Prom 75: Sakari Oramo conducts The Last Night of the Proms with Juan Diego Flórez
Tom Harrold
Raze [BBC commission: world premiere]*
Butterworth
The Banks of Green Willow
Borodin
Prince Igor – Polovtsian Dances
Rossini
La Cenerentola – Si, ritrovarla io giuro
Donizetti
L’elisir d’amore – Una furtiva lagrima
Offenbach
La belle Hélène – Au mont Ida
Britten, after Rossini
Matinées musicales
Jonathan Dove
Our revels now are ended [revised version; first performance]**
Michael Torke
Javelin
Vaughan Williams
Serenade to Music***
Donizetti
La fille du régiment – Ah! Mes amis
arr. Anne Dudley
Fiesta Caribena! [first performance]
Henry Wood
Fantasia on British Sea-Songs
Arne
Rule, Britannia! [arr. Clifford Bartlett]
Elgar
Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 in D, Op.39/1
Parry, orch. Elgar
Jerusalem
The UK National Anthem, arr. Britten
Auld lang syne, arr. Cedric Thorpe Davie
Juan Diego Flórez (tenor)
Duncan Rock (baritone)**
Francesca Chiejina, Eve Daniell, Lauren Fagan & Alison Rose (sopranos), Claire Barnett-Jones, Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Anna Harvey & Katie Stevenson (mezzo-sopranos), Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, Oliver Johnston, Joshua Owen Mills & James Way (tenors) and Bragi Jónsson, Benjamin Lewis, James Newby & Bradley Travis (baritones/basses)***
BBC Proms Youth Ensemble*
BBC Singers
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo
Reviewed by: Chris Caspell
Reviewed: 10 September, 2016
Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London
With “Remain” campaigners handing out EU flags and hoping to hijack the Last Night celebrations on one side, and 10,000 Union-flags freely distributed by “Brexiteers” on the other – for the street-traders, who usually sell flags for the event, this Last Night of the 122nd season of Proms was a disaster and more of a washout than for those attending an unusually wet Hyde Park Proms event across the road.
But inside the Royal Albert Hall, despite what had become known as “flag-gate”, it was a vista of decorations from many countries, including Peru, in honour of Juan Diego Flórez, though there remained a predominance of red, white and blue.
A project to bring young musicians from around the UK to perform at the Last Night got a deserved ‘thumbs up’ for the BBC Proms Youth Ensemble (augmented by members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra) that dispatched Tom Harrold’s rhythmically challenging Raze with aplomb. Harold’s eminently approachable piece, “a collage of angular musical moments” – to clear the way, overthrow or knock down – was just what the five-minute piece did; a carnival-like overture that promised much from the start and delivered right up to the very last bar.
After a longer than usual pause to allow the demob of one group and the deployment of the BBCSO, the plaintive clarinet opening to World War One-killed George Butterworth’s swansong The Banks of Green Willow emanated from hushed depths. In a performance that covered all the bases in terms of the notes yet failed to set the emotions racing, the BBCSO took time to find its musical feet. Not so for Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, sometimes at such a breakneck speed that chorus and orchestra alike did well to hold on. Despite a few frayed edges (tambourine and trombones in the second section) this was an exhilarating account.
Humour is never far away at a Last Night and Britten’s Matinées musicales gave Sakari Oramo the opportunity to show his innate comic timing in a reading that was stylish and delicious in equal measure. The ‘Nocturne’, inspired by Rossini’s La pesca, received some spontaneous and justifiable applause for celesta soloist Elizabeth Burley. It was quickly followed by a waltz that oozed Viennese opulence.
Jonathan Dove’s Our revels now are ended – the first of two pieces this evening to commemorate Shakespeare 400, a feature of Proms 2016 – is a chorally idiomatic composition heard here in the composer’s new arrangement with many more voices and a larger orchestra than the original. It sets Prospero’s final words from The Tempest. A hushed baritone, here Duncan Rock, opens the piece, evoking “spirits melting into air” before the chorus repeats Prospero’s lines in Italian, French and German.
The other setting of Shakespeare comes from The Merchant of Venice. Vaughan Williams wrote Serenade to Music in 1938 to celebrate fifty years since Henry Wood’s first concert. Wood had the idea of a piece involving sixteen singers with whom he had a long-standing relationship. With today’s sixteen student soloists standing behind the orchestra the voices seemed remote; however Oramo, ever-attentive, never allowed the orchestra to dominate.
Adding to the sometimes surreal comedy that has infected Last Nights, Flórez sang the love-song ‘Piel Canelato’ (in Anne Dudley’s arrangement) holding a Prommer-donated Paddington Bear and took deadly revenge upon a balloon in Donizetti’s ‘Ah! Mes amis’ and then dressed as Manco Capac (founder of the Inca civilisation) to perform ‘Rule Britannia!’ – but that was all in the second half, when things are generally a little kooky. First-half performances were however sublime, the Offenbach in particular, showcasing this tenor’s flawless lyrical qualities.
The usual trio of Henry Wood’s Sea-Songs, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March (‘Land of Hope and Glory’) and Parry’s Jerusalem brought proceedings to a glorious end. In the Hall we had the addition of footage streamed from around the various Proms in the Parks.
£112,000 has been raised for musical charities this year, more than 300,000 people attended this Season, and there was much activity on Social Media. In his speech, Sakari Oramo pleaded that we should celebrate the way that music unites us. Was this aimed at campaigners for and against the UK leaving the EU? Perhaps; however it does draw a line in the sand to say that the Proms festival is much bigger that any provincial squabble. Proms 2017 starts on Friday July 14.
- Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 (available on BBC iPlayer for thirty days afterwards)
- BBC Proms www.bbc.co.uk/proms
I see that Zurich Opera is putting on a dance version of Verdi’s Requiem later this year – imagine the opportunities offered by the ‘Dies irae’ – and at least I hope the show has a conductor as singer-friendly, as tuned into matters of ensemble, an organic approach to pace and rubato, and the all-important layering and intensifying of expression that animates and shapes this multi-section setting as Marin Alsop.
In spite of initial tightness from Dimitri Pittas (replacing Michael Fabiano), all four solo singers built on their calling-card entries in the ‘Kyrie eleison’, a sort of vocal beauty contest that can anticipate the character of the performance. Tamara Wilson and Alisa Kolosova were notably more sacred and reserved than the more secular, effusive and Italianate Pittas and Morris Robinson.
Like an Alfredo who’s discovered God, Pittas melted fears of eternal damnation with a sweet, ardent ‘Ingemisco’ and, like Kolosova, was pitch-perfect in the ensembles. Robinson took the Requiem’s operatic provenance to much further extremes in his confrontational style, and his bass lacks nothing in penetration. Pitch was sometimes wayward in his middle voice, but he was a superb anchor. If basses bite, Robinson certainly did in a splendidly malign ‘Confutatis maledictis’, along with much eye-flashing and operatic arm signalling.
In their second Proms appearance this season, Christian Thielemann and Staatskapelle Dresden demonstrated again a characteristic authority and assurance in their native repertoire, whether familiar or not.
From the opening Znaider and Thielemann forged a close engagement in their execution of this music which brought out its lyricism beautifully and which was raised a level higher in intensity with the beguiling manner of the slow movement. Equal honours for their sensitive contributions go to the clarinettist and bassoonist (presumably Wolfgang Grosse and Joachim Hands respectively). The Finale was characterised by purposeful levity, followed through consistently. Znaider adhered to well-trodden territory for his encore, offering a refined rendition of the Largo from J. S. Bach’s C-major Sonata (BWV1005).
Richard Strauss developed the heritage of German music not so much through a strict application of abstract technique and theory per se, but through a brilliantly theatrical and imaginative ability to depict characters and situations by way of brilliant orchestration founded upon impeccable harmonic logic.
First, the curiosity. What does it mean for a ‘period’-performance ensemble to programme two Baroque pieces in arrangements by Leopold Stokowski designed precisely to exploit their latent musical possibilities through the medium of 20th-century musical resources? Was some subtle dialectical engagement with different performing traditions at play, or was it just some modish post-modern joke aimed at subverting or belittling a past frame of musical mind? Whatever the motivation, the result in the Bach and Purcell was not displeasing with the muffled, ghostly sound of the Academy of Ancient Music’s strings, but it was rather one-dimensional compared with the richer character that Stokowski had in mind, and despite the bizarre attempt by the AAM to ape the Romantic style with the use of vibrato and portamento.
On occasion the choral lies in the other Anthems developed a jauntiness which tended to make them sound a little craggy, but otherwise the polyphonic textures accrued a momentum of their own, to attain something of a dignified aspect, such as in the relatively broad “Alleluia” of ‘Let thy hand be strengthened’ and the last two sections of ‘The King shall rejoice’. The playing of the AAM provided spirited support if not always stirring, though happily the trumpets’ contribution was accurate and resplendent.
For the third successive evening the Proms programmed a Mozart Piano Concerto against a Bruckner Symphony. Apart from the Austrian heritage of the two composers the connection is not obvious, but it does give an opportunity for an orchestra to show its paces in two different styles of music.
It was pleasing to hear the lovely ideas of the Andante played so coolly although Trifonov responded to the orchestra’s intimate playing of the opening by repeating the theme at a slower tempo. Individuality was also evident in the Finale, taken very rapidly, but although a little decorative addition before the piano states the main tune would not be out of style, Trifonov’s wild rushing about went beyond the limits of a momentary improvisation. It cannot be denied that the hot pace added excitement but Trifonov’s cadenza then went even further.
Symphony 3’s tense opening leads to a trumpet theme which appears leitmotif-like throughout. Here and on its reappearances it was not the usual brazen solo but a main feature over a detailed accompaniment. Detail was a feature of Thielemann’s interpretation. The Symphony’s structure, though tauter in this version, is not Bruckner’s strongest. Thielemann was willing to risk cohesion and sculpted every melody with great care.
The Finale is somewhat fragmentary although 1877 considerably tightens it. Thielemann did not seek to alleviate the problem and was not afraid to interpret each episode with firm expressiveness. After the fanfare-like opening, Bruckner writes a quaint polka, and here, for the first time, the brass was allowed to overpower the strings – the dance itself became subsidiary. I wonder if Thielemann sees this as a weak moment and deliberately played-down the melody.
Despite the ceremonial which might be implied by the nickname ‘Coronation’ for Mozart’s penultimate piano concerto (attributed to the fact that the composer played it as part of the festivities for the enthronement of Emperor Leopold II rather than expressly written for that occasion). Daniel Barenboim embraced the simplicity of Mozart’s music in this fairly late composition (1788) anticipating the further paring down of his style in the works following the final three Symphonies from that year.
He did not otherwise want to give the impression of a “cathedral in sound”, as this was a fairly understated account with the brass contributions by no means over-dramatised; indeed at the very opening these musicians sounded a little uncertain, and the two horns in the Scherzo’s Trio were conspicuously inaccurate.
And so the end draws nigh, this was the last of the 2016 Proms Chamber Music concerts at Cadogan Hall. Even the weather seemed to be mourning the last week of the Proms. Gone was the Italianate sun shining through for Louis Lortie’s Naples and Venice recital, replaced here by a constant drizzle and a grey opaqueness behind the Hall’s stained glass. And despite the sparkling voices on display – courtesy of Caroline Sampson and Iestyn Davies – this was a song programme with a thoughtful demeanour.
Compared with the Britten arrangements, Mendelssohn’s duets (the opening ‘Ich wollt’ meine Lieb’ ergosse sich’ – I want to declare my love to you – and the three Opus 77 duets), are cast more in unison, but these and the two solos (Davies singing ‘Scheidend’, and Sampson the magical forest-song, ‘Neue Liebe’) argued persuasively that Mendelssohn as a song composer should definitely have more of a presence.
There was a slight Shakespeare link running through the programme – although there was only one song that used Shakespeare’s words (Purcell/Britten’s ‘If music by the food of love’ uses text by Henry Heveningham, not the opening lines from Twelfth Night): Roger Quilter’s ‘It was a lover and his lass’ from As You Like It, which opened the final set. Two Quilter duets ended the recital, both with an amorous intent: Shelley’s ‘Love’s Philosophy and – from Quilter’s only opera (a flop), Rosmé – the lovely ‘Love Calls Through the Summer Night’.
Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin kicked off the final week of this year’s Proms with the first of three pairings of Mozart and Bruckner (two by them, and the third by Staatskapelle Dresden).
The Finale unleashed a more imperious grandeur after the eddying strings of its opening, with the huge weight of the main theme given in unison. It was also telling that with the tremolando crotchets of the coda Barenboim brought in Sergiu Celibidache’s effect of a ticking clock, albeit at a rather more hasty tempo, though barely less coruscating.
Performances of Rossini’s Semiramide do not grow on trees although, perhaps owing to its Overture, the name of the opera is not unknown to classical music enthusiasts. Semiramide is generally given in concert form with singers able to dazzle in the fearsomely tricky roles. Most opera buffs will have first encountered the music via the Decca recording conducted by Richard Bonynge featuring Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne.
In a nutshell the plot concentrates on Queen Semiramide’s responsibility to name a successor to her dead husband, Nino, murdered by her ex-lover Assur who wishes now to usurp the throne. Semiramide has fallen for the young nobleman Arsace, later revealed to be her long-lost son. He, along with Idreno, is in love with Princess Azema. Such political machinations do not end happily, and – as usual – the soprano heroine meets an untimely end.
No less impressive was Mirco Palazzi as Assur. He has all the agility and assurance needed for this tricky role and with a rich yet incisive tone to match, and was very impressive in his Act Two scene with Shagimuratova. The character is a bit of a stock villain – but he made as much of it as is possible. There were equally stylish contributions from Gianluca Buratto as the priest Oroe and from James Platt as the Ghost of Nino (good amplification effects!).
The warm tones of the OAE instruments sounded well in the Royal Albert Hall, which could be thought too cavernous an acoustic for a score that requires precision. In this regard Mark Elder’s tempos were cleverly chosen to allow Rossini’s dazzling colours and effects to make their impact. There was punchy brass and some stupendous playing from flutes and oboe. The dramatic percussion was spectacularly realised. Also impressive was the sheer size and gusto of the banda players.
Who’ll forget that hot August night back in 2007 when the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra stormed into London? A history-defining debut of breathtaking brilliance, thirst for music, and show-stopping chemistry. No longer a youth outfit but with a healthy ‘new blood’ philosophy, fielding as large a force as ever (166 maximum strength, including 83 strings) albeit seemingly with fewer women in the ranks, it hasn’t been back to the Proms since Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony in 2011.
The first half played to the SBSO’s Latin strengths, the second tested its virtuosity in seasoned French repertory. Commissioned by Dudamel in memory of the “bucolic” Venezuelan singer-songwriter Simón Díaz, Paul Desenne’s Hipnosis mariposa (2014) is described by its composer as an “orchestral reverie” and a “symphonic tableau”. Relatively gentle and expressively crafted, it’s based on one of Díaz’s popular songs, ‘El becerrito’. Its mosaic style of quotation, interjection and mutation is nothing new, but it works well, the short span neither understating nor outstaying the diatonic material. Ebulliently present at this performance, Desenne was a founding member of the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra. He studied cello and composition at the Paris Conservatoire, and has developed an eclectic musical language embracing anything and everything from the Renaissance to Frank Zappa and the “urban Venezuelan avant-garde”, combining intellectual curiosity and rigour with a belief that the listening experience should be about fun, passion and dance.