Beethoven
Overture ‘Leonore’ No. 3
Barber
Violin Concerto
Copland
Symphony No. 3
James Ehnes (violin)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Marin Alsop (conductor)
Reviewed by:
Reviewed: 5 August, 2020
Venue:
New York-born Marin Alsop conducts a programme that reflects the substantial body of American works introduced to the BBC Proms during the 1940s and 1950s. Barber’s lushly romantic Violin Concerto – which received its UK premiere at the 1943 Proms – is heard alongside Copland’s iconic folk-influenced symphony, a work which helped define the sound of American orchestral music.
Opening the concert is Beethoven’s third attempt at a curtain-raiser for his only opera, Leonore (later renamed Fidelio). Despite being rejected for a fourth and final iteration, this overture perfectly encapsulates the essence of Beethoven’s opera: a proud celebration of freedom and conjugal love.