after the break – filling the crevices of the cavernous Concert Hall with a lush, voluptuous sound profile with stellar crescendo and diminuendo swirls and swells.

Unfortunately, for all their towering lyricism and carefully constructed climaxes under Harding, some raggedness in picking up new, quicker tempi blemished the overall picture.

Despite the untidy spots, the symphony’s opening Largo was generous, expansive and milked to the fullest by the musicians.

Given its rich tapestry of tonal colour and dynamic contrasts, the ensuing Allegro moderato also proved fascinating as Harding lent it elements of operatic flair that brimmed with finely tapered nuance and dexterous tension and release.