BBC Symphony Chorus, Stephen Jackson, Royal Albert Hall | reviews, news & interviews
BBC Symphony Chorus, Stephen Jackson, Royal Albert Hall
BBC Symphony Chorus, Stephen Jackson, Royal Albert Hall
A weighty programme of choral music topples over under the strain
Monday, 09 August 2010
Stephen Montague's musical joke falls more than a little flat
Every year there are a couple of Proms that have a haphazard look about them, as if a fire had suddenly broken out in the BBC archives, and the programming committee grabbed whatever came to hand – a piano quartet, a couple of choral odes and a concerto for mandolin – and made for freedom. Though there had evidently once been a clear architecture to Sunday’s concert by the BBC Symphony Chorus and friends, in practice things were somewhat confused; endless personnel shiftings and a stuffed-to-bursting programme blunted the impact of music which demanded altogether simpler treatment.
Every year there are a couple of Proms that have a haphazard look about them, as if a fire had suddenly broken out in the BBC archives, and the programming committee grabbed whatever came to hand – a piano quartet, a couple of choral odes and a concerto for mandolin – and made for freedom. Though there had evidently once been a clear architecture to Sunday’s concert by the BBC Symphony Chorus and friends, in practice things were somewhat confused; endless personnel shiftings and a stuffed-to-bursting programme blunted the impact of music which demanded altogether simpler treatment.
Explore topics
Share this article
more Classical music
Natalie Dessay, Philippe Cassard, Milton Court review - flashes of magic
More downtime than expected in an intelligent programme
Paul Lewis, Wigmore Hall review - Schubert sonatas revisited
A meditation on how the pianist handles what he calls 'inconsequentiality'
Voces8 Foundation Choir and Orchestra, Smith, Voces8 Centre review - joyous Christmas music by Bach
Seasonal greatest hits selection with a spotlight on spectacular trumpeting
First Person: Natalia Franklin Pierce, Executive Director of Nonclassical, on 'creating a sense of belonging'
On bringing classical music to wider audiences - and appealing for help in a good cause
Grosvenor, Park, Ridout, Soltani, Wigmore Hall review - chamber music supergroup in perfect accord
Thoughtful programming puts quirky novelty alongside big beasts
Dariescu, BBC Philharmonic, Storgårds, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - sounds of unquenchable optimism
Conductor is his own violin soloist in one of two UK premieres
MacMillan's Christmas Oratorio, Lois, Williams, RSNO, MacMillan, Usher Hall, Edinburgh – a great composer at the top of his game
Scottish premiere of a recent masterwork
Louise Alder & Friends, Wigmore Hall review - magic carpet rides with soprano, strings and woodwind
Levitational joy in an all-French programme, with modified rapture over two arrangements
Aurora Orchestra, Kings Place review - experimental work in an immersive setting
A conceptually elegant evening that transported you to a different dimension
Morison, Immler, BBCSO, Bychkov, Barbican review - a Kafka journey and a mighty landmark
Multi-tasking maestro shines with new songs and old forms
Classical CDs: Microphones, mazurkas and mad scenes
Piano concertos, operatic intermezzi and a striking collection of songs
Grosvenor, SCO, Emelyanychev, Usher Hall, Edinburgh review - lightness of touch and a sprinkling of humour
Romantic music played with period style, and the pianist finds the wit in Mendelssohn
Add comment