Royal Albert Hall
Prom 44: Finley, LSO & Chorus, Orfeó Català, Rattle review - lurid inter-war triptychWednesday, 21 August 2019
So the Proms ignored the Berlioz anniversary challenge to perform his Requiem and serve up four brass bands at the points of the Albert Hall compass. Yet at least last night in works of the 1920s and 1930s we got one offstage in the crazed baggy-... Read more... |
Prom 43: Haefliger, BBCSO & Chorus, Oramo review – the frisson of the newTuesday, 20 August 2019
Time was, not long ago, when the very word “premiere” was enough to ensure a sizeable smattering of red plush holes in the Royal Albert Hall audience. It seemed people did not want to risk attending new works for fear they would sound ghastly. Any... Read more... |
Prom 40: Hough, OAE, Fischer review - pretty royal thingsSaturday, 17 August 2019
There it gleamed, the pearl in the massive oyster of Albert's colosseum: the gilded, decorated piano supplied to his Queen by Érard in 1856. Pearly in sound it was not, though often harp-like; the programme was of mostly silver works, with a gold... Read more... |
Prom 39: Morison, BBCNOW, Chan review - a night of inspiring firstsFriday, 16 August 2019
A clever programme, a vivid premiere, a Proms debut for an exciting young conductor and the first appearance there by Catriona Morison since she won the 2017 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World: all this provided grist to the mill for a sold-out Prom... Read more... |
Prom 37: The Childhood of Christ, Hallé, Pascal/ Prom 38: Bach Cantatas, Solomon's Knot reviews - holy radiance great and smallThursday, 15 August 2019
Berlioz's most intimate oratorio certainly isn't just for Christmas – but, given its scale, is it right for the Proms? Certainly in anniversary year we'd hoped for something bigger: the Requiem, turned to mush earlier this year in St Paul's... Read more... |
Prom 34: Argerich, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Barenboim review - erratic star, sleek ensembleTuesday, 13 August 2019
Perhaps those who came for the Argerich touch and left at the interval of this instant-sellout Prom were satisfied. After all, the legendary Argentinian pianist gave us some vintage minutes of her silk-spinning mercurialism. Yet it was in the midst... Read more... |
Prom 30: The Warner Brothers Story, John Wilson Orchestra review – orchestral richesSaturday, 10 August 2019
Wisecracks can be profound. The late André Previn – who spent most of the period from his late teens to his mid-thirties working in film studios – once responded to a critic’s snub that the music of Korngold all sounded like Hollywood with the line... Read more... |
Prom 28: BBCNOW, Otaka review - fantastical choral expeditionFriday, 09 August 2019
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ second consecutive night at the Proms, accompanied by their associated National Chorus, ventured further out of the classical mainstream than the first. Where Wednesday night had seen a solid Germanic programme... Read more... |
Prom 26: BBCNOW, Stutzmann review – a banquet of fervent favouritesThursday, 08 August 2019
Not every Prom has to push musical boundaries or bust concert conventions. On the face of it, last night’s programme from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (and National Chorus of Wales) stuck to a thoroughly traditional recipe. Two familiar 19th-... Read more... |
Prom 25: Gabetta, BBCSO, Stasevska review – stunning Weinberg debutWednesday, 07 August 2019
This concert from the BBC Symphony Orchestra marked the first performance of composer Mieczysław Weinberg at the Proms, an important milestone in the recent surge of interest of his music. When Weinberg, a Russian composer of Jewish descent and... Read more... |
Prom 23: Floristán, BBC Philharmonic, Gernon review - concerto lacks heftTuesday, 06 August 2019
Ben Gernon is only 30 (and looks about ten years younger) but has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic since 2017. He really impressed in last night’s Prom but, after an exciting overture, things fell away a bit with an under-... Read more... |
Prom 20: Kuusisto, BBCSSO, Dausgaard review – Sibelius between folk and artMonday, 05 August 2019
I’m not quite sure that I should review this Prom, since I performed in it. Before anyone summons the white coats, let me clarify. As the encore to a mind-expanding evening, Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto returned to the stage with his band of... Read more... |
