Episodes
Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20050802 | Guardian Young Composers' Concert. Music by some of the UK's most talented young composers in a concert from Cadogan Hall, featuring winning pieces from the seventh competition. | ||||
2010, Bbc Proms In The Park | |||||
2010, Proms Chamber Music, Pcm 08 - Le Poeme Harmonique | |||||
01 | 2010, Prom 76, Last Night Of The Proms - Part 1 | ||||
02 LAST | 2010, Prom 76, Last Night Of The Proms - Part 2 | ||||
12 LAST | 2010, Prom 75 - Monteverdi's Vespers | ||||
2001 | 26 | 1 - Debussy, Dutilleux, Ravel | 20110803 | 2011 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Andrew McGregor The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with chief conductor Donald Runnicles throws the musical focus on France, including a celebration of Henri Dutilleux's 95th Birthday. 'Tout un monde lointain' is one of Dutilleux's best loved works. Commissioned by the great Cellist, Mstislav Rostropovich, it ranks among the great cello concertos of the 20th century. The very French and vivid instrumental imagination and harmony evoke dreamlike qualities in Baudelaire's poems - the inspiration for this work. The masterly composition and orchestration of Maurice Ravel then take us to Spain, with his ever popular Bolero, and to Ancient Greece with his orchestral and choral masterpiece Daphnis and Chloë - written for the Ballets Russes in 1912. Ravel's slightly older contemporary, Debussy, also had his work Prelude a L'après-midi d'un faune staged and popularised by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, and it sets up a world of breathtaking orchestral textures. Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Henri Dutilleux: 'Tout un monde lointain...' Ravel: Boléro Lynn Harrell (cello) Edinburgh Festival Chorus The BBC Scottish Symphoy Orchestra Donald Runnicles (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Sunday 7th August at 2pm. Donald Runnicles leads the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Debussy, Dutilleux, Ravel. | |
2004 | 11 | 20040724 | 20040728 | Bernstein - Chichester Psalms (19 mins) Ives - Symphony No. 4 (33 mins), (Clive Williamson - piano) interval Stravinsky - Petrushka (1947 version) (34 mins), (Leon McCawley - piano), David Stark treble City of BIRMINGHAM Symphony Chorus City of BIRMINGHAM Symphony Orchestra Sakari Oramo conductor The CBSO adventurously gave a complete Charles Ives symphony cycle in BIRMINGHAM last season. Sakari Oramo now brings the huge Fourth Symphony to the Proms to mark the 50th anniversary of Ives's death. Stravinsky's puppet ballet Petrushka continues our 75th-anniversary tribute to Diaghilev, and the lively mix is completed by Leonard Bernstein's infectiously rhythmic Hebrew psalm-settings, composed for Chichester Cathedral. | |
2004 | 21 | 20040824 | Part 1 This distinguished conductor and orchestra continue their celebrations of the music of Glinka to mark his bicentenary and open with dances from one of his most influential operas. Another true original was Modest Musorgsky, whose spine-tingling song-cycle features a great RUSSIAn baritone, and the programme is completed with Rakhmaninov's spectacular orchestral swan-song. Presented by Rob Cowan. Continues after Twenty Minutes. Programme notes, composer and artist profiles and 'now playing' information for each main evening Prom are available on LiveText via DAB radio and Freeview. Dmitri Hvorostovsky St Petersburg Philharmonic Yuri Temirkanov (conductor) Glinka: Dances from 'Ruslan and Lyudmila' Musorgsky: Songs and Dances of Death. Part 21: Tonight's Prom featuring the St Petersburg Philharmonic/Yuri Temirkanov concludes with Rakhmaninov's Symphonic Dances. With Rob Cowan. | ||
2004 | 39 | 20040814 | Part 1 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, LONDON. Berlioz's swashbuckling overture raises the curtain on Saint-Saens' popular symphony, which places the newly-restored Royal Albert Hall organ in the spotlight. The second half of this Prom offers a feast of music from the worlds of Viennese waltz and operetta, including works by Johann Strauss the elder, born two hundred years ago. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Continues after Twenty Minutes. Programme notes, composer and artist profiles and "now playing" information for each main evening Prom are available on LiveText via Dab radio and Freeview. Dame Gillian Weir (organ) Yvonne Kenny (soprano) BBC Concert Orchestra Barry Wordsworth (conductor) Berlioz: Overture, Le Corsaire Saint-Saens: Symphony No 3 in C minor, 'Organ'. Part 2: Introduced by Petroc Trelawny, live from the Royal Albert Hall. Yvonne Kenny (soprano) and the BBC CO/Barry Wordsworth play music from the worlds of Viennese waltz and operetta. Johann Strauss I: Radetsky March Johann Strauss II: Voices of Spring - waltz Kalman: 'Heia, in dem Bergen ist mein Heimatland' from Csardasfürstin Zeller: 'Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tyrol' from Der Vogelhändler Lehar: 'Meine lippen sie küssen so heiss' from Giuditta Johann Strauss I: Frederica - polka Johann Strauss I: Cachucha-Galopp Stolz: 'Meine Liebeslied muss ein Walzer sein' from Im Weissen Rössl Lehar 'Hör ich Cymbalkänge' from Zigeunerliebe Johann Strauss II: On the Beautiful Blue Danube - waltz. | ||
2004 | 47 | 20040821 | An evening of Baroque greats begins with the last of Handel's Coronation anthems for George II, followed by three arias from one of ENGLAND's most popular anthem writers - Thomas Arne, composer of Rule, Brittania! Bach's popular Concerto and dramatic music by one of Louis XIV's favourite musicians - Rebel - lead us towards a grand finale with Vivaldi's exuberant Gloria. Presented by Stephanie Hughes. Continues after Twenty Minutes - Proms Talk: Stephanie Hughes meets performers from tonight's concert, catches up on events backstage, looks forward to the coming week of Proms and explores what's new. Emma Bell (soprano) Ailish Tynan (soprano) Catherin Wyn Rogers (mezzo-soprano) Rachel Podger (violin) The ENGLISH Concert Choir of The ENGLISH Concert Andrew Manze (conductor) Handel: Coronation Anthem 'My Heart is Inditing' Arne: Artaxerxes - three arias Bach: Concerto in D minor for two violins, BWV 1043. Part 2: The ENGLISH Concert and Choir/Andrew Manze conclude tonight's prom with Rebel's Les Elemens - Le Cahos, and Vivaldi's Gloria in D. | ||
2004 | 64 | 20040903 | Part 1 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, LONDON. In the first of two Proms, the world's oldest orchestra and their Chief Conductor, celebrating his 75th birthday this year, play Mozart's magnificent final symphony and Bruckner's solemn memorial tribute to his musical hero, Richard Wagner, who was himself music director of the Dresden Staatskapelle in the 1840s. Presented by Stephanie Hughes. Continues after Twenty Minutes. Programme notes, composer and artist profiles and ""now playing"" information for each main evening Prom are available on LiveText via Dab radio and Freeview. Dresden Staatskapelle Bernard Haitink (conductor) Mozart: Symphony No 41 BrucknerSymphony No. 7 Part 2 Stephanie Hughes introduces the second part of tonight's Prom. | ||
2004 | 66 | 20040904 | Part 1 In the second of their two Proms, the Dresden Staatskapelle and their Chief Conductor perform one of the brilliant symphonies Haydn composed in the 1780s for the PARISian musical organisation Concert de la Loge Olympique; Bartók's lively folk-inspired suite with its Hungarian, Romanian and Arab influences; and the darkly tragic symphony which shows Dvorák's admiration for Brahms and the Viennese tradition. Presented by Stephanie Hughes. Dresden Staatskapelle Bernard Haitink (conductor) Haydn: Symphony No 86 Bartók: Dance Suite Continues after Twenty Minutes. Programme notes, composer and artist profiles and 'now playing' information for each main evening Prom are available on LiveText via DAB radio and Freeview. Part 2: Tonight's Prom by the Dresden Staatskapelle/Bernard Haitink concludes with Dvorák's Symphony No 7. | ||
2004 | 68 | 20040906 | The second of this year's Proms given by the famous BERLINer Philharmoniker focuses on twentieth century French composers. Debussy's impressionistic sea symphony takes us from dawn to midday on the ocean in stunning orchestral colours. In the second half, this year's Proms survey of Messiaen's music concludes with his last major orchestral work, his visionary ""Illuminations of the Beyond"". Presented by Andrew Mcgregor. Continues after Twenty Minutes. Programme notes, composer and artist profiles and ""now playing"" information for each main evening Prom are available on LiveText via Dab radio and Freeview.BERLINer Philharmoniker Sir Simon Rattle (conductor) Debussy: La Mer. Part 2: Introduced by Andrew Mcgregor, live from the Royal Albert Hall. The BERLIN Philharmonic Orchestra/Simon Rattle conclude tonight's Prom with Messaien's Eclairs sur l'au dela. | ||
2004 | 70 | 20040908 | The Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and its Principal Guest Conductor, a long-time champion of Czech music, celebrate Dvorak's birthday with three of his most popular works - the colourful and energetic Scherzo capriccioso, the richly lyrical concerto for violin, and his most well-known symphony, which Dvorak himself conducted in the orchestra's inaugural concert in 1896. Presented by Edward Seckerson. Continues after Twenty Minutes. Programme notes, composer and artist profiles and "now playing" information for each main evening Prom are available on LiveText via Dab radio and Freeview. Sarah Chang (violin) Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor) Dvorak: Scherzo capriccioso; Violin Concerto. | ||
2004 | 74 | 20040911 | Part 1 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, LONDON. The traditional Last Night festivities draw together some of this season's anniversary composers and themes, including colourful overtures by Dvorak and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and a showcase for the newly-restored organ, along with Strauss's flamboyant concerto with one of this country's most celebrated young horn players, and popular arias from Proms favourite Sir Thomas Allen. Presented by Stephanie Hughes. Continues at 9.10pm, after Twenty Minutes. Programme notes, composer and artist profiles and "now playing" information for each main evening Prom are available on LiveText via Dab radio and Freeview. Dvorak: Overture 'Carnival' R Strauss: Horn Concerto No 1 in E flat, Op.11 % Vaughan Williams: Five Mystical Songs * # Barber: Toccata festiva for organ and orchestra + Simon Preston (organ) + Sir Thomas Allen (baritone) * David Pyatt (horn) % BBC Singers # BBC Symphony Chorus # BBC Symphony Orchestra Leonard Slatkin (conductor) ========== Part 2 Stephanie Hughes introduces the conclusion of the Last Night festivities. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies: Ojai Festival Overture Puccini: Humming chorus from 'Madam Butterfly' # Rodgers and Hammerstein: "Oh what a beautiful morning!" from 'Oklahoma!' * Cole Porter: Where is the life that late I led? from "Kiss me, Kate" * Gilbert and Sullivan: The List Song from 'The Mikado' * # Sousa: Liberty Bell March Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 Wood: Fantasia on British Sea-Songs (1905, with additional numbers arr Stephen Jackson) Parry (orch Elgar): Jerusalem arr Wood: The National Anthem Trad: Auld Lang Syne Conducted by Leonard Slatkin | ||
2009 | Proms In The Park * | 20090912 | Highlights from the five Proms in the Park events, taking place in Hyde Park, Hillsborough Castle, Glasgow Green, Singleton Park in Swansea and Buile Hill Park in Salford. Highlights from the Proms in the Park events, from England, N Ireland, Wales and Scotland. | ||
2009 | 01A | First Night Of The Proms, Part 1 * | 20090717 | Petroc Trelawny presents the first night of the 2009 BBC Proms season from the Royal Albert Hall, London. The BBC Symphony Orchestra under chief conductor Jiri Belohlavek opens the new series of Henry Wood Promenade Concerts with a programme that gives a taste of some of the treasures in store over the eight weeks of the 2009 season. Stephen Hough begins his complete cycle of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concertos and there's a nod to Stravinsky with performances of his complete ballet scores. Two starry former members of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists Scheme help launch its tenth birthday celebrations. Stravinsky: Fireworks Chabrier: Ode a la musique Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 3 in E flat. The BBC SO under Jiri Belohlavek opens the 2009 series of Henry Wood Promenade Concerts. | |
2009 | 01B | First Night Of The Proms, Part 2 * | 20090717 | Petroc Trelawny presents the second part of the First Night of the 2009 BBC Proms, as sisters Katia and Marielle Labeque kick off the season's focus on works for multiple pianos with Poulenc's Concerto. Katia and Marielle Labeque (pianos) BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) Poulenc: Concerto for two pianos. From the BBC Proms, Katia and Marielle Labeque in Poulenc's Concerto for two pianos. | |
2009 | 01C | First Night Of The Proms, Part 3 * * | 20090717 | Petroc Trelawny presents the final part of the First Night of the 2009 BBC Proms. Elgar: In the South (Alassio) Brahms: Alto Rhapsody Bruckner: Psalm 150 Ailish Tynan (soprano) Alice Coote (mezzo-soprano) BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (conductor). | |
2009 | 02 | Haydn's Creation * | 20090718 | From the Royal Albert Hall, Louise Fryer introduces a spectacular performance of Haydn's Creation oratorio. Paul McCreesh conducts a huge vocal ensemble in a re-creation of the giant versions that Haydn himself directed in the last decade of his life. Haydn: The Creation (sung in English - ed. Paul McCreesh/Timothy Roberts) Gabriel....Rosemary Joshua (soprano) Eve....Sophie Bevan (soprano) Uriel....Mark Padmore (tenor) Raphael....Neal Davies (bass) Adam....Peter Harvey (bass) Chetham's Chamber Choir Members of the Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir Gabrieli Consort and Players Paul McCreesh (conductor). Paul McCreesh conducts a spectacular performance of Haydn's Creation oratorio. | |
2009 | 03 | Stan Tracey * | 20090718 | Presented by Geoffrey Smith from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Almost two centuries after Haydn celebrated God's glorious work in The Creation, Stan Tracey - known to his fans as the Godfather of British Jazz - also went back to the beginning, brilliantly. The former Ted Heath Orchestra member and longtime resident pianist at Ronnie Scott's brings his 1987 ode to creation to the BBC Proms for the first time. Stan Tracey: Genesis Stan Tracey and his Orchestra. Stan Tracey and his Orchestra perform Tracey's 1987 jazz masterpiece Genesis. | |
2009 | 04A | Act 1 | |||
2009 | 04C | Handel's Partenope, Act 3 * | 20090719 | Catherine Bott presents a concert performance of Act 3 of Handel's Partenope, sung in Italian. Partenope is a dazzling comic parody of a typically convoluted plot, which only unravels when the supposed Prince of Armenia is challenged to fight bare-chested and is exposed as the disguised Rosmira, her challenger's abandoned fiancee. Handel: Partenope (Act 3) Cast (from Danish Opera) Partenope....Inger Dam-Jensen (soprano) Rosmira....Tuva Semmingsen (mezzo-soprano) Arsace....Andreas Scholl (countertenor) Armindo....Christophe Dumax (countertenor) Emilio....Bo Kristian Jensen (tenor) Ormonte....Palle Knudsen (bass) Concerto Copenhagen Lars Ulrik Mortensen (conductor). A concert performance of Handel's Partenope, sung in Italian - Act 3. | |
2009 | 05 | Mahler's 9th Symphony * | 20090720 | From the Royal Albert Hall, Bernard Haitink conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 9. Begun in the summer of 1909, Mahler's last completed symphony was written at a time of crisis, following the loss of a daughter, his forced resignation from the Vienna Court Opera, the diagnosis of his own fatal heart disease and the breakdown of his marriage. Yet while the first movement is permeated by premonitions of death and the last fades away into nothingness, the enduring impression is one of resigned, even joyful acceptance of man's fate. One of the world's great Mahler interpreters, Haitink celebrates both his 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his UK debut in 2009. Bernard Haitink conducts the LSO in a performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No 9. | |
2009 | 06 | Haydn, Macmillan, Prom 06: Bbc Singers/boyd * | 20090720 | From the Royal Albert Hall, Douglas Boyd directs a performance of two powerful sacred works. Haydn's Seven Last Words were commissioned by Cadiz Cathedral for performance on Good Friday 1786. Haydn regarded these orchestral meditations upon Christ's Crucifixion as among his most successful works. He quickly arranged the music for piano and string quartet and later adapted it as a cantata. Two centuries later, James MacMillan's Seven Last Words was commissioned by BBC Television and shown in nightly instalments during Holy Week 1994. Revived to mark the composer's 50th birthday, this powerfully dramatic cantata is underscored by echoes of plainsong, Bach chorales and traditional Scottish laments. Elizabeth Watts (soprano) Renata Pokupic (mezzo-soprano) Andrew Kennedy (tenor) Darren Jeffery (bass-baritone) BBC Singers Manchester Camerata Douglas Boyd (conductor) Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross James MacMillan: Seven Last Words from the Cross. Haydn: The Seven Last Words. James MacMillan: Seven Last Words. | |
2009 | 07A | Purcell's The Fairy Queen, Acts 1-3 * | 20090721 | Francesca Gilpin directs a semi-staged production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen, based on the original production for Glyndebourne by Jonathan Kent. Adapted from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Purcell's most lavish theatre score takes the form of a series of fantastical masques presented for the entertainment of Titania, Oberon and their fairy court. Purcell: The Fairy Queen (Acts 1-3) Carolyn Sampson, Lucy Crowe, Claire Debono, Anna Devin (sopranos) Sean Clayton, Ed Lyon, Adrian Ward (tenors) Andrew Foster-Williams (bass-baritone) Lukas Kargl (baritone) Drunken Poet/Bottom....Desmond Barrit Puck....Jotham Annan Oberon....Joseph Millson Titania....Sally Dexter Egeus....Terrence Hardiman Theseus....William Gaunt Quince....Paul McCleary Snug....Brian Pettifer Mopsa/Flute....Robert Burt Snout....Jack Chissick Starveling....Roger Sloman Lysander....Oliver Kieran-Jones Helena....Helen Bradbury Hermia....Susannah Wise Demetrius....Oliver Le Sueur Director....Francesca Gilpin Glyndebourne Chorus Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment William Christie (conductor). Francesca Gilpin directs a semi-staged production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen (Acts 1-3). | |
2009 | 07B | Purcell's The Fairy Queen, Acts 4-5 * | 20090721 | Francesca Gilpin directs a semi-staged production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen, based on the original production for Glyndebourne by Jonathan Kent. Adapted from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Purcell's most lavish theatre score takes the form of a series of fantastical masques presented for the entertainment of Titania, Oberon and their fairy court. Purcell: The Fairy Queen (Acts 4-5) Carolyn Sampson, Lucy Crowe, Claire Debono, Anna Devin (soprano) Sean Clayton, Ed Lyon, Adrian Ward (tenor) Andrew Foster-Williams (bass-baritone) Lukas Kargl (baritone) Drunken Poet/Bottom....Desmond Barrit Puck....Jotham Annan Oberon....Joseph Millson Titania....Sally Dexter Egeus....Terrence Hardiman Theseus....William Gaunt Quince....Paul McCleary Snug....Brian Pettifer Mopsa/Flute....Robert Burt Snout....Jack Chissick Starveling....Roger Sloman Lysander....Oliver Kieran-Jones Helena....Helen Bradbury Hermia....Susannah Wise Demetrius....Oliver Le Sueur Director....Francesca Gilpin Glyndebourne Chorus Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment William Christie (conductor). Francesca Gilpin directs a semi-staged production of Purcell's The Fairy Queen (Acts 4-5). | |
2009 | 08A | 800th Anniversary Of Cambridge University, Part 1 * | 20090722 | Tom Service presents a celebration of Cambridge University's 800th anniversary with a concert of music given by a convocation of the university's college choirs, featuring two soloists and a conductor who are among its graduates. As professor of music, Thomas Stanford taught Vaughan Williams, who wrote his Wasps Overture for a university staging of Aristophanes's comedy, and later set verses by a former University Orator, George Herbert, in his Five Mystical Songs. Ryan Wigglesworth went to Oxford but is now a Cambridge lecturer and fellow of Corpus Christi College. Simon Keenlyside (baritone) Choirs of King's, St John's, Clare, Gonville and Caius and Trinity Colleges BBC Symphony Orchestra Andrew Davis (conductor) Vaughan Williams: Overture (The Wasps) Ryan Wigglesworth: The Genesis of Secrecy (BBC commission; world premiere) Vaughan Williams: Five Mystical Songs. Vaughan Williams: The Wasps; 5 songs. Ryan Wigglesworth: The Genesis of Secrecy. | |
2009 | 08B | 800th Anniversary Of Cambridge University, Part 2 * | 20090722 | Presented by Tom Service. The celebration of Cambridge University's 800th anniversary continues, with music by Jonathan Harvey and Judith Weir, who studied at Cambridge, and Camille Saint-Saens, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university in 1893. Thomas Trotter (organ) Choirs of King's and St John's colleges (Harvey and Weir) Choirs of Clare, Gonville and Caius, and Trinity colleges (Stanford only) BBC Symphony Orchestra Andrew Davis (conductor, Stanford and Saint-Saens) Stephen Cleobury (conductor, Weir only) Andrew Nethsingha (conductor, Harvey only) Stanford: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in A Jonathan Harvey: Come, Holy Ghost Judith Weir: Ascending into Heaven Saint-Saens: Symphony No 3 (Organ). | |
2009 | 09A | Moeran, Finzi, Elgar, Part 1 * * | 20090723 | Live from the Royal Albert Hall, Vassily Sinaisky conducts the BBC Philharmonic in some lesser-known works of the English repertoire. EJ Moeran's Symphony, introduced to the Proms in 1938 by Henry Wood, was written partly in Norfolk and partly in County Kerry and seems to evoke the landscapes, seashores and folk idioms of both locations. Finzi's neo-Classical Grand Fantasia caps an unaccompanied and clearly Bach-inspired piano solo with a jaunty Toccata. Leon McCawley (piano) BBC Philharmonic Vassily Sinaisky (conductor) Moeran: Symphony in G minor Finzi: Grand Fantasia and Toccata. | |
2009 | 09B | Moeran, Finzi, Elgar, Part 2 * * | 20090723 | Live from the Royal Albert Hall, Vassily Sinaisky conducts the BBC Philharmonic in some lesser-known works of the the English repertoire. The second half of the programme marks the 75th anniversary of Elgar's death with his Symphony No 2, a nobly expansive exploration of past sorrows recalled and exorcised. BBC Philharmonic Vassily Sinaisky (conductor) Elgar: Symphony No 2 in E flat. BBC Philharmonic conducted by Vassily Sinaisky. | |
2009 | 10A | Takemitsu, Debussy, Ravel, Sarasate, Hosokawa, Part 1 * | 20090724 | Jun Markl conducts the Orchestre de Lyon in a three-part concert tracing musical cross-fertilisations between East and West, and between France and Spain. Takemitsu's Ceremonial showcases the Japanese sho (mouth organ). Mayumi Miyata (sho) Orchestre National de Lyon Jun Markl (conductor) Takemitsu: Ceremonial - An Autumn Ode Debussy, orch Caplet: Pagodes (Estampes) Ravel: Rapsodie espagnole. Takemitsu: Ceremonial. Debussy, orch. Caplet: Pagodes. | |
2009 | 10B | Takemitsu, Debussy, Ravel, Sarasate, Hosokawa, Part 2 * | 20090724 | Jun Markl conducts the Orchestre de Lyon in a three-part concert tracing musical cross-fertilisations between East and West, and between France and Spain. A key influence on Takemitsu's Green was Debussy, who himself used oriental scales and sonorities on Pagodes and La mer. Akiko Suwanai (violin) Orchestre National de Lyon Jun Markl (conductor) Takemitsu: Green Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy Ravel: Tzigane. | |
2009 | 10C | Takemitsu, Debussy, Ravel, Sarasate, Hosokawa, Part 3 * | 20090724 | Jun Markl conducts the Orchestre de Lyon in a three-part concert tracing musical cross-fertilisations between East and West, and between France and Spain. The sho reapears in Hosakawa's recent piece Cloud and Light, which was inspired by an image of the Buddha. Mayumi Miyata (sho) Orchestre National de Lyon Jun Markl (conductor) Hosakawa: Cloud and Light Debussy: La mer. Orchestre National de Lyon under Jun Markl. | |
2009 | 11 | David Titterington * * | 20090725 | David Titterington takes to the Royal Albert Hall's Willis organ to perform Elgar's grand sonata composed in 1895 for Worcester Cathedral's new organist Hugh Blair to play for a group of visiting Americans. The so-called Second Sonata is in fact a free transcription by Ivor Atkins, Blair's successor, of the Severn Suite, compiled from youthful sketches by the elderly Elgar in 1930. The transatlantic connection is continued in Peter Dickinson's Blue Rose Variations, in which the British composer, born in the year of Elgar's death, takes a famous tune by Edward MacDowell and gives it a blues and ragtime spin. David Titterington (organ) Elgar, arr. Atkins: Organ Sonata No 2 Peter Dickinson: Blue Rose Variations Elgar: Organ Sonata No 1 in G. Elgar: Organ Sonatas. | |
2009 | 12A | Elgar/delius/holst, Part 1 * | 20090725 | As part of a celebration of the musical legacy of Elgar, Holst and Delius, who all died in 1934, Charles Mackerras contrasts Elgar's salute to the indomitable Cockney spirit of London with Delius's poetical evocation of the mountains. Rebecca Evans (soprano) Toby Spence (tenor) BBC Singers BBC Philharmonic Charles Mackerras (conductor) Elgar: Cockaigne (In London Town) Delius: The Song of the High Hills. | |
2009 | 12B | Elgar/delius/holst, Part 2 * | 20090725 | In the second part of a concert celebrating the musical legacy of the three great British composers who died in 1934, Charles Mackerras ventures across the solar system in a performance of Gustav Holst's ever-popular suite. BBC Singers BBC Philharmonic Charles Mackerras (conductor) Holst: The Planets. BBC Singers, BBC Philharmonic conducted by Charles Mackerras. | |
2009 | 13A | Family Prom, Part 1 | 20090726 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Sarah Walker presents the first part of a family concert devised to give new and younger audiences a first taste of classical music and a flavour of the music to be heard throughout the season. Jennifer Pike (violin) BBC Philharmonic Tecwyn Evans (conductor) Khachaturian: Sabre Dance (Gayaneh) Chopin, orch. Stravinsky: Waltz in E flat, Op 18 (Grande valse brillante) Richard Rodney Bennett: Lilliburlero Variations (world premiere of the orchestral version) Holst: A Song of the Night Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No 4. A family concert aimed at younger audiences, with works by Khachaturian, Holst and Elgar. | |
2009 | 13B | Family Prom, Part 2 * | 20090726 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London, Sarah Walker presents the conclusion of a free family concert devised to give new and younger audiences a first taste of classical music and a flavour of the music to be heard throughout the season. Saint-Saens: Introduction and Rondo capriccioso Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Jennifer Pike (violin) BBC Philharmonic Tecwyn Evans (conductor) New collaborative work: The Rough Guide to the Proms Family Orchestra (world premiere) BBC Proms Family Orchestra Lincoln Abbotts (director). A family concert aimed at younger audiences, including works by Saint-Saens and Britten. | |
2009 | 14A | Holst, Delius, Elgar, Part 1 * | 20090726 | From the Royal Albert Hall. Presented by Christopher Cook. David Atherton conducts the first Proms performance of Holst's ecstatic choral setting of poems by Keats. Susan Gritton (soprano) BBC National Chorus of Wales BBC Symphony Chorus BBC National Orchestra of Wales David Atherton (conductor) Holst: First Choral Symphony. Susan Gritton (soprano) and BBC NOW under David Atherton in Holst's First Choral Symphony. | |
2009 | 14B | Holst, Delius, Elgar, Part 2 * | 20090726 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Christopher Cook presents the conclusion of a concert featuring the music of Elgar, Holst and Delius, who all died in 1934. Delius's Brigg Fair took an old Lincolnshire folk song and distilled it into an idyll of nostalgia for England's rural past, while Elgar took the very essence of friendship and poured it into a dazzlingly inventive set of variations, whose 1899 premiere transformed him overnight into England's foremost composer. BBC National Orchestra of Wales David Atherton (conductor) Delius: Brigg Fair Elgar: Enigma Variations. BBC NOW conducted by David Atherton. | |
2009 | 15A | Smetana, Bartok, Martinu, Stravinsky, Part 1 * | 20090727 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Donald Macleod. A performance of Smetana's rustic Bohemian comedy The Bartered Bride, which is set at a Slavic fair and known for its high-spirited overture, followed by Bartok's Dance Suite, which incorporates folk themes from Hungary, Romania and as far afield as Africa. There is also Martinu's Concerto for two pianos, composed just after his First Symphony in 1943, and which betrays some of the tensions of two years earlier when Martinu, like Bartok, was forced to flee to America. The piece ultimately finds release in an outpouring of the composer's characteristically effervescent vitality. Jaroslava Pechocova, Vaclav Macha (pianos) BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) Smetana: Overture (The Bartered Bride) Bartok: Dance Suite Martinu: Concerto for two pianos. Smetana: Overture (Bartered Bride). | |
2009 | 15B | Smetana, Bartok, Martinu, Stravinsky, Part 2 * * | 20090727 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. A season of Stravinsky ballets opens with the colourful tale of the puppet Petrushka, whose tragedy is played out at St Petersburg's Shrovetide fair. BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947 version). BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jiri Belohlavek. | |
2009 | 16A | Casken, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Part 1 * | 20090728 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Donald Macleod Andris Nelsons, the CBSO's new Music Director, makes his Proms debut. This concert celebrates both the 2009 International Year of Astronomy and John Casken's birthday with the Barnsley-born composer's evocation of Orion the hunter ever journeying towards the unknown across the Northumbrian night sky. Stephen Hough continues his exploration of the complete Tchaikovsky piano concertos with the unfairly neglected Concerto No 2, whose middle movement unexpectedly flowers into a minor triple concerto for piano, violin and cello. Stephen Hough (piano) City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons (conductor) John Casken: Orion over Farne Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 2 in G. | |
2009 | 16B | Casken, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Part 2 * | 20090728 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Donald Macleod presents the conclusion of a Prom in which Andris Nelsons, the CBSO's music director, makes his Proms debut. The exploration of the complete Stravinsky ballets continues with the magical fairy-tale score he wrote for his first commission from Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons (conductor) Stravinsky: The Firebird. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons. | |
2009 | 17 | Bach Motets * | 20090728 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Petroc Trelawny introduces John Eliot Gardiner and his hand-picked choir and ensemble performing a selection of Bach motets. Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner (conductor) Bach; Komm, Jesu, Komm!, BWV229; Furchte dich nicht, BWV228; Jesu, meine Freude, BWV227; Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV225. Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists conducted by John Eliot Gardiner in Bach motets | |
2009 | 18A | Widmann, Mozart And Bruckner, Part 1 * | 20090729 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Tom Service. The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra returns to the Proms after its successful 2006 debut and is led again by its British-born principal conductor Jonathan Nott. In this compelling Austro-German programme stretching across two and-a-half-centuries, composers acknowledge their debt to older masters. With German composer Jorg Widmann's Con brio, a short orchestral showpiece inspired by Beethoven, followed by the third of Mozart's five violin concertos, featuring award-winning young German soloist Arabella Steinbacher, making her much-awaited Proms debut. Arabella Steinbacher (violin) Bamberg Symphony Orchestra Jonathan Nott (conductor) Jorg Widmann: Con brio (UK premiere) Mozart: Violin Concerto No 3 in G, K216. Bamberg SO under Jonathan Nott. Widmann: Con brio. | |
2009 | 18B | Widmann, Mozart And Bruckner, Part 2 * | 20090729 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London Tom Service presents the conclusion of this Austro-German Prom, with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra performing Bruckner's Third Symphony, dedicated to Wagner, his revered master. Bamberg Symphony Orchestra Jonathan Nott (conductor) Bruckner: Symphony No 3 in D minor. Tom Service presents the Bamberg SO performing Bruckner's Symphony No 3 in D minor. | |
2009 | 19A | Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Part 1 * | 20090730 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The Halle under music director Mark Elder perform two radical masterpieces by Berlioz. Sally Matthews (soprano) Susan Graham, Sarah Castle (mezzo-sopranos) Steve Davislim (tenor) Halle Choir Halle Youth Choir Halle Orchestra Mark Elder (conductor) Berlioz: Overture (Benvenuto Cellini); La mort de Cleopatre. The Halle/Mark Elder perform Berlioz: Overture (Benvenuto Cellini); La mort de Cleopatre. | |
2009 | 19B | Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Part 2 * | 20090730 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. In a performance given as part of the 200th anniverary celebrations of Mendelssohn's birth, Mark Elder conducts the Halle in the rarely heard Symphony No 2, which was wildly popular with the Victorians. Beethoven may have made the idea of a symphony with a choral finale famous, but Mendelssohn trumped him with his Hymn of Praise in 1840 - its choral finale so overwhelms the three preceding orchestral movements that Mendelssohn called the result a Symphony-Cantata. Sally Matthews (soprano) Susan Graham, Sarah Castle (mezzo-sopranos) Steve Davislim (tenor) Halle Choir Halle Youth Choir Halle Orchestra Mark Elder (conductor) Mendelssohn: Symphony No 2 in B flat (Lobgesang). The Halle under Mark Elder perform Mendelssohn's Symphony No 2 in B flat (Lobgesang). | |
2009 | 20A | Stravinsky, Schumann, Mendelsssohn, Part 1 | 20090731 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Louise Fryer. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra continues the Proms Stravinsky ballet series with the complete choral version of Pulcinella, the zany Neapolitan comedy in which the composer's reworkings of rediscovered 18th-century scores (reputedly by Pergolesi) resulted in the creation of a whole new - and wholly modern - neo-Classical style. With young French-Canadian maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin making his Proms debut as conductor. Stravinsky: Pulcinella Karen Cargill (mezzo-soprano) Scottish Chamber Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor). Louise Fryer presents the SCO in the complete choral version of Stravinsky's Pulcinella. | |
2009 | 20B | Stravinsky, Schumann, Mendelsssohn, Part 2 * | 20090731 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Louise Fryer presents the conclusion of a given by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The bicentenary survey of Mendelssohn's symphonies continues with the SCO performing the one that quotes Luther's great Reformation hymn 'Ein' feste Burg ist unser Gott'. Young French-Canadian maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin makes his Proms debut as does prize-winning American pianist Nicholas Angelich in Schumann's popular Piano Concerto in A minor. Nicholas Angelich (piano) Karen Cargill (mezzo-soprano) Andrew Staples (tenor) Brindley Sherratt (bass) Scottish Chamber Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor) Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor Mendelssohn: Symphony No 5 in D (Reformation). SCO in Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor and Mendelssohn's Symphony No 5. | |
2009 | 22 | Mgm Musicals * | 20090801 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. John Wilson and his hand-picked Orchestra celebrate the MGM musical with songs from unforgettable movie classics, including The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, High Society, Gigi and Singin' in the Rain. Remarkably, although the original orchestral parts were lost when the studio destroyed its music library to make way for a car park, Wilson has succeeded in reconstructing the scores by painstakingly transcribing each soundtrack by ear. He is joined by starry singers from the classical and musical theatre worlds, as well as by the elite Maida Vale Singers Kim Criswell (singer) Sarah Fox (soprano) Thomas Allen (baritone) Curtis Stigers (singer) Seth MacFarlane (singer) The John Wilson Orchestra Maida Vale Singers John Wilson (conductor). John Wilson and his Orchestra celebrate MGM film musicals with songs from movie classics. | |
2009 | 23A | Evolution, Part 1 | 20090802 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sarah Walker. Evolution! As part of 2009's Darwin celebrations CBBC presenters Gemma Hunt and Barney Harwood, with special guest David Attenborough, host this family Prom inspired by the natural world. Gemma Hunt (presenter) Barney Harwood (presenter) David Attenborough (guest presenter) London Philharmonic Choir BBC Concert Orchestra Charles Hazlewood (conductor) | |
2009 | 23B | Evolution, Part 2 | 20090802 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sarah Walker. As part of 2009's Darwin celebrations CBBC presenters Gemma Hunt and Barney Harwood, with special guest David Attenborough, host the conclusion of a family Prom inspired by the natural world. DJ and drum and bass producer Goldie renews his acquaintance with the BBC Concert Orchestra after 2008's BBC TWO Maestro conducting competition, this time though as composer. His Darwin-inspired BBC commission, Sine tempore, is his first ever work for classical orchestra. Gemma Hunt (presenter) Barney Harwood (presenter) David Attenborough (guest presenter) London Philharmonic Choir BBC Concert Orchestra Charles Hazlewood (conductor) Goldie: Sine tempore (BBC commission: world premiere) Arvo Part: If Bach had been a Beekeeper Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring Koechlin: The Law of the Jungle Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man | |
2009 | 24A | Foskett, Beethoven, Berlioz, Part 1 * | 20090802 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. Susanna Malkki conducts a Prom featuring a new work, From Trumpet, by young Paris-based British composer Ben Foskett. It precedes Beethoven's Fourth Symphony in which, after the great leap forward of the Eroica, the composer took a last look back at the more serene, Classical style of Haydn. Simon Preston (organ) Jorg Schneider (tenor) Choristers of St Paul's Cathedral Trinity Boys Choir BBC Symphony Chorus The Bach Choir Crouch End Festival Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra Susanna Malkki (conductor) Ben Foskett: From Trumpet (BBC commission; world premiere) Beethoven: Symphony No 4 in B flat. BBC SO under Susanna Malkki in Ben Foskett's From Trumpet and Beethoven's Symphony No 4. | |
2009 | 24B | Foskett, Beethoven, Berlioz, Part 2 * | 20090802 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. The Prom concludes with Susanna Mälkki conducting Berlioz's spectacular and gargantuan Te Deum in which she marshalls vast massed choirs of adults and children, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and organist Simon Preston. At its 1855 Paris premiere, the work involved almost 1,000 performers. Simon Preston (organ) Jorg Schneider (tenor) Choristers of St Paul's Cathedral Trinity Boys Choir BBC Symphony Chorus The Bach Choir Crouch End Festival Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra Susanna Malkki (conductor) Berlioz: Te Deum. The Prom concludes with Susanna Malkki conducts Berlioz's large-scale Te Deum. | |
2009 | 25A | Berlioz, Jarrell, Beethoven, Part 1 * | 20090803 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Tom Service. Principal conductor Thierry Fischer brings the BBC National Orchestra of Wales to the Proms to perform music by Berlioz as well as the premiere of a new triple concerto by his Swiss compatriot, Michael Jarrell. Co-commissioned by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, it brings together a trio of the finest woodwind players. Sillages refers to the wake a ship makes through water, and likewise the lines of the three soloists leave a trail of orchestra sound behind them. Emmanuel Pahud (flute) Francois Leleux (oboe) Paul Meyer (clarinet) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) Berlioz: Overture (Les francs-juges) Michael Jarrell: Sillages (BBC co-commission; world premiere). BBCNOW/Thierry Fischer in Berlioz: Overture (Les francs-juges). Michael Jarrell: Sillages. | |
2009 | 25B | Berlioz, Jarrell, Beethoven, Part 2 * | 20090803 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Tom Service. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales' Prom continues, as the Royal Albert Hall is filled with 33 wind players, 36 brass and 20 percussionists to give full dramatic effect to Berlioz's Symphonie funebre et triomphale. Written to commemorate the fallen heroes of the French Revolution of 1830, Berlioz himself conducted it with a military band of 200 (though that was for the open air). It begins with a funeral march followed by a funeral oration given by a solo trombone, before the final hymn of praise. Emmanuel Pahud (flute) Francois Leleux (oboe) Paul Meyer (clarinet) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) Berlioz: Symphonie funebre et triomphale. BBCNOW in Berlioz: Symphonie funebre et triomphale. | |
2009 | 25C | Berlioz, Jarrell, Beethoven, Part 3 * | 20090803 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Tom Service presents the conclusion of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales' Prom, featuring a performance of Beethoven's Eroica, which was initially inspired by the composer's hero, Napoleon, directing world events at the forefront of the French Revolution. The composer baulked at giving it the title Bonaparte when Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor, but the idea of celebrating great revolutionary ideals lived on. Emmanuel Pahud (flute) Francois Leleux (oboe) Paul Meyer (clarinet) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) Beethoven: Symphony No 3 (Eroica). Presented by Tom Service. BBCNOW in Beethoven: Symphony No 3 (Eroica). | |
2009 | 26A | Mendelssohn, Holliger, Prokofiev, Part 1 * | 20090804 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Martin Handley presents a Prom which brings together works from opposite ends of Mendelssohn's life - his early first symphony, written when he was only 15, and his lyrical Violin Concerto. The soloist is the exciting German violinist Isabelle Faust, making her Proms debut. Isabelle Faust (violin) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) | |
2009 | 26B | Mendelssohn, Holliger, Prokofiev, Part 2 * | 20090804 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The Prom concludes with Thierry Fischer and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales performing music by Swiss composer Heinz Holliger. (S)irato is an anguished lament for Holliger's Hungarian teacher Sandor Veress, to whom the piece is dedicated. Fragments of Hungarian folk songs (collected by Bartok) revolve around a slowly evolving mass of orchestral sound. There's even a part for that most Hungarian of all instruments, the cimbalom. It is followed by Prokofiev's ballet score for Romeo and Juliet, revealing all the intimacy, tragedy and tenderness of Shakespeare's drama, and which was selected by the concert's conductor. BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) Heinz Holliger: (S)irato (UK premiere) Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (excerpts). BBCNOW/Fischer in Holliger: (S)irato (UK premiere). | |
2009 | 27 | Harrison Birtwistle Celebration * | 20090804 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Verity Sharp. The London Sinfonietta and Harrison Birtwistle have formed a close bond over the last four decades. Under the baton of their co-founder David Atherton, Sinfonietta revisit three of the composer's early works - all of which the ensemble originally premiered. One of the themes of this year's season is 1934, England at the Crossroads, the year Birtwistle was born, and a turning point for British music in the 20th century. Verses for Ensemble showcases the virtuosity of the ensemble with brass, wind and percussion all vying for the listener's attention. In Silbury Air and Carmen arcadiae mechanicae perpetuum, Birtwistle explores the mysterious and the mechanical with imaginary landscapes and colliding musical ideas. London Sinfonietta David Atherton (conductor) Harrison Birtwistle: Carmen arcadiae mechanicae perpetuum; Silbury Air; Verses for Ensembles. The London Sinfonietta celebrates Harrison Birtwistle's music with three virtuosic works. | |
2009 | 28A | Stravinsky, Mozart, Mahler, Part 1 * | 20090805 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Rob Cowan presents the first of two Proms with the BBC Philharmonic under their chief conductor Gianandrea Noseda. Joining them is brilliant young Scottish bassoonist Karen Geoghegan, who makes her Proms debut with Mozart's concerto, written when the composer was just 18. Continuing the Proms survey of the complete Stravinsky ballets is his 'featherweight and sugared' - as he called it - score commissioned for a 1944 Broadway revue. Karen Geoghegan (bassoon) BBC Philharmonic Gianandrea Noseda (conductor) Stravinsky: Scenes de ballet Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B flat, K191. BBC Philharmonic in Stravinsky: Scenes de ballet. | |
2009 | 28B | Stravinsky, Mozart, Mahler, Part 2 * | 20090805 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Rob Cowan. The Prom featuring the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda concludes with Mahler's powerful and tragic Sixth Symphony, a record of one man's heroic struggle against the repeated hammer-blows of fate. BBC Philharmonic Gianandrea Noseda (conductor) Mahler: Symphony No 6 in A minor. The BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda perform Mahler's tragic Symphony No 6. | |
2009 | 29A | Mendelssohn, Maxwell Davies, Respighi, Part 1 * | 20090806 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The BBC Philharmonic's Italian-born chief conductor Gianandrea Noseda pays tribute to his native land - and continues the Proms cycle of Mendelssohn symphonies - with the sun-drenched work that the 21-year-old Mendelssohn composed while holidaying in Rome. And American mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux joins the orchestra for Rossini's operatic retelling of the Cinderella story, his third stage-work for Rome's Teatro Valle. Vivica Genaux (mezzo-soprano) BBC Philharmonic Gianandrea Noseda (conductor) Mendelssohn: Symphony No 4 in A (Italian) Rossini: Mura felice (La donna del lago); Rossini: Nacqui all'affanno e al pianto...Non piu mesta (La Cenerentola). The BBC Philharmonic pay tribute to Italy with music by Mendelssohn and Rossini. | |
2009 | 29B | Mendelssohn, Maxwell Davies, Respighi, Part 2 * | 20090806 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The BBC Philharmonic's tribute to Italy concludes with Peter Maxwell Davies' palindromically entitled Roma amor, which is a serenade to the city, and begin a cycle of Respighi's Roman trilogy with his vivid tableaux celebrating the capital's famous pines. Vivica Genaux (mezzo-soprano) BBC Philharmonic Gianandrea Noseda (conductor) Peter Maxwell Davies: Roma amor Respighi: Pines of Rome. The conclusion of an Italian Prom. Maxwell Davies: Roma amor. | |
2009 | 30A | Respighi, Grime, Stravinsky, Knussen, Balakirev, Part 1 * | 20090807 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Andrew Mcgregor. Oliver Knussen, the BBC Symphony Orchestra's new artist-in-association, conducts a programme of music which demonstrates perfect mastery of the orchestra by the featured composers. With the second part of Respighi's Roman trilogy, there is a dawn-to-dusk tour of the city's most famous fountains. Then there's the first Proms performance of Helen Grime's dramatic evocation of the electric atmosphere before a storm. They are followed by Stravinsky's 1936, ballet Jeu de cartes, a musical poker game in three 'deals', ending with the Joker trounced by a royal flush. Martin Owen (horn) BBC Symphony Orchestra Oliver Knussen (conductor) Respighi: Fountains of Rome Helen Grime: Virga Stravinsky: Jeu de Cartes. The BBC SO under Oliver Knussen performs works by Respighi, Helen Grime and Stravinsky. | |
2009 | 30B | Respighi, Grime, Stravinsky, Knussen, Balakirev, Part 2 * | 20090807 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Andrew Mcgregor presents the conclusion of the Prom, with Oliver Knussen conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in his own Horn Concerto, followed by Balakirev's 'oriental fantasy' inspired by the Caucasus. Casella's arrangement of it propelled an already virtuosic keyboard piece into even more exotic extremes, using a large orchestra. Martin Owen (horn) BBC Symphony Orchestra Oliver Knussen (conductor) Oliver Knussen: Horn Concerto Balakirev orch Casella: Islamey. The BBC SO under Olver Knussen perform his own Horn Concerto and Balakirev: Islamey. | |
2009 | 31A | Tchaikovsky, Lutoslawski, Respighi, Part 1 * | 20090808 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Rob Cowan. The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain make its annual Proms visit with its new principal conductor, Vasily Petrenko - who made his Proms debut in 2008 with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Stephen Hough features in a popular favourite from Petrenko's homeland, Russia, as part of his Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto cycle. Stephen Hough (piano) National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain Vasily Petrenko (conductor) Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 1 in B flat minor. NYO/Vasily Petrenko with Stephen Hough (piano) in Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No 1. | |
2009 | 31B | Tchaikovsky, Lutoslawski, Respighi, Part 2 * | 20090808 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Rob Cowan. The National Youth Orchestra and new principal conductor Vasily Petrenko conclude their Prom through works by Lutoslawski and Respighi. Stephen Hough (piano) National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain Vasily Petrenko (conductor) Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra Respighi: Roman Festivals. NYO/Vasily Petrenko in Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra. | |
2009 | 32A | Faure, Mozart, Meredith, Lutoslawski, Saint-saens, Part 1 * | 20090809 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sarah Walker. As part of a day of music for multiple pianos, the Britten Sinfonia is joined by piano duos in a programme beginning with Faure's Dolly suite, followed by Mozart's playful and intimate double concerto. Katia and Marielle Labeque (pianos) Philip Moore, Simon Crawford-Phillips (pianos) Lidija and Sanja Bizjak (pianos) Britten Sinfonia Ludovic Morlot (conductor) Faure, orch Rabaud: Dolly Suite Mozart: Concerto in E flat for two pianos, K365. Britten Sinfonia in Faure: Dolly Suite. | |
2009 | 32B | Faure, Mozart, Meredith, Lutoslawski, Saint-saens, Part 2 * | 20090809 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Sarah Walker presents the conclusion of a Prom for multiple pianos, with the Britten Sinfonia and piano duos featuring in Saint-Saens' playful zoological suite, contrasted with Lutoslawski's virtuosic reworking of a famous Paganini Caprice. Plus a new work for two pianos by Anna Meredith, whose nation-hopping piece, 'froms', introduced her to Proms audiences at 2008's Last Night. Katia and Marielle Labeque (pianos) Philip Moore and Simon Crawford-Phillips (pianos) Lidija and Sanja Bizjak (pianos) Britten Sinfonia Ludovic Morlot (conductor) Anna Meredith: Left Light (BBC commission: world premiere) Lutoslawski: Variations on a Theme by Paganini for two pianos Saint-Saens: The Carnival of the Animals. Meredith: Left Light. Lutoslawski: Variations on a Theme by Paganini. Plus Saint-Saens. | |
2009 | 33A | Antheil, Adams, Bartok, Stravinsky, Part 1 * | 20090809 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sarah Walker. Piano Day at the Proms concludes, in extrovert style, with a plethora of pianists joining forces (and hands!) for some of the most striking multiple-keyboard music in the repertoire. The notorious Ballet mecanique by George Antheil, 20th-century bad boy of American music, is performed by an ensemble which includes four pianos, a large array of percussion and two propellers. In John Adams' Grand Pianola Music, two pianos are joined by other instruments for a piece which references everything from Beethoven sonatas to marching band music, and was inspired by a dream of limo-sized Steinways chasing Adams down California's Interstate Highway 5. Tatiana Monogarova (soprano) Elena Manistina (mezzo-soprano) Vsevolod Grivnov (tenor) Kostas Smoriginas (bass) John Constable, Alissa Firsova, Rolf Hind, Tom Poster, Ashley Wass, Llyr Williams (pianos) Philip Moore, Simon Crawford-Phillips (pianos) Colin Currie, Sam Walton (percussion) BBC Singers Synergy Vocals London Sinfonietta Edward Gardner (conductor) Antheil: Ballet mecanique John Adams: Grand Pianola Music. From the Royal Albert Hall. George Antheil: Ballet mecanique. Adams: Grand Pianola Music. | |
2009 | 33B | Antheil, Adams, Bartok, Stravinsky, Part 2 * | 20090809 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Sarah Walker presents the conclusion of Piano Day at the Proms, with two classics of the 20th century multiple-piano repertoire: Bartok's vibrant Sonata, and - continuing the survey of Stravinsky ballets at the 2009 Proms - his visceral portrayal of Russian peasant wedding celebrations. Tatiana Monogarova (soprano) Elena Manistina (mezzo-soprano) Vsevolod Grivnov (tenor) Kostas Smoriginas (bass) John Constable, Alissa Firsova, Rolf Hind, Tom Poster, Ashley Wass, Llyr Williams (pianos) Philip Moore, Simon Crawford-Phillips (pianos) Colin Currie, Sam Walton (percussion) BBC Singers Synergy Vocals London Sinfonietta Edward Gardner (conductor) Bartok: Sonata for two pianos and percussion Stravinsky: Les noces (sung in Russian). Concluding Piano Day. Stravinsky: Les noces. | |
2009 | 34A | Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Khachaturian, Part 1 * | 20090810 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Rob Cowan. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra is conducted by its new principal conductor Kirill Karabits in Stravinsky's Hans Christian Andersen-inspired ballet, The Fairy's Kiss, a work paying tribute to the memory of Tchaikovsky. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Kirill Karabits (conductor) Stravinsky: The Fairy's Kiss. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Kirill Karabits in Stravinsky: The Fairy's Kiss. | |
2009 | 34B | Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Khachaturian, Part 2 | 20090810 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Rob Cowan presents the conclusion of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's Prom under new principal conductor Kirill Karabits. With Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, featuring celebrated Lithuanian-born violinist Julian Rachlin, followed by works by Khachaturian, including his colourful Soviet-era ballet Spartacus, which celebrates the Thracian gladiator whose rebel slave army almost defeated the might of Rome. Julian Rachlin (violin) Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Kirill Karabits (conductor) Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Khachaturian: Spartacus (excerpts); Hopak (Gayane). Bournemouth SO in Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto. Khachaturian: Spartacus (excerpts). | |
2009 | 35A | Patience, Part 1 * | 20090811 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. Charles Mackerras is an acknowledged expert in the music of Gilbert and Sullivan and he returns to the Proms to conduct a performance of the exuberant operetta Patience. Patience opened the famous Savoy Theatre in London in 1881 - the first theatre in the world to be lit by incandescent electric light - and it satirises the fad of the 1870s and 1880s known as the 'aesthetic craze', when poets, painters and composers were prolific but, some argued, empty and self-indulgent. It centres on Patience, the simple village milkmaid, who cares nothing for poetry. Gilbert and Sullivan: Patience (semi-staged) - Part 1 Patience....Rebecca Bottone (soprano) Lady Jane....Felicity Palmer (mezzo-soprano) Lady Angela....Pamela Helen Stephen (mezzo-soprano) Lady Ella....Elena Xanthoudakis (soprano) Lady Saphir....Sophie-Louise Dann (mezzo-soprano) Reginald Bunthorne....Simon Butteriss (baritone) Archibald Grosvenor....Toby Stafford-Allen (baritone) Colonel Calverley....Donald Maxwell (baritone) Major Murgatroyd....Graeme Danby (bass) Lt Duke of Dunstable....Bonaventura Bottone (tenor) Chorus of English National Opera | |
2009 | 35B | Patience, Part 2 * | 20090811 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Martin Handley presents the conclusion of a semi-staged version of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta Patience. Gilbert and Sullivan: Patience (Part 2) Patience....Rebecca Bottone (soprano) Lady Jane....Felicity Palmer (mezzo-soprano) Lady Angela....Pamela Helen Stephen (mezzo-soprano) Lady Ella....Elena Xanthoudakis (soprano) Lady Saphir....Sophie-Louise Dann (mezzo-soprano) Reginald Bunthorne....Simon Butteriss (baritone) Archibald Grosvenor....Toby Stafford-Allen (baritone) Colonel Calverley....Donald Maxwell (baritone) Major Murgatroyd....Graeme Danby (bass) Lt Duke of Dunstable....Bonaventura Bottone (tenor) Chorus of English National Opera | |
2009 | 36A | Handel Celebration, Part 1 * | 20090812 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Catherine Bott. Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, one of the leading British period ensembles, offer a selection of Handel's greatest choral successes. Featuring The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, one of his most beloved works, from his oratorio Solomon, as well as excerpts from his satirical semi-opera Semele. And, recreating a historic moment, the Royal Albert Hall transforms into Westminster Abbey as the musicians perform the anthems that Handel wrote for George II's coronation in 1727. Carolyn Sampson (soprano) Alastair Ross (organ) The Sixteen Harry Christophers (conductor) Handel: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon); Coronation anthem - Let thy hand be strengthened; Semele (excerpts); Coronation anthem - My heart is inditing. The Sixteen under Harry Christophers in Handel: Coronation Anthems; Semele (excerpts). | |
2009 | 36B | Handel Celebration, Part 2 | 20090812 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Catherine Bott presents the conclusion of The Sixteen's Prom featuring Handel's greatest choral successes, with more anthems written for George II's coronation in 1727, including the well-loved Zadok The Priest. Carolyn Sampson (soprano) Alastair Ross (organ) The Sixteen Harry Christophers (conductor) Handel: Coronation anthem - The King shall rejoice; Motet - Salve Regina; Organ Concerto in F, Op 4 No 4 - original version; Coronation anthem - Zadok the Priest. The Sixteen perform Handel choral works, including Zadok The Priest; Motet - Salve Regina. | |
2009 | 37 | Philip Glass | 20090812 | 20091228 | From the BBC Proms 2009 season, Petroc Trelawny presents a concert devoted exclusively to the music of American minimalist composer Philip Glass. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Chorus are joined by violinist Gidon Kremer and conductor Dennis Russell Davies, both long-term advocates of Glass's music. Harmonic, pulsing and with constant repetition of small figures or phrases, minimalism blossomed from a small underground movement on the west coast of the United States in the 1960s to becoming one of the most popular forms of late 20th-century music. Philip Glass, one of its early pioneers, is one of the most prolific, influential and instantly identifiable composers of our age. This Prom showcases two of his most important works for full orchestra: his first major orchestral score - the Violin Concerto of 1987 - and the Toltec Symphony of 2004, which takes its title from the ancient pre-Columbian culture that reigned in Mesoamerica long before the coming of the Europeans. Philip Glass: Violin Concerto; Symphony No 7 (A Toltec Symphony) Gidon Kremer (violin) BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Dennis Russell Davies (conductor). Petroc Trelawny presents a concert devoted to works by minimalist composer Philip Glass. From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Verity Sharp. In the first Prom devoted exclusively to the music of American minimalist composer Philip Glass, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Chorus are joined by violinist Gidon Kremer and conductor Dennis Russell-davies, both long-term advocates of Glass' music. Harmonic, pulsing and with constant repetition of small figures or phrases, minimalism blossomed from a small underground movement on the west coast of the United States in the 1960s, becoming one of the most popular forms of late 20th century music. This concert showcases two of his most important works for full orchestra: his first major orchestral score - the Violin Concerto of 1987 - and the Toltec Symphony of 2004, which takes its title from the ancient pre-Columbian culture that reigned in Mesoamerica long before the coming of the Europeans. Philip Glass: Violin Concerto; Symphony No 7 (A Toltec Symphony - UK premiere). |
2009 | 38A | Ravel, Chin, Stravinsky, Part 1 * | 20090813 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Christopher Cook. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under chief conductor Ilan Volkov perform works spanning almost a century. Begun as a homage to the Viennese waltz but twisted by his wartime experiences into a darker vision of a society whirling to disaster, Ravel's La valse was actually rejected by Diaghilev - who commissioned it - and only finally staged in the year of his death, choreographed by Nijinsky's sister Bronislava. Unsuk Chin's new Cello Concerto was written specially for Alban Gerhardt, an early member of Radio 3's New Generation Artists scheme. Alban Gerhardt (cello) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Ilan Volkov (conductor) Ravel: La valse Unsuk Chin: Cello Concerto (BBC commission: world premiere). BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Ravel: La valse and Unsuk Chin: Cello Concerto. | |
2009 | 38B | Ravel, Chin, Stravinsky, Part 2 * | 20090813 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Christopher Cook presents the conclusion of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's Prom, which features Stravinsky's seminal, Diaghilev-commissioned The Rite of Spring, a work with many pounding rhythms, cataclysmic upheavals and the savage scenario of a young girl dancing herself to death. Alban Gerhardt (cello) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Ilan Volkov (conductor) Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ilan Volkov perfom Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. | |
2009 | 39A | Greenwood, Stravinsky, Birtwistle, Part 1 | 20090814 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sarah Walker. The BBC Symphony Orchestra perform two works for strings - Popcorn Superhet Receiver by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood is a gritty and exciting work inspired by the medium of radio. It won the Radio 3 Listeners' Award at the 2006 British Composer Awards. This is followed by Stravinsky's classically-poised ballet Apollo. Strings of the BBC Symphony Orchestra Martyn Brabbins (conductor) | |
2009 | 39B | Greenwood, Stravinsky, Birtwistle, Part 2 | 20090814 | The BBC Symphony Orchestra performs the central act of Harrison Birtwistle's 'lyric tragedy' The Mask of Orpheus, in which the central character journeys to the Underworld through a series of 17 arches. The wind, brass and percussion of the orchestra are joined by the BBC Singers and an impressive cast of soloists, led by conductors Martyn Brabbins and Ryan Wigglesworth. This work was a high point in Birtwistle's longstanding and continuing obsession with the Orpheus myth. It took him a decade to compose, working with the librettist Peter Zinovieff and sound engineer Barry Anderson, who realised the electronic interludes. Harrison Birtwistle: The Arches (The Mask of Orpheus) Orpheus (the man)....Alan Oke (tenor) Orpheus (myth/puppet)....Thomas Walker (tenor) Euridice (the woman)....Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano) Euridice (the myth)/Persephone....Anna Stéphany (mezzo-soprano) Hecate....Claron McFadden (soprano) Charon/Caller/Hades....Andrew Slater (bass-baritone) Fury 1/Woman 1....Rachel Nicolls (soprano) Fury 2/Woman 2....Anna Dennis (soprano) Fury 3/Woman 3....Louise Poole (mezzo-soprano) Judge 1....Christopher Gillett (tenor) Judge 2....Hakan Vramsmo (baritone) Judge 3....Tim Mirfin (bass) BBC Singers BBC Symphony Orchestra Martyn Brabbins (conductor) Ryan Wigglesworth (2nd conductor) Ian Dearden (sound projection). | |
2009 | 40A | Stravinsky, Beethoven, Part 1 * | 20090815 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Louise Fryer. Ilan Volkov, making his last Proms appearance as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's chief conductor, leads the SSO in a performance of Stravinsky's lesser-known work Orpheus, a continuation of the series of Stravinsky's eleven ballet scores. Dating from 1947, it is both abstract and beautiful, and ritualises the familiar story of Orpheus whilst harking back to the music of early European composers. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Ilan Volkov (conductor) Stravinsky: Orpheus. Ilan Volkov conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Stravinsky's ballet Orpheus. | |
2009 | 40B | Stravinsky, Beethoven, Part 2 * * | 20090815 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Louise Fryer. Ilan Volkov's final Prom as BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra chief conductor concludes with the annual performance of Beethoven's great masterwork and homage to universal brotherhood, his Symphony No 9 (Choral). He is joined by the massed forces of the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and a line up of leading soloists. Beethoven: Symphony No 9 (Choral) Rebecca Evans (soprano) Caitlin Hulcup (mezzo-soprano) Anthony Dean Griffey (tenor) James Rutherford (bass) City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Ilan Volkov (conductor). Ilan Volkov conducts the BBC SSO and CBSO in Beethoven's Symphony No 9 (Choral). | |
2009 | 41A | Indian Voices Day - Khyal And Kerala, Part 1 | 20090816 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Fiona Talkington. Indian Voices Day begins with a selection of music from the north of India, with inspiring singing including the classical style known as Khyal, as well as the virtuoso vocal style from Varanasi. Among the artists featured are traditional singer Manjiri Asnare Kelkar and superstar Pandit Ram Narayan, considered the greatest living player of the sarangi, the short-necked fiddle. There is also a performance by Asima, a ground-breaking young vocal ensemble from Kerala, in the south of India. Asima Pandit Ram Narayan Manjiri Asnare Kelkar Pandit Ram Narayan (sarangi) Manjiri Asnare Kelkar, Pandits Rajan, Sajan Mishra (vocals) Aruna Narayan (sarangi) Akbar Latif, Babar Latif (tablas) Sudhir Nayak (harmonium) | |
2009 | 41B | Indian Voices Day - Khyal And Kerala, Part 2 | 20090816 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Fiona Talkington presents the conclusion of an Indian Voices Prom, with more music from the north of India, inspiring singing including the classical style known as Khyal, as well as the virtuoso vocal style from Varanasi. Featuring performances from traditional singers Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra, enhanced by Asima, a ground-breaking young vocal ensemble from Kerala, in the south of India. Pandits Rajan and Sajan Mishra Asima Pandit Ram Narayan (sarangi) Manjiri Asnare Kelkar, Pandits Rajan, Sajan Mishra (vocals) Aruna Narayan (sarangi) Akbar Latif, Babar Latif (tablas) Sudhir Nayak (harmonium). | |
2009 | 42A | Indian Voices Day - Bollywood, Part 1 | 20090816 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Fiona Talkington. The Proms Indian Voices Day concludes with the first-ever Bollywood Prom, an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza fronted by Shaan, one of the most versatile artists of the younger generation, and featuring performances from Shaan's own band and dancers from Honey's Academy. Shaan (vocalist) Honey's Dance Academy The Groove. Fiona Talkington presents an all-singing, all-dancing Bollywood Prom. | |
2009 | 42B | Indian Voices Day - Bollywood, Part 2 | 20090816 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Fiona Talkington presents the conclusion of the first-ever Bollywood Prom, an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza fronted by Shaan, one of the most versatile artists of the younger generation. With performances from Shaan's own band and dancers from Honey's Academy. Shaan (vocalist) Honey's Dance Academy The Groove. Fiona Talkington presents the conclusion of the first-ever Bollywood Prom. | |
2009 | 43A | Falla, Andriessen, Ravel, Part 1 * | 20090817 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Andrew Mcgregor. Esa-Pekka Salonen makes his first Proms appearance as the Philharmonia's new principal conductor. The orchestra performs Falla's fiery flamenco vision of a midnight exorcism, and is then joined by the Labeque sisters for the UK premiere of the new concerto by radical Dutch composer Louis Andriessen. Katia Labeque (piano) Marielle Labeque (piano) Philharmonia Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor) Falla: El amor brujo Louis Andriessen: The Hague Hacking (UK premiere). Philharmonia/Esa-Pekka Salonen in music by Falla and Andriessen. | |
2009 | 43B | Falla, Andriessen, Ravel, Part 2 * | 20090817 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Andrew Mcgregor presents the conclusion of Esa-Pekka Salonen's first Prom as the Philharmonia Orchestra's principal conductor, which pairs Ravel's magical fairy-tale evocations in his Mother Goose Suite and the relentless crescendo of his Bolero. Katia and Marielle Labeque (piano) Philharmonia Orchestra Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor) Ravel: Mother Goose Suite; Bolero. The Philharmonia perform under Esa-Pekka Salonen. | |
2009 | 44A | Prokofiev, Bartok, Dvorak, Part 1 * | 20090818 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. Hungary's leading orchestra returns to the Proms, under principal conductor Ivan Fischer, to perform Prokofiev's klezmer-tinged overture and Bartok's expansive Second Violin Concerto, with dynamic soloist Leonidas Kavakos. Leonidas Kavakos (violin) Budapest Festival Orchestra Ivan Fischer (conductor) Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes Bartok: Violin Concerto No 2. Budapest Festival Orchestra/Fischer in Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, plus Bartok. | |
2009 | 44B | Prokofiev, Bartok, Dvorak, Part 2 * | 20090818 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The Prom concludes with Hungary's leading orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestra, under principal conductor Ivan Fischer performing Dvorak's most darkly dramatic and passionate symphony. Budapest Festival Orchestra Ivan Fischer (conductor) Dvorak: Symphony No 7 in D minor. Budapest Festival Orchestra under Ivan Fischer in Dvorak: Symphony No 7 in D minor. | |
2009 | 45 | Ukelele Orchestra Of Great Britain | 20090818 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Verity Sharp. The all-singing, all strumming players of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain make their Proms debut with a specially-devised programme including a rendition of the Last Night favourite, Jerusalem, by Parry, plus Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and the March from The Dambusters. During Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, they invite ukulele playing members of the audience at the Royal Albert Hall and at home to join in. Listeners can prepare for this by playing along with the tutorials at bbc.co.uk/proms. | |
2009 | 46A | Glanert, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Part 1 * | 20090819 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Andrew Mcgregor. Semyon Bychkov conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in German composer Detlev Glanert's new piece, Shoreless River, which is a foretaste of his forthcoming opera, Das Holzschiff (The Wooden Ship). Denis Matsuev, winner of the 1998 Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition and a virtuoso in the grand Russian tradition, makes his Proms debut in Rachmaninov's demanding set of variations on Paganini's Caprice. Denis Matsuev (piano) BBC Symphony Orchestra Semyon Bychkov (conductor) Detlev Glanert: Shoreless River (UK premiere) Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. BBC SO in Detlev Glanert: Shoreless River. | |
2009 | 46B | Glanert, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Part 2 * | 20090819 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Andrew Mcgregor. The Prom concludes with renowned Shostakovich interpreter Semyon Bychkov conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the powerful and strikingly cinematic Symphony No 11, written in 1957. On the surface the work commemorates the failed anti-Tsarist uprising of 1905, but deep down it rages at the Soviet authorities. BBC Symphony Orchestra Semyon Bychkov (conductor) Shostakovich: Symphony No 11 (The Year 1905). Semyon Bychkov conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Shostakovich's Symphony No 11. | |
2009 | 47A | Samson, Act 1 * | 20090820 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Catherine Bott. A cast of leading Handel singers and players - with tenor Mark Padmore in the title role - perform the tragic story of Samson, the Israelite hero cut off in his prime after falling for the wrong woman. Handel: Samson (Act 1) Dalila....Susan Gritton (soprano) Micah....Iestyn Davies (countertenor) Samson....Mark Padmore (tenor) Manoa....Neal Davies (bass) Harapha....Christopher Purves (bass) Israelite Woman/Philistine Woman/Virgin....Lucy Crowe (soprano) Israelite Man/Philistine Man/Messenger....Ben Johnson (tenor) The Choir of the English Concert The New Company The English Concert Harry Bicket (conductor). Catherine Bott presents Act 1 of Handel's oratorio Samson, featuring tenor Mark Padmore. | |
2009 | 47B | Samson, Act 2 * | 20090820 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Catherine Bott. A cast of leading Handel singers and players - with tenor Mark Padmore in the title role - perform the tragic story of Samson, the Israelite hero cut off in his prime after falling for the wrong woman. Handel: Samson (Act 2) Dalila....Susan Gritton (soprano) Micah....Iestyn Davies (countertenor) Samson....Mark Padmore (tenor) Manoa....Neal Davies (bass) Harapha....Christopher Purves (bass) Israelite Woman/Philistine Woman/Virgin....Lucy Crowe (soprano) Israelite Man/Philistine Man/Messenger....Ben Johnson (tenor) The Choir of the English Concert The New Company The English Concert Harry Bicket (conductor). Catherine Bott presents Act 2 of Handel's oratorio Samson, featuring tenor Mark Padmore. | |
2009 | 47C | Samson, Act 3 * | 20090820 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Catherine Bott. A cast of leading Handel singers and players - with tenor Mark Padmore in the title role - perform the tragic story of Samson. Handel: Samson (Act 3) Dalila....Susan Gritton (soprano) Micah....Iestyn Davies (countertenor) Samson....Mark Padmore (tenor) Manoa....Neal Davies (bass) Harapha....Christopher Purves (bass) Israelite Woman/Philistine Woman/Virgin....Lucy Crowe (soprano) Israelite Man/Philistine Man/Messenger....Ben Johnson (tenor) The Choir of the English Concert The New Company The English Concert Harry Bicket (conductor). Catherine Bott presents Act 3 of Handel's oratorio Samson, featuring tenor Mark Padmore. | |
2009 | 48A | West-eastern Divan Orchestra, Part 1 * | 20090821 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. As part of a two-day Proms residency, Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra performs a concert in which it revisits its roots in Weimar and the poetry of Goethe. Franz Liszt led music in Weimar for a decade in the mid-19th century, and Barenboim conducts one of his ground-breaking symphonic poems alongside a masterpiece by a composer he controversially championed - Wagner. West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Daniel Barenboim (conductor) Liszt: Les Preludes Wagner: Prelude and Liebestod (Tristan und Isolde). West-Eastern Divan. | |
2009 | 48B | West-eastern Divan Orchestra, Part 2 * | 20090821 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. As part of a two-day Proms residency, Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra performs a concert in which it revisits its roots in Weimar and the poetry of Goethe. It concludes with a performance of music by Berlioz, a composer whom Barenboim championed. West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Daniel Barenboim (conductor) Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra's Prom concludes with Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique. | |
2009 | 49 | West-eastern Divan Orchestra * | 20090821 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. Members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra play Mendelssohn's Octet and Berg's musical monument to friendship. The ensemble includes Daniel Baremboim's violinist son Michael and his pianist protege Karim Said, a relative of the orchestra's co-founder, the late Edward Said. Michael Barenboim (violin) Karim Said (piano) Members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Daniel Barenboim (conductor) Mendelssohn: Octet Berg: Chamber Concerto. Members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra perform music by Mendelssohn and Berg. | |
2009 | 50A | Fidelio, Part 1 * | 20090822 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Christopher Cook. Daniel Barenboim conducts his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in a German version of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, featuring an English narration devised by the co-founder of the orchestra - scholar and historian Edward Said. The work's themes are given a particular poignancy by the participation of Barenboim and Said's ground-breaking group, which was founded in 1999 to bring together young Israeli and Arab musicians, and continues to serve as a beacon of trust, understanding and dialogue between nations in conflict. Fidelio, first performed in 1805, is an impassioned defence of freedom and justice and a celebration of the power of love as its heroine, Leonore, rescues her falsely incarcerated husband from imprisonment and execution. Beethoven: Fidelio (Part 1) - concert performance; sung in German, with English narration by Edward Said Leonore/narrator....Waltraud Meier (mezzo-soprano) Florestan....Simon O'Neill (tenor) Don Pizarro....Gerd Grochowski (bass-baritone) Rocco....John Tomlinson (bass) Marzelline....Adriana Kucerova (soprano) Jacquino....Stephen Rugamer Don Fernando....Viktor Rud BBC Singers Geoffrey Mitchell Choir West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Daniel Barenboim (conductor). The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim in Part 1 of Beethoven's Fidelio. | |
2009 | 50B | Fidelio, Part 2 * | 20090822 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Christopher Cook. Daniel Barenboim conducts his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in the conclusion of a German version of Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, featuring an English narration devised by the co-founder of the orchestra - scholar and historian Edward Said. A work first performed in 1805, Fidelio is an impassioned defence of freedom and justice, and a celebration of the power of love as its heroine, Leonore, rescues her falsely incarcerated husband from imprisonment and execution. Beethoven: Fidelio (Part 2) - concert performance; sung in German, with English narration by Edward Said Leonore/narrator....Waltraud Meier (mezzo-soprano) Florestan....Simon O'Neill (tenor) Don Pizarro....Gerd Grochowski (bass-baritone) Rocco....John Tomlinson (bass) Marzelline....Adriana Kucerova (soprano) Jacquino....Stephen Rugamer Don Fernando....Viktor Rud BBC Singers Geoffrey Mitchell Choir West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Daniel Barenboim (conductor). The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim in Part 2 of Beethoven's Fidelio. | |
2009 | 51A | Haydn, Szymanowski, Brahms, Part 1 * | 20090823 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. Osmo Vanska returns to the Proms to conduct the first Haydn symphony in a celebration of the 'father' of the form. With its tick-tocking slow movement, the Clock was one of the 12 'London' Symphonies that Haydn wrote for his two extended visits to the capital in the early 1790s. It is followed by Szymanowski's devotional and serene Stabat mater, which was partly inspired by the tragic death of his teenage niece. The BBC Symphony Chorus and three international soloists join the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Helena Juntunen (soprano) Monica Groop (mezzo-soprano) Scott Hendricks (baritone) BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra Osmo Vanska (conductor) Haydn: Symphony No 101 in D (Clock) Szymanowski: Stabat mater (sung in Polish). BBC SO and Chorus in Haydn: Symphony No 101 in D (Clock). Szymanowski: Stabat mater. | |
2009 | 51B | Haydn, Szymanowski, Brahms, Part 2 * | 20090823 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. Osmo Vanska returns to the Proms to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Brahms's Hungarian-accented violin concerto, featuring American virtuoso Joshua Bell. Joshua Bell (violin) BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra Osmo Vanska (conductor) Brahms: Violin Concerto in D. BBC SO/Osmo Vanska in Brahms's Violin Concerto in D, featuring Joshua Bell. | |
2009 | 52A | Schnittke, Shostakovich, Part 1 * | 20090824 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Suzy Klein. The London Symphony Orchestra and its mercurial Russian conductor Valery Gergiev perform the belated UK premiere of an early work by Alfred Schnittke, written in response to the atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki. Elena Zhidkova (mezzo-soprano) London Symphony Chorus London Symphony Orchestra Valery Gergiev (conductor) Schnittke: Nagasaki (UK premiere). The LSO under Valery Gergiev perform the UK premiere of Schnittke's early work Nagasaki. | |
2009 | 52B | Schnittke, Shostakovich, Part 2 * | 20090824 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Suzy Klein. The London Symphony Orchestra and its mercurial Russian conductor Valery Gergiev perform Shostakovich's wartime symphony, written at the time of the Battle of Stalingrad. Elena Zhidkova (mezzo-soprano) London Symphony Chorus London Symphony Orchestra Valery Gergiev (conductor) Shostakovich: Symphony No 8 in C minor. The LSO conducted by Valery Gergiev perform Shostakovich's Symphony No 8. | |
2009 | 53A | Purcell, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Part 1 * | 20090825 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. Roger Norrington conducts a programme of popular works, celebrating Radio 3's Composers of the Year 2009. It begins with Purcell's suite Abdelazar, with its famous tune later used by Britten in his Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato then joins one of the world's leading period instrument orchestras for famous arias by Handel and a dramatic scena by Haydn. Joyce DiDonato (mezzo-soprano) Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Roger Norrington (conductor) Purcell: Suite: Abdelazar Handel: Ombra mai fu (Xerxes); Ah, mio cor! (Alcina); Suite No 2 in D (Water Music) Haydn: Scena di Berenice. Roger Norrington conducts the OAE in works by Handel, Haydn and Purcell. | |
2009 | 53B | Purcell, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Part 2 | 20090825 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. Roger Norrington and the OAE's celebration of Radio 3's four Composers of the Year in 2009 concludes with Mendessohn's evocative Scottish Symphony. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Roger Norrington (conductor) Mendelssohn: Symphony No 3 in A minor (Scottish). Roger Norrington conducts the OAE in Mendessohn: Symphony No 3 in A minor (Scottish). | |
2009 | 54 | Michael Nyman | 20090825 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Fiona Talkington. Now best known for his soundtracks to such movies as The Piano, Gattaca and Wonderland, Michael Nyman started out as a musicologist, editing scores by Handel and Purcell. Nyman makes his Proms debut with his band performing selections from some of his best-known scores and the world premiere of a piece specially commissioned by the BBC for this concert. Anu Komsi (soprano) Michael Nyman Band Michael Nyman (director/piano) Michael Nyman: The Draughtsman's Contract (excerpts); The Musicologist Scores (BBC commission: world premiere); Blume; Psalm (Six Celan Songs); Memorial (The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover). Michael Nyman and his band perform excerpts from his film soundtracks and a world premiere | |
2009 | 55A | Adams, Mozart, Strauss, Part 1 * | 20090826 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Louise Fryer. Edinburgh-born Donald Runnicles, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's chief conductor-designate conducts John Adams's colourful, energetic and witty tribute to the Russian polymath Nicolas Slonimsky, plus Mozart's stormy D minor Piano Concerto, with Radio 3 New Generation Artist Shai Wosner making his Proms debut. Shai Wosner (piano) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Donald Runnicles (conductor) Adams: Slonimsky's Earbox Mozart: Piano Concerto No 20 in D minor, K466. BBC SSO/Donald Runnicles. Mozart: Piano Concerto No 20. | |
2009 | 55B | Adams, Mozart, Strauss, Part 2 * | 20090826 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Louise Fryer. Edinburgh-born Donald Runnicles, the BBC SSO's chief conductor-designate, leads his players in Richard Strauss's gargantuan and virtuosic orchestral canvas inspired by family life in the Strauss household - including bathtime and a vivid bedroom scene. BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Donald Runnicles (conductor) Strauss: Symphonia domestica. BBC SSO conducted by Donald Runnicles in Strauss: Symphonia domestica. | |
2009 | 56A | Saunders, Chopin, Strauss, Part 1 * | 20090827 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. Under the baton of chief conductor Fabio Luisi, making his Proms debut, the Dresden Staatskapelle performs a revised, expanded version of a 2006 work by British-born, Berlin-based composer Rebecca Saunders, followed by Chopin's virtuosic and poetic Piano Concerto No 2, featuring Royal Albert Hall favourite Lang Lang. Lang Lang (piano) Staatskapelle Dresden Fabio Luisi (conductor) Rebecca Saunders: traces (UK premiere of revised version) Chopin: Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor. Dresden Staatskapelle/Fabio Luisi. Rebecca Saunders: traces. Chopin: Piano Concerto No 2. | |
2009 | 56B | Saunders, Chopin, Strauss, Part 2 * | 20090827 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The Dresden Staatskapelle under chief conductor Fabio Luisi, making his Proms debut, performs a symphony inspired by an eventful mountain climb. Strauss dedicated it to the Staatskapelle, which premiered no fewer than nine of his fifteen operas. Staatskapelle Dresden Fabio Luisi (conductor) Strauss: An Alpine Symphony. Dresden Staatskapelle under Fabio Luisi performs Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony. | |
2009 | 57A | Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Part 1 * | 20090828 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and pincipal guest conductor David Robertson complete the Proms's survey of Stravinsky's ballets with Agon. It is a dazzling set of 12 dances for as many dancers that the septuagenarian composer based on material taken from a 17th-century dance manual and re-energised using his own unique 20th-century viewpoint. And Stephen Hough completes his Proms one-man piano marathon of Tchaikovsky's concertante works with the curiously neglected Concert Fantasia. Stephen Hough (piano) Steven Isserlis (cello) BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson (conductor) Stravinsky: Agon Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasia in G, Op 56. BBC SO/David Robertson in Stravinsky: Agon. | |
2009 | 57B | Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Part 2 * | 20090828 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. The BBC Symphony Orchestra under principal guest conductor David Robertson are joined by cellist Steven Isserlis for a performance of Tchaikovsky's 18th-century Rococo Variations, followed by Francesca da Rimini, his tale of forbidden love and eternal punishment inspired by a story in Dante's Inferno. Steven Isserlis (cello) BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson (conductor) Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme; Francesca da Rimini. BBC SO/David Robertson in Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme; Francesca da Rimini. | |
2009 | 58 | Andriessen, Martland, De Bondt * | 20090828 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Verity Sharp. A high-intensity Prom featuring some of the world's best wind players, including the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, who celebrates the music of iconoclastic Dutch composer Louis Andriessen's with his minimalist masterpiece De Staat (The State). It is followed by a work by Andriessen's English pupil Steve Martland, written for the last big Purcell anniversary in 1995. The concert ends with Doors Closed, a belated London premiere of a 1980s classic by a leading Dutch pupil of Andriessen's, Cornelis de Bondt. It is a musical ritual of death superimposing the funeral march from Beethoven's Eroica Symphony on the famous Lament from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Netherlands Wind Ensemble Lucas Vis (conductor) Bart Schneemann (conductor) Louis Andriessen: De staat Steve Martland: Beat the Retreat Cornelis de Bondt: Doors Closed (London premiere). The Netherlands Wind Ensemble in music by Andriessen, Steve Martland and Cornelis de Bondt | |
2009 | 59A | Schubert, Mahler, Part 1 * | 20090829 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Rob Cowan. David Zinman and his Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich open with the overture Schubert published as part of his incidental music to Helmina von Chezy's play Rosamunde. American soprano Dawn Upshaw is the soloist in Osvaldo Golijov's She Was Here, an intense exploration of loss and consolation in which the Argentinian-born composer seeks to find a contemporary resonance within four iconic Schubert songs. Dawn Upshaw (soprano) Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich David Zinman (conductor) Schubert: Overture (Rosamunde) Schubert/Osvaldo Golijov: She Was Here (UK premiere). Schubert: Overture (Rosamunde), Osvaldo Golijov: She Was Here. | |
2009 | 59B | Schubert, Mahler, Part 2 * | 20090829 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Rob Cowan. Conductor David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich portray an angel's-eye view of Heaven in Mahler's Fourth Symphony with soloist Dawn Upshaw. Dawn Upshaw (soprano) Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich David Zinman (conductor) Mahler: Symphony No 4 in G. Soloist Dawn Upshaw and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich/David Zinman in Mahler's Fourth Symphony | |
2009 | 60A | Vivier, Ravel, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, Part 1 * | 20090830 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Donald Macleod. The programme begins with an exotic work composed in 1979 by the Frenchman Claude Vivier. Huge orchestral forces conjure up the immensity of the cosmos, and the piece suggests that human nature is just as vast and unfathomable. The brilliant, mercurial pianist Martha Argerich returns to the Proms, playing Ravel's jazz-inspired concerto. Martha Argerich (piano) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Charles Dutoit (conductor) Vivier: Orion Ravel: Piano Concerto in G. RPO/Charles Dutoit. Claude Vivier: Orion. Ravel: Piano Concerto in G with Martha Argerich. | |
2009 | 60B | Vivier, Ravel, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, Part 2 * | 20090830 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Donald Macleod presents the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Charles Dutoit (conductor) Prokofiev: Suite (The Love for Three Oranges) Mussorgsky, orch. Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition. Charles Dutoit conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Prokofiev and Mussorgsky. | |
2009 | 61A | Sibelius, Duparc, Ravel, Part 1 * | 20090831 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Mariss Jansons conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Sibelius's Symphony No 1. Sibelius stopped composing decades before his death. However, the seven symphonies he left place him securely among the greatest symphonists of the 20th century. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Mariss Jansons (conductor) Sibelius: Symphony No 1 in E minor. | |
2009 | 61B | Sibelius, Duparc, Ravel, Part 2 * | 20090831 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Mariss Jansons conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in some of Duparc's finest songs. Upon his death Duparc left just 13 songs, yet each is a gem of textual subtlety and melodic inspiration; lustrous-toned Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kozena sings her own selection. Ravel's pastoral ballet Daphnis et Chloe, commissioned by Diaghilev in 1909, the year he met Stravinsky, is based on an ancient erotic novel. The second suite begins with a sunrise and ends in an orgy. Magdalena Kozena (mezzo-soprano) Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Mariss Jansons (conductor) Duparc: L'invitation au voyage; Extase (orch. Pierre de Breville); Le manoir de Rosemonde; Chanson triste; Phidyle Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Suite No 2. RCO/Mariss Jansons in Duparc: selection of songs and Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe Suite No 2. | |
2009 | 62A | Haydn, Shostakovich, Part 1 * | 20090901 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Mariss Jansons and his Dutch orchestra perform Haydn's Military Symphony, composed on his second visit to London in 1794-95, at a time when England and Holland were allied with Austria against republican France. According to an early review, the slow movement - graphically portraying 'the hellish roar of war increase to a climax of horrid sublimity' - was greeted with repeated cries of 'Encore! in which the Ladies themselves could not forbear to join.' Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Mariss Jansons (conductor) Haydn Symphony No 100 in G (Military). Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Mariss Jansons in Haydn: Symphony No 100 in G (Military). | |
2009 | 62B | Haydn, Shostakovich, Part 2 * | 20090901 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra's second Prom of the 2009 season concludes with a performance of Shostakovich's Tenth, one of the composer's most popular symphonies, and a favourite of conductor Mariss Jansons. The work intertwines the composer's personal motto theme with that of a student with whom he was infatuated. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Mariss Jansons (conductor) Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 in E minor. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Mariss Jansons in Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 in E minor. | |
2009 | 63A | Xenakis, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Part 1 | 20090902 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Christopher Cook. The BBC Symphony Orchestra perform Xenakis's Nomos Gamma, with 98 players dispersed among the audience in the arena, including eight percussionists. The transience of life and the finality of death are then confronted in Rachmaninov's evocative Stygian tone poem The Isle of the Dead, composed in 1909. Leigh Melrose (baritone) Colin Currie (percussion) BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson (conductor) Xenakis: Nomos Gamma Rachmaninov: The Isle of the Dead. | |
2009 | 63B | Xenakis, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Part 2 | 20090902 | The BBC Symphony Orchestra perform Xenakis's Ais, a work confronting the transience of life and the finality of death. A searing setting of ancient Greek texts by Homer and Sappho, with a wildly wide-ranging vocal line of powerful elemental utterances, it features a solo percussionist pitted against the orchestra. The concert concludes with Shostakovich's Ninth Symphony from 1945, a work that seems almost to laugh off the horrors of war. Leigh Melrose (baritone) Colin Currie (percussion) BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson (conductor) Xenakis: Ais Shostakovich: Symphony No 9 in E flat. BBC Symphony Orchestra/David Robertson in Xenakis: Ais and Shostakovich: Symphony No 9. | |
2009 | 64A | Ibert, Debussy, Mozart, Zimmermann, Brahms, Part 1 | 20090903 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. A mixed programme of colourful orchestral works and brilliant piano showpieces, featuring Ibert's Bacchanale followed by Debussy's Jeux - depicting a game of tennis. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Tamara Stefanovich (pianos) London Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Jurowski (conductor) Ibert: Bacchanale Debussy: Jeux. London Philharmonic/Vladimir Jurowski in Ibert: Bacchanale. | |
2009 | 64B | Ibert, Debussy, Mozart, Zimmermann, Brahms, Part 2 | 20090903 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. A mixed programme of colourful orchestral works and brilliant piano showpieces continues with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Tamara Stefanovich joining forces to perform Mozart's Sonata and Zimmermann's Dialoge. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Tamara Stefanovich (pianos) London Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Jurowski (conductor) Mozart: Sonata in D for two pianos, K448 Zimmerman: Dialoge. Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Tamara Stefanovich in Mozart: Sonata, K448; Zimmerman: Dialoge. | |
2009 | 64C | Ibert, Debussy, Mozart, Zimmermann, Brahms, Part 3 | 20090903 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch. A mixed programme of colourful orchestral works and brilliant piano showpieces concludes with Brahms' First Symphony, a work composed under the shadow of Beethoven. London Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Jurowski (conductor) Brahms: Symphony No 1 in C minor. The London Philharmonic under Vladimir Jurowski perfom Brahms' Symphony No 1 in C minor. | |
2009 | 65A | Ligeti, Mahler, Schoenberg, Strauss, Part 1 | 20090904 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. Rising star conductor Jonathan Nott and one of the world's top youth orchestras, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, in Ligeti's haunting Atmospheres - a work made famous by Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is followed by Mahler's poignant Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children), featuring baritone Matthias Goerne, and Schoenberg's ground-breaking Five Orchestral Pieces, premiered at the Proms in 1912 by Henry Wood. Matthias Goerne (baritone) Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester Jonathan Nott (conductor) Ligeti: Atmospheres Mahler: Kindertotenlieder Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces, Op 16. | |
2009 | 65B | Ligeti, Mahler, Schoenberg, Strauss, Part 2 | 20090904 | Jonathan Nott conducts one of the world's top youth orchestras, the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, in Richard Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, a work inspired by the philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, and famously, used by Stanley Kubrick to accompany images of space in his film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Matthias Goerne (baritone) Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester Jonathan Nott (conductor) Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra. | |
2009 | 66 | Nash Ensemble | 20090904 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Verity Sharp. The Nash Ensemble and Diego Masson celebrate the 80th birthday of American composer George Crumb with three hauntingly beautiful pieces. To mark the 40th anniversary of the first manned mission to the moon, mezzo-soprano Hilary Summers sings Night of the Four Moons, a work composed by Crumb during the Apollo 11 flight. Crumb often incorporates theatre into his work and Vox balaenae (Voice of the Whale) draws inspiration from the songs of humpback whales for which the three performers on stage are required to wear masks to efface their human presence. Soprano Claire Booth leads a septet of performers in Ancient Voices of Children, a highly expressive cycle set to verses by Federico Garcia Lorca. Claire Booth (soprano) Hilary Summers (mezzo-soprano) Nash Ensemble Diego Masson (conductor) George Crumb: Night of the Four Moons; Vox balaenae (Voice of the Whale); Ancient Voices of Children. Nash Ensemble in Crumb: Night of the Four Moons; Vox balaenae; Ancient Voices of Children. | |
2009 | 67A | Janacek, Mccabe, Dvorak, Part 1 | 20090905 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Louise Fryer. Forest life abounds in this concert. Janacek's opera The Cunning Little Vixen was based on a newspaper comic-strip adventure, a story of forest-dwellers both animal and human, and nature's ever-turning circle of life and death. Some of Janacek's most engaging and luminous music was selected by the Czech conductor Vaclav Talich and re-orchestrated to form this suite. John Mccabe celebrates his 70th birthday in 2009, and the Proms marks it with a performance of his Horn Concerto, commissioned by the BBC in 2007. The soloist is David Pyatt, a past principal horn with the BBC NOW. It is a work infused with the shifting moods and smoky lines of West Coast jazz, but there is also a contrast between urban up-tempo sections and the slower pace of the rainforest soundscapes that open and close the concerto. David Pyatt (horn) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Jac Van Steen (conductor) Janacek, arr. Talich: The Cunning Little Vixen (suite) John Mccabe: Horn Concerto (Rainforest IV). BBC NOW/Jac Van Steen. Janacek: The Cunning Little Vixen (suite). McCabe: Horn Concerto. | |
2009 | 67B | Janacek, Mccabe, Dvorak, Part 2 | 20090905 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Louise Fryer. Dvorak wrote his Ninth Symphony during a three-year stay in New York during the 1890s. He wrote the title 'From the New World' himself on the front page of the score, and declared that it was in the spirit of Negro and Red Indian folk music. Dvorak stopped short of using any actual American melodies, but it is often said that the spiritual Swing low, sweet chariot appears tantalisingly close on the flute in the first movement. It is also undeniable that in his Ninth Symphony Dvorak is longing for his native Czech heritage and its Bohemian melodies. BBC National Orchestra of Wales Jac Van Steen (conductor) Dvorak: Symphony No 9 (From the New World). BBC NOW/Jac Van Steen in Dvorak's Symphony No 9 (From the New World). | |
2009 | 68A | Handel, Part 1 | 20090906 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. Baroque music specialist Nicholas McGegan is at the helm of this large-scale performance of Handel's most celebrated oratorio, Messiah. This is the climax of the Proms commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. The Northern Sinfonia is joined by over 200 young voices from across the UK and a distinguished cast of soloists. Handel: Messiah (Part 1) Dominique Labelle (soprano) Patricia Bardon (mezzo-soprano) John Mark Ainsley (tenor) Matthew Rose (bass) City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus Halle Youth Choir National Youth Choir of Great Britain National Youth Choir of Wales Quay Voices (The Sage Gateshead) RSCM Millennium Youth Choir Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir Northern Sinfonia Nicholas McGegan (conductor). Nicholas McGegan directs Handel's most celebrated oratorio, Messiah (Part 1). | |
2009 | 68B | Handel, Part 2 | 20090906 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Penny Gore. The second half of the large-scale performance of Handel's Messiah, directed by Nicholas McGegan. Handel: Messiah (Parts 2 and 3) Dominique Labelle (soprano) Patricia Bardon (mezzo-soprano) John Mark Ainsley (tenor) Matthew Rose (bass) City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus Halle Youth Choir National Youth Choir of Great Britain National Youth Choir of Wales Quay Voices (The Sage Gateshead) RSCM Millennium Youth Choir Scunthorpe Co-operative Junior Choir Northern Sinfonia Nicholas McGegan (conductor). Nicholas McGegan directs Parts 2 and 3 of the large-scale performance of Handel's Messiah. | |
2009 | 70A | Mendelssohn, Maxwell Davies, Sibelius, Part 1 * | 20090908 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Suzy Klein. A long-time resident of the Orkney Islands, master of the Queen's music Peter Maxwell Davies celebrates his 75th birthday by conducting Mendelssohn's sea-sprayed Hebridean overture and the UK premiere of his own new violin concerto, inspired by traditional Orkney folk and fiddle music. It was written for the soloist, Daniel Hope, and commissioned by Mendelssohn's own orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, who gave the work's premiere. Daniel Hope (violin) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Peter Maxwell Davies (conductor) Mendelssohn: Overture (The Hebrides) Peter Maxwell Davies: Violin Concerto No 2 (Fiddler on the Shore) - UK premiere. The Royal Philharmonic/Peter Maxwell Davies in music by Mendelssohn and Maxwell Davies. | |
2009 | 70B | Mendelssohn, Maxwell Davies, Sibelius, Part 2 * | 20090908 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Suzy Klein. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's permanent guest conductor Garry Walker makes his debut at the Proms in a performance of Sibelius' surging 'swan hymn' symphony. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Garry Walker (conductor) Sibelius: Symphony No 5 in E flat. The Royal Philharmonic under Garry Walker performs Sibelius' Symphony No 5 in E flat. | |
2009 | 71 | * | 20090908 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. A performance of two of Peter Maxwell Davies' most important choral works. Westerlings imagines the early Norse settlers colonising Orkney in the 8th century. In one of the most virtuosic works in the entire choral repertoire, George Mackay Brown's poems are set alongside wordless seascapes, creating an enormously atmospheric piece which vividly evokes the cold and wet and hardships endured by the settlers rowing their longboats across the waters from Scandinavia. Sightings of whales and fish, waves and birds, culminate at landfall in a haunting setting of the Lord's Prayer, sung in the old Norse of ancient Orkney. This is followed by another piece with powerfully Orcadian roots - Solstice of Light, for chorus, organ and solo tenor - which sets more words by Brown, charting the whole history of the Orkney archipelago. It begins as the islands first emerge from seas and ice, then describes the prehistoric builders of cairns and stone circles; the Celtic men and women who bring a religion of dance and light; Viking marauders who murder the islands' own saint, Magnus; and finally the story is brought into our own times to those who would despoil the Orkneys in search of oil, minerals and uranium. Ed Lyon (tenor) David Goode (organ) BBC Singers David Hill (conductor) Peter Maxwell Davies: Westerlings; Solstice of Light. A performance of Peter Maxwell Davies' choral works Westerlings and Solstice of Light. | |
2009 | 72A | Mendelssohn, Read Thomas, Beethoven, Part 1 * | 20090909 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Andrew Mcgregor. The BBC Symphony Orchestra performs Mendelssohn's magical overture that he wrote at the age of only 17, coupled with extracts from his later incidental music to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Augusta Read Thomas's new Violin Concerto No 3, subtitled Juggler in Paradise, is intended to suggest or invoke the image of the violin's role. The soloist plays a rhapsodic cadenza throughout, making a path through rich orchestral textures dominated by a pointillistic paradise of bell sounds. Jennifer Koh (violin) BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream - Overture and incidental music Augusta Read Thomas: Violin Concerto No 3 - Juggler in Paradise (BBC co-commission). BBC SO/Belohlavek in Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream. Thomas: Violin Concerto No 3. | |
2009 | 72B | Mendelssohn, Read Thomas, Beethoven, Part 2 * | 20090909 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Andrew Mcgregor. The BBC SO's chief conductor Jiri Belohlavek takes the orchestra on a Beethovenian tour of the Austrian countryside. BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) Beethoven: Symphony No 6 in F (Pastoral). BBC Symphony Orchestra/Jiri Belohlavek performs Beethoven's Symphony No 6 in F (Pastoral). | |
2009 | 73A | Haydn, Schubert, Part 1 * | 20090910 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Franz Welser-Most conducts the incomparable Vienna Philharmonic in the 2009 season's last symphony by the father of the form, 'Papa' Haydn. One of the first set of 12 London Symphonies, No 97 was composed and premiered during Haydn's first visit to England in 1791-2. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Franz Welser-Most (conductor) Haydn: Symphony No 97 in C. Franz Welser-Most conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Haydn's Symphony No 97 in C. | |
2009 | 73B | Haydn, Schubert, Part 2 * | 20090910 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. The Vienna Philharmonic under Franz Welser-Most performs Schubert's Great Symphony in C, which was only ever given a rough run-through in Vienna during the composer's all-too-short lifetime. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Franz Welser-Most (conductor) Schubert: Symphony No 9 in C (Great). The Vienna Philharmonic under Franz Welser-Most performs Schubert's Great Symphony in C. | |
2009 | 74A | R Strauss, Brahms, Part 1 * | 20090911 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. The Vienna Philharmonic is conducted by its distinguished long-term associate and honorary member Zubin Mehta. Together they perfom Webern's late Romantic-influenced Passacaglia before Strauss' quintessentially quixotic set of 'fantastic variations on a theme of knightly character'. Christian Frohn (viola) Tamas Varga (cello) Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Zubin Mehta (conductor) Webern: Passacaglia, Op 1 R Strauss: Don Quixote. Vienna Philharmonic/Zubin Mehta in Strauss' Don Quixote and Webern's Passacaglia. | |
2009 | 74B | R Strauss, Brahms, Part 2 * | 20090911 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Zubin Mehta conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Brahms' final symphony, which ends in a vast set of variations - his gloriously late-Romantic take on a Baroque-style passacaglia, using a theme borrowed from a Bach cantata. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Zubin Mehta (conductor) Brahms: Symphony No 4 in E minor. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Zubin Mehta in Brahms' Symphony No 4 in E minor. | |
2009 | 75 | * | 20090911 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Verity Sharp. East meets West as cellist Yo-Yo Ma returns with his cross-cultural Silk Road Ensemble, after their successful Proms debut in 2004, with more from this truly mesmerising musical journey - a mix of traditional and contemporary flavours, inspired by the ancient trade route which united China and Europe. Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma Various composers: Silk Road Suite Giovanni Sollima: The Taranta Project Angel Lam: Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain Trad, arr. Li Cang Sang and Wu Tong: Ambush from Ten Sides. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble perform contemporary and traditional music. | |
2009 | 76A | Last Night Of The Proms, Part 1 * | 20090912 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sean Rafferty. Proms-featured pianist Stephen Hough joins Sean in the Radio 3 box for the traditional Last Night festivities, led for the first time by David Robertson, principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The programme includes music by some of Radio 3's Composers of the Year: a concerto by Haydn, played by former New Generation Artist Alison Balsom and a famous lament by Purcell, sung by Sarah Connolly. There is also Oliver Knussen's Flourish, sparked by Stravinsky's Fireworks from the First Night. Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano) Alison Balsom (trumpet) BBC Singers BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson (conductor) Oliver Knussen: Flourish with Fireworks Purcell, arr. Henry Wood: New Suite Purcell: Thy hand, Belinda...When I am laid in Earth (Dido's Lament); With drooping wings ye cupids come (Dido and Aeneas) Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E flat Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Villa-Lobos: Choros No 10 (Rasga o Coracao). David Robertson conducts the Last Night festivities. Music is from Purcell, Haydn, Mahler. | |
2009 | 76B | Last Night Of The Proms, Part 2 * | 20090912 | From the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sean Rafferty. Proms-featured pianist Stephen Hough joins Sean in the Radio 3 box for Part 2 of the traditional Last Night festivities, led for the first time by David Robertson, principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The programme concludes with orchestral fireworks by Handel, new fanfares specially-written by six young Proms Inspire composers for a special link-up with the Proms in the Parks events around the UK. And there is fun and games in memory of Gerard Hoffnung, with Malcom Arnold's uproarious piece that includes vacuum cleaners, floor polishers and rifles. Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano) Alison Balsom (trumpet) BBC Singers BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson (conductor) Arnold: A Grand, Grand Overture Ketelbey: In a Monastery Garden Piazzolla: Libertango Gershwin, arr. Barry Forgie: Shall We Dance - They can't take that away from me (BBC commission: world premiere) BBC Proms Inspire composers: Fireworks Fanfares (BBC commission: world premiere) Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks - excerpts Arne, arr. Sargent: Rule, Britannia! Parry: Jerusalem Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 The National Anthem. Sean Rafferty presents the conclusion of the traditional Last Night festivities. | |
2010 | 01 | Mahler - Symphony No. 8 (symphony Of A Thousand) | 20100716 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. Mahler's spectacular 'Symphony of a Thousand' launches the 2010 BBC Proms. "Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound. There are no longer human voices, but planets and suns revolving." So Mahler described his Eighth Symphony, which tonight 100 years after its premiere and 150 years after the composer's birth, will raise the roof of the Royal Albert Hall. Setting a hymn to the divine creative spirit alongside words from the closing scene of Goethe's Faust the symphony expresses the idea of redemption through the power of love. To do this Mahler uses huge forces: eight vocal soloists, a large orchestra and massed adult and children's choirs, tonight including choristers from three of London's great cathedrals, and choirs from Crouch End to Sydney including the BBC's own Symphony Chorus. It's a celebratory start to two months of music making at the world's greatest music festival and a tribute to the Proms founder and conductor - Sir Henry Wood - who gave the work its UK premiere 80 years ago. Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, 'Symphony of a Thousand' Mardi Byers (soprano) Twyla Robinson (soprano) Malin Christensson (soprano) Stephanie Blythe (mezzo-soprano) Kelley O'Connor (mezzo-soprano) Nikolai Schukoff (tenor) Hanno Muller-Brachmann (baritone) Tomasz Konieczny (bass) Choristers of St Paul's Cathedral Choristers of Westminster Abbey Choristers of Westminster Cathedral BBC Symphony Chorus Crouch End Festival Chorus Sydney Philharmonia Choirs BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Monday 19th July at 2pm. Mahler's Eighth Symphony launches the 2010 Proms Season from the Royal Albert Hall. | |
2010 | 02A | Wagner - The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg, Part 1 | 20100717 | Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Suzy Klein. Welsh National Opera brings its new production of Wagner's Mastersingers of Nuremberg to the Royal Albert Hall, and the celebrated bass-baritone Bryn Terfel makes his debut in the role of Hans Sachs, the shoemaker and poet at the heart of this monumental work - part comedy, part love story, part meditation on the transformative power of art. In 16th-century Nuremberg, the Mastersingers are a highly influential guild of singers who meet for an annual singing competition - a challenge requiring a high level of technical expertise, and rewarded by a coveted prize. For the forthcoming competition, the goldsmith, Pogner, offers an extra prize - the hand in marriage of his daughter, Eva. Into the town comes a young knight, Walther, with no experience in the craft of singing, but he falls instantly in love with Eva. He performs a song for a chance to enter the competition, but is judged to be unworthy by the pedantic town clerk, Beckmesser, who is also keen to win Eva's hand. Hans Sachs is the only member of the establishment willing to listen to the newcomer and to give him a chance in his quest. Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Act I) c.5.30pm Interval c.5.55pm Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Act II) c.7.00pm c.8.00pm Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Act III) Hans Sachs....Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Walther von Stoltzing....Raymond Very (tenor) Eva....Amanda Roocroft (soprano) Beckmesser....Christopher Purves (baritone) David....Andrew Tortise (tenor) Pogner....Brindley Sherratt (bass) Magdalene....Anna Burford (mezzo-soprano) Nightwatchman....David Soar (bass-baritone) Kothner....Simon Thorpe (bass/baritone) Nachtigall....David Stout (baritone) Schwartz....Paul Hodges (baritone) Zorn....Rhys Meirion (tenor) Eisslinger....Andrew Rees (tenor) Moser....Stephen Rooke (tenor) Foltz....Arwel Huw Morgan (bass-baritone) Vogelgesang....Geraint Dodd (tenor) Ortel....Owen Webb (baritone) Chorus and Orchestra of Welsh National Opera Lothar Koenigs (conductor). Welsh National Opera performs Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremberg. | |
2010 | 02B | Wagner - The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg, Part 2 | 20100717 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Suzy Klein. Welsh National Opera brings its new production of Wagner's Mastersingers of Nuremberg to the Royal Albert Hall, and the celebrated bass-baritone Bryn Terfel makes his debut in the role of Hans Sachs, the shoemaker and poet at the heart of this monumental work - part comedy, part love story, part meditation on the transformative power of art. In 16th-century Nuremberg, the Mastersingers are a highly influential guild of singers who meet for an annual singing competition - a challenge requiring a high level of technical expertise, and rewarded by a coveted prize. For the forthcoming competition, the goldsmith, Pogner, offers an extra prize - the hand in marriage of his daughter, Eva. Into the town comes a young knight, Walther, with no experience in the craft of singing, but he falls instantly in love with Eva. He performs a song for a chance to enter the competition, but is judged to be unworthy by the pedantic town clerk, Beckmesser, who is also keen to win Eva's hand. Hans Sachs is the only member of the establishment willing to listen to the newcomer and to give him a chance in his quest. Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Act I) c.5.30pm Interval c.5.55pm Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Act II) c.7.00pm c.8.00pm Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Act III) Hans Sachs....Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Walther von Stoltzing....Raymond Very (tenor) Eva....Amanda Roocroft (soprano) Beckmesser....Christopher Purves (baritone) David....Andrew Tortise (tenor) Pogner....Brindley Sherratt (bass) Magdalene....Anna Burford (mezzo-soprano) Nightwatchman....David Soar (bass-baritone) Kothner....Simon Thorpe (bass/baritone) Nachtigall....David Stout (baritone) Schwartz....Paul Hodges (baritone) Zorn....Rhys Meirion (tenor) Eisslinger....Andrew Rees (tenor) Moser....Stephen Rooke (tenor) Foltz....Arwel Huw Morgan (bass-baritone) Vogelgesang....Geraint Dodd (tenor) Ortel....Owen Webb (baritone) Chorus and Orchestra of Welsh National Opera Lothar Koenigs (conductor). Welsh National Opera perform Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremberg. | |
2010 | 02C | Wagner - The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg, Part 3 | 20100717 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Suzy Klein. Welsh National Opera brings its new production of Wagner's Mastersingers of Nuremberg to the Royal Albert Hall, and the celebrated bass-baritone Bryn Terfel makes his debut in the role of Hans Sachs, the shoemaker and poet at the heart of this monumental work - part comedy, part love story, part meditation on the transformative power of art. In 16th-century Nuremberg, the Mastersingers are a highly influential guild of singers who meet for an annual singing competition - a challenge requiring a high level of technical expertise, and rewarded by a coveted prize. For the forthcoming competition, the goldsmith, Pogner, offers an extra prize - the hand in marriage of his daughter, Eva. Into the town comes a young knight, Walther, with no experience in the craft of singing, but he falls instantly in love with Eva. He performs a song for a chance to enter the competition, but is judged to be unworthy by the pedantic town clerk, Beckmesser, who is also keen to win Eva's hand. Hans Sachs is the only member of the establishment willing to listen to the newcomer and to give him a chance in his quest. Wagner: The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Act III) Hans Sachs....Bryn Terfel (bass-baritone) Walther von Stoltzing....Raymond Very (tenor) Eva....Amanda Roocroft (soprano) Beckmesser....Christopher Purves (baritone) David....Andrew Tortise (tenor) Pogner....Brindley Sherratt (bass) Magdalene....Anna Burford (mezzo-soprano) Nightwatchman....David Soar (bass-baritone) Kothner....Simon Thorpe (bass/baritone) Nachtigall....David Stout (baritone) Schwartz....Paul Hodges (baritone) Zorn....Rhys Meirion (tenor) Eisslinger....Andrew Rees (tenor) Moser....Stephen Rooke (tenor) Foltz....Arwel Huw Morgan (bass-baritone) Vogelgesang....Geraint Dodd (tenor) Ortel....Owen Webb (baritone) Chorus and Orchestra of Welsh National Opera Lothar Koenigs (conductor). Welsh National Opera performs Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremberg. | |
2010 | 03A | Simon Boccanegra, Part 1 | 20100718 | Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Donald Macleod. Classic Verdi themes are at the heart of his opera Simon Boccanegra: the clash of love and power, and an intense relationship between Boccanegra and his long-lost daughter Amelia. The Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has sung over 130 different operatic roles, which must be something of a record. But he had never sung a baritone role until a year ago, when he took on a part he had long wanted to play: Simon Boccanegra, the Doge of Genoa. 'Verdi didn't have any children,' says Domingo, 'and in any opera when you have the parts of father and daughter, he wrote his best music'. This Proms semi-staging is based on the Royal Opera House production by Elijah Moshinsky, with a starry cast conducted by the Music Director at Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano. Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Prologue and Act I) Simon Boccanegra....Placido Domingo (baritone) Amelia Grimaldi (Maria Boccanegra)....Marina Poplavskaya (soprano) Gabriele Adorno....Joseph Calleja (tenor) Jacopo Fiesco....Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass) Paolo Albiani....Jonathan Summers (baritone) Pietro....Lukas Jakobski (bass) Captain....Lee Hickenbottom (tenor) Maid....Louise Armit (mezzo-soprano) Royal Opera Chorus Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Antonio Pappano (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Tuesday 20 July at 2pm. Placido Domingo stars in Verdi's opera Simon Boccanegra, conducted by Antonio Pappano. | |
2010 | 03B | Simon Boccanegra, Part 2 | 20100718 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Donald Macleod. Classic Verdi themes are at the heart of his opera Simon Boccanegra: the clash of love and power, and an intense relationship between Boccanegra and his long-lost daughter Amelia. The Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has sung over 130 different operatic roles, which must be something of a record. But he had never sung a baritone role until a year ago, when he took on a part he had long wanted to play: Simon Boccanegra, the Doge of Genoa. 'Verdi didn't have any children,' says Domingo, 'and in any opera when you have the parts of father and daughter, he wrote his best music'. This Proms semi-staging is based on the Royal Opera House production by Elijah Moshinsky, with a starry cast conducted by the Music Director at Covent Garden, Antonio Pappano. Verdi: Simon Boccanegra (Acts II and III) Simon Boccanegra....Placido Domingo (baritone) Amelia Grimaldi (Maria Boccanegra)....Marina Poplavskaya (soprano) Gabriele Adorno....Joseph Calleja (tenor) Jacopo Fiesco....Ferruccio Furlanetto (bass) Paolo Albiani....Jonathan Summers (baritone) Pietro....Lukas Jakobski (bass) Captain....Lee Hickenbottom (tenor) Maid....Louise Armit (mezzo-soprano) Royal Opera Chorus Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Antonio Pappano (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Tuesday 20 July at 2pm. The conclusion of Verdi's opera Simon Boccanegra, with Placido Domingo in the title role. | |
2010 | 04A | Schumann, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Part 1 | 20100719 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Tom Service An evening of heady romanticism as Byron's tortured hero Manfred takes centre stage in tonight's performance by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Inspired by Lord Byron's dramatic poem, Schumann provided incidental music which captures the story's ghostly, brooding atmosphere, whilst Tchaikovsky wrote a symphony in the style of tone poem, one of his most highly charged and theatrical orchestral works. Guilt, death, religion and temptation are the Byronic themes depicted by both composers in their works, which arguably gave the moody protagonist much more fame than the original poem would have done alone. The RLPO is joined by Macedonian pianist and former Radio 3 New Generation Artist Simon Trpceski to perform the ever popular piano concerto No 2 by Rachmaninov. At the helm is Liverpool's own adopted hero Vassily Petrenko. Schumann, orch. Mahler: Manfred - overture Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Simon Trpceski (piano) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Wednesday 21st July at 2pm. The RLPO under Vassily Petrenko perform works by Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. | |
2010 | 04B | Schumann, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Part 2 | 20100719 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Tom Service An evening of heady romanticism as Byron's tortured hero Manfred takes centre stage in tonight's performance by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Inspired by Lord Byron's dramatic poem, Schumann provided incidental music which captures the story's ghostly, brooding atmosphere, whilst Tchaikovsky wrote a symphony in the style of tone poem, one of his most highly charged and theatrical orchestral works. Guilt, death, religion and temptation are the Byronic themes depicted by both composers in their works, which arguably gave the moody protagonist much more fame than the original poem would have done alone. The RLPO is joined by Macedonian pianist and former Radio 3 New Generation Artist Simon Trpceski to perform the ever popular piano concerto No 2 by Rachmaninov. At the helm is Liverpool's own adopted hero Vassily Petrenko. Tchaikovsky: Manfred Simon Trpceski (piano) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Wednesday 21st July at 2pm. Vassily Petrenko conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in Tchaikovsky's Manfred. | |
2010 | 05A | Wagner, Mendelssohn, Schuller, Part 1 | 20100720 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The Russian-born conductor Semyon Bychkov has been in charge of the West German Radio Orchestra, based in Cologne, for more than ten years now and their performances and recordings have been widely acclaimed. For tonight's Prom they are joined by the violinist Viviane Hagner for Mendelssohn's evergreen Violin Concerto. The programme begins with one of Wagner's most atmospheric operatic preludes and also includes a work by the veteran American composer Gunther Schuller. Finally, the orchestra performs one of Richard Strauss's most spectacularly colourful scores - his Alpine Symphony. Augmented by organ and an offstage band including twelve horns, Strauss's portrait of the mountain-climber's exhilarating day's adventure provides conductor and orchestra with a fearsome challenge of their own. Wagner: Lohengrin - Prelude (Act 1) Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 Gunther Schuller: Where the Word Ends (UK premiere) Viviane Hagner (violin) WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne Semyon Bychkov (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Thursday 22nd July at 2pm. Semyon Bychkov conducts the West German Radio Orchestra - music by Wagner and Strauss. | |
2010 | 05B | Wagner, Mendelssohn, Schuller, Part 2 | 20100720 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. The Russian-born conductor Semyon Bychkov has been in charge of the West German Radio Orchestra, based in Cologne, for more than ten years now and their performances and recordings have been widely acclaimed. For tonight's Prom they are joined by the violinist Viviane Hagner for Mendelssohn's evergreen Violin Concerto. The programme begins with one of Wagner's most atmospheric operatic preludes and also includes a work by the veteran American composer Gunther Schuller. Finally, the orchestra performs one of Richard Strauss's most spectacularly colourful scores - his Alpine Symphony. Augmented by organ and an offstage band including twelve horns, Strauss's portrait of the mountain-climber's exhilarating day's adventure provides conductor and orchestra with a fearsome challenge of their own. R Strauss: An Alpine Symphony Viviane Hagner (violin) WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne Semyon Bychkov (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Thursday 22nd July at 2pm. Semyon Bychkov conducts the West German Radio Orchestra - music by Wagner and Strauss. | |
2010 | 06A | Beethoven Piano Concertos 1, 4, Part 1 | 20100721 | Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham A Beethoven Night at the Proms. Distinguished pianist, Paul Lewis, launches his complete cycle of piano concertos with the exuberant First and the more introspective but still tensely dramatic Fourth. He is partnered by Jiri Belohlavek and the BBC Symphony Orchestra with whom he recently recorded all five concertos. And there is more characteristic Beethovenian drama with two heroic overtures: one battling against oppression and the other recounting the legend of the Creatures of Prometheus who were created with fire from the gods Beethoven: Overture 'Egmont' Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 1 in C major Paul Lewis (piano) BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (piano) This Prom will be repeated on Friday 23rd July at 2pm. Paul Lewis launches his complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Concertos. | |
2010 | 06B | Beethoven Piano Concertos 1, 4, Part 2 | 20100721 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham A Beethoven Night at the Proms. Distinguished pianist, Paul Lewis, launches his complete cycle of piano concertos with the exuberant First and the more introspective but still tensely dramatic Fourth. He is partnered by Jiri Belohlavek and the BBC Symphony Orchestra with whom he recently recorded all five concertos. And there is more characteristic Beethovenian drama with two heroic overtures: one battling against oppression and the other recounting the legend of the Creatures of Prometheus who were created with fire from the gods Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus - overture Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 4 in G major Paul Lewis (piano) BBC Symphony Orchestra Jiri Belohlavek (piano) This Prom will be repeated on Friday 23rd July at 2pm. Paul Lewis launches his complete cycle of Beethoven Piano Concertos. | |
2010 | 07 | Maria Joao Pires | 20100721 | Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Tom Service For such a huge venue - it holds almost six thousand people - the Royal Albert Hall can be amazingly intimate when the focus is on a single performer. What better way for the Proms to celebrate the 200th birthday this year of Frederic Chopin than with a late-night performance of his Nocturnes for solo piano, played by acclaimed Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires. Chopin: Nocturnes, op 9, nos. 1, 2 and 3 op 15, nos. op 27, nos. 1 and 2 op 62, nos. Lento con gran espressione, KK IVa No.16 'Nocturne' in C minor, KK IVb No.8 Maria Joao Pires (piano). The perfect late-night Prom: Portuguese pianist Maria Joao Pires plays Chopin's Nocturnes. | |
2010 | 08A | Britten, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Part 1 | 20100722 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Rob Cowan. Two immensely powerful pieces from World War II frame this concert, given by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Principal Conductor Thierry Fischer. Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto, by contrast, is witty and exuberant. In just a quarter of an hour it condenses a three movement concerto into just a single arch. As the Nazis invaded, Britten received an anonymous invitation from the Japanese government to write a work commemorating the founding of the Mikado dynasty 2600 years earlier. He completed his Sinfonia da Requiem the following year, but the Japanese government rejected it as inappropriate for their celebrations and too Christian in its nature. The work reflects the composer's feelings about the inhumanity of war and, based on the liturgy of the mass of the dead, he dedicated it to the memory of his parents. Shostakovich was rather closer to the action than Britten, when Russia entered the war against Germany, in 1941. He was in Leningrad where, between July and October, he witnessed first-hand the Nazis's siege of the city while he worked on his Seventh Symphony. "I was in no hurry to leave the city where a true fighting spirit reigned. Women, children and old people acted courageously. I will always remember the women of Leningrad who selflessly struggled to put out incendiary bombs.I worked day and night, I could hear ack-ack guns firing and shells exploding as I worked, but I never stopped writing." Prokofiev's concerto exploits the percussive potential of the piano, and in turn expresses his take on clean neo-classical lines, contrasted with tumbling leaps and richer more romantic textures, indebted to Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 1 in D flat major Alexander Toradze (piano) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Monday 26th July at 2pm. Thierry Fischer conducts Shostakovich's 7th Symphony dedicated to the siege of Leningrad. | |
2010 | 08B | Britten, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Part 2 | 20100722 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Rob Cowan. Two immensely powerful pieces from World War II frame this concert, given by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Principal Conductor Thierry Fischer. Prokofiev's First Piano Concerto, by contrast, is witty and exuberant. In just a quarter of an hour it condenses a three movement concerto into just a single arch. As the Nazis invaded, Britten received an anonymous invitation from the Japanese government to write a work commemorating the founding of the Mikado dynasty 2600 years earlier. He completed his Sinfonia da Requiem the following year, but the Japanese government rejected it as inappropriate for their celebrations and too Christian in its nature. The work reflects the composer's feelings about the inhumanity of war and, based on the liturgy of the mass of the dead, he dedicated it to the memory of his parents. Shostakovich was rather closer to the action than Britten, when Russia entered the war against Germany, in 1941. He was in Leningrad where, between July and October, he witnessed first-hand the Nazis's siege of the city while he worked on his Seventh Symphony. "I was in no hurry to leave the city where a true fighting spirit reigned. Women, children and old people acted courageously. I will always remember the women of Leningrad who selflessly struggled to put out incendiary bombs.I worked day and night, I could hear ack-ack guns firing and shells exploding as I worked, but I never stopped writing." Prokofiev's concerto exploits the percussive potential of the piano, and in turn expresses his take on clean neo-classical lines, contrasted with tumbling leaps and richer more romantic textures, indebted to Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Shostakovich: Symphony No 7 in C major, 'Leningrad' Alexander Toradze (piano) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Monday 26th July at 2pm. Thierry Fischer conducts Shostakovich's 7th Symphony dedicated to the siege of Leningrad. | |
2010 | 09A | Parry, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Part 1 | 20100723 | Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Petroc Trelawny Vassily Sinaisky, the BBC Philharmonic's Chief Guest Conductor, is a champion of both Russian and English repertoire, and this Prom draws these two passions together. The evening opens with the first Proms performance of Parry's Symphonic Fantasia, and closes with Tchaikovsky's swansong, his 'Pathetique' Symphony. Vassily Sinaisky admits "even though it is my favourite piece, I try not to conduct it too much, as every performance of it should be a special event". At the centre of the BBC Philharmonic's first appearance this season is Scriabin's Piano Concerto, with Argentinean soloist Nelson Goerner, whose performances of the great Romantic concertos are much admired. A relatively early work, the influence of Chopin on Scriabin's music can be clearly detected here. Parry: Symphonic Fantasia in B minor, '1912' (Symphony No. 5) Scriabin: Piano Concerto in F sharp minor Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, 'Pathetique' Nelson Goerner (piano) BBC Philharmonic Vassily Sinaisky (conductor). Nelson Goerner (piano), BBC Philharmonic conducted by Vassily Sinaisky in Parry, Scriabin. | |
2010 | 09B | Parry, Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Part 2 | 20100723 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Petroc Trelawny Vassily Sinaisky, the BBC Philharmonic's Chief Guest Conductor, is a champion of both Russian and English repertoire, and this Prom draws these two passions together. The evening opens with the first Proms performance of Parry's Symphonic Fantasia, and closes with Tchaikovsky's swansong, his 'Pathetique' Symphony. Vassily Sinaisky admits "even though it is my favourite piece, I try not to conduct it too much, as every performance of it should be a special event". At the centre of the BBC Philharmonic's first appearance this season is Scriabin's Piano Concerto, with Argentinean soloist Nelson Goerner, whose performances of the great Romantic concertos are much admired. A relatively early work, the influence of Chopin on Scriabin's music can be clearly detected here. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 6 in B minor, 'Pathetique' Nelson Goerner (piano) BBC Philharmonic Vassily Sinaisky (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Tuesday 27th July at 2pm. The BBC Philharmonic under Vassily Sinaisky perform Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony. | |
2010 | 12A | Schumann, J Strauss Ii, J Strauss I - Part 1 | 20100725 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch Schumann's lyrical Piano Concerto continues the season's bicentenary celebrations of the composer's birth. Conducted by Vassily Sinaisky, the BBC Philharmonic is joined by acclaimed pianist Christian Zacharias who is fascinated by Schumann's music. 'Schumann, of course, is not easy', says Zacharias. 'He has rhythmically intricate ideas which suggest one thing but which actually hide another', like the 'hidden waltz' of the finale. After the interval, the spirit of the traditional Proms Viennese night is revived, with a variety of classics from the Strauss family. Schumann: Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Op. 52 Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor Christian Zacharias (piano) BBC Philharmonic Vassily Sinaisky (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Wednesday 28th July at 2pm. Christian Zacharias (piano) and the BBC Philharmonic under Vassily Sinaisky in Schumann. | |
2010 | 12B | Schumann, J Strauss Ii, J Strauss I - Part 2 | 20100725 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch Schumann's lyrical Piano Concerto continues the season's bicentenary celebrations of the composer's birth. Conducted by Vassily Sinaisky, the BBC Philharmonic is joined by acclaimed pianist Christian Zacharias who is fascinated by Schumann's music. 'Schumann, of course, is not easy', says Zacharias. 'He has rhythmically intricate ideas which suggest one thing but which actually hide another', like the 'hidden waltz' of the finale. After the interval, the spirit of the traditional Proms Viennese night is revived, with a variety of classics from the Strauss family. Dvorak: Slavonic Dance in E minor Op 72 No 2 Johann Strauss II: Die Fledermaus - overture Thunder and Lightning - polka Emperor Waltz By the Beautiful Blue Danube - waltz Johann Strauss I: Radetzky March Christian Zacharias (piano) BBC Philharmonic Vassily Sinaisky (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Wednesday 28th July at 2pm. Viennese classics from the Strauss family performed by the BBC Philharmonic. | |
2010 | 13A | Cherubini, Schumann, Holt, Strauss - Part 1 | 20100726 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Suzy Klein Principal conductor Thierry Fischer directs the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a programme full of drama, excitement and the unexpected, opening with an overture of dark and stormy tensions. Schumann's optimistic first symphony then launches a complete cycle at the 2010 BBC Proms, marking the bicentenary of the composer's birth. Simon Holt's percussion concerto is scored for a collection of instruments laid out on a table, in much the same fashion that Holt's great uncle, a taxidermist, laid out the tools of his trade. Finally, music based on the exploits of a mischievous villain from German folklore. Merry Till Eulenspiegel cavorts through life, until he must answer for his crimes and trumpets and drums herald his journey to the scaffold, where his pranks are ended. Cherubini: Médée - overture Colin Currie (percussion) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Thursday 29th July at 2pm. Colin Currie (percussion) and BBC NOW under Thierry Fischer in Cherubini and Schumann. | |
2010 | 13B | Cherubini, Schumann, Holt, Strauss - Part 2 | 20100726 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Suzy Klein Principal conductor Thierry Fischer directs the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a programme full of drama, excitement and the unexpected, opening with an overture of dark and stormy tensions. Schumann's optimistic first symphony then launches a complete cycle at the 2010 BBC Proms, marking the bicentenary of the composer's birth. Simon Holt's percussion concerto is scored for a collection of instruments laid out on a table, in much the same fashion that Holt's great uncle, a taxidermist, laid out the tools of his trade. Finally, music based on the exploits of a mischievous villain from German folklore. Merry Till Eulenspiegel cavorts through life, until he must answer for his crimes and trumpets and drums herald his journey to the scaffold, where his pranks are ended. Simon Holt: a table of noises (London premiere) Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche Colin Currie (percussion) BBC National Orchestra of Wales Thierry Fischer (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Thursday 29th July at 2pm. The BBC NOW perform Simon Holt's percussion concerto and Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel. | |
2010 | 14A | Beethoven - Part 2 | 20100727 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham A welcome return to the Proms for this polished German chamber orchestra in the second of the season's Beethoven Nights which revive a tradition common during the first decades of the Proms. Tonight, Artistic Director Paavo Jarvi conducts three works by Beethoven beginning with his First Symphony in which he staked his claim as the rightful heir to the Classical symphonic tradition. The orchestra is joined by American soloist Hilary Hahn in the richly expressive Violin Concerto - a work whose technical difficulties make it a pinnacle of the violin repertoire. The programme concludes with the Fifth Symphony with its explosive opening four-note motive among the most recognised and arresting beginnings to any work of classical music. Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Hilary Hahn (violin) Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Paavo Järvi (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Friday 30th July at 2pm. Paavo Jarvi conducts Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in Beethoven's Symphony No 5. | |
2010 | 14B | Beethoven - Part 1 | 20100727 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham A welcome return to the Proms for this polished German chamber orchestra in the second of the season's Beethoven Nights which revive a tradition common during the first decades of the Proms. Tonight, Artistic Director Paavo Jarvi conducts three works by Beethoven beginning with his First Symphony in which he staked his claim as the rightful heir to the Classical symphonic tradition. The orchestra is joined by American soloist Hilary Hahn in the richly expressive Violin Concerto - a work whose technical difficulties make it a pinnacle of the violin repertoire. The programme concludes with the Fifth Symphony with its explosive opening four-note motive among the most recognised and arresting beginnings to any work of classical music. Beethoven: Symphony No 1 in C Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Hilary Hahn (violin) Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Paavo Jarvi (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Friday 30th July at 2pm. The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie under Paavo Jarvi in an all-Beethoven concert. | |
2010 | 16A | Wagner, Beethoven, Dvorak - Part 1 | 20100729 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham Pianist Paul Lewis continues his cycle of all five Beethoven piano concertos. Beethoven revised No 2 many times before it was published. He was developing the form and there is still a youthful feel about this concerto, looking back in style to Haydn and Mozart. The Beethoven concerto is framed by Wagner's lively overture to Rienzi, which opened the very first Prom in 1895, and the ever-popular New World Symphony by Dvorak. The CBSO is conducted by its Latvian Music Director Andris Nelsons. Wagner: Rienzi - overture Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat Paul Lewis (piano) City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Tuesday 3rd August at 2pm. Paul Lewis (piano) and the CBSO conducted by Andris Nelsons in Wagner and Beethoven. | |
2010 | 16B | Wagner, Beethoven, Dvorak - Part 2 | 20100729 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham Pianist Paul Lewis continues his cycle of all five Beethoven piano concertos. Beethoven revised No 2 many times before it was published. He was developing the form and there is still a youthful feel about this concerto, looking back in style to Haydn and Mozart. The Beethoven concerto is framed by Wagner's lively overture to Rienzi, which opened the very first Prom in 1895, and the ever-popular New World Symphony by Dvorak. The CBSO is conducted by its Latvian Music Director Andris Nelsons. Dvorak: Symphony No 9 in E minor 'From the New World' Paul Lewis (piano) City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Tuesday 3rd August at 2pm. Andris Nelsons conducts the CBSO in Dvorak's Symphony No 9 (From the New World). | |
2010 | 17 | Scottish Chamber Orchestra | 20100729 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Louise Fryer Douglas Boyd directs members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in two classics for wind ensemble. Dvorák: Serenade in D minor for winds, cello and double bass, Op. 44 Mozart: Serenade in B flat, K361 'Gran Partita' Scottish Chamber Orchestra Douglas Boyd (conductor). The Scottish Chamber Orchestra in two classics for wind ensemble by Dvorak and Mozart. | |
2010 | 18A | Dean, Mahler, Shostakovich - Part 1 | 20100730 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Tom Service Youth Orchestras have played an important part in the Proms for many years and the first of this year's visitors has travelled the furthest. The Australian Youth Orchestra brings with it music by its compatriot Brett Dean (who is also a former viola-player in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) and by Shostakovich. His powerful 10th Symphony includes coded references both to his own love for a young woman and also to the brutality of Josef Stalin, who had died in the year the symphony was composed. The orchestra and conductor Sir Mark Elder are also joined by the young Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova for some of Mahler's songs - settings of poems from the folk-based collection called Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth's Magic Horn). Brett Dean: Amphitheatre (London premiere) Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn - selection Ekaterina Gubanova (mezzo-soprano) The Australian Youth Orchestra Sir Mark Elder (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Wednesday 4th August at 2pm. Australian Youth Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder in works by Brett Dean and Mahler. | |
2010 | 18B | Dean, Mahler, Shostakovich - Part 2 | 20100730 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Tom Service Youth Orchestras have played an important part in the Proms for many years and the first of this year's visitors has travelled the furthest. The Australian Youth Orchestra brings with it music by its compatriot Brett Dean (who is also a former viola-player in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) and by Shostakovich. His powerful 10th Symphony includes coded references both to his own love for a young woman and also to the brutality of Josef Stalin, who had died in the year the symphony was composed. The orchestra and conductor Sir Mark Elder are also joined by the young Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova for some of Mahler's songs - settings of poems from the folk-based collection called Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth's Magic Horn). Brett Dean: Amphitheatre (London premiere) Shostakovich: Symphony No 10 in E minor Ekaterina Gubanova (mezzo-soprano) The Australian Youth Orchestra Sir Mark Elder (conductor) This Prom will be repeated on Wednesday 4th August at 2pm. Mark Elder conducts the Australian Youth Orchestra in Shostakovich's Symphony No 10. | |
2010 | 22A | Mozart, Ligeti, Ravel - Part 1 | 20100802 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Penny Gore The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Jonathan Nott present a typically wide-ranging programme placing contemporary works alongside classics of the repertoire and ending with three glittering showpieces by Ravel. Pierre Laurent Aimard plays an adventurous solo piece by Ligeti and concertos by Mozart and George Benjamin - the latter an exploration of the contrasting and complementary sounds that the piano and orchestra can make. Mozart: Piano Concerto No 27 in B flat, K595 Ligeti: Musica ricercata - No 2: Mesto, rigido e ceremoniale George Benjamin: Duet (London premiere) Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano BBC Symphony Orchestra Jonathan Nott, conductor This Prom will be repeated on Friday 6th August at 2pm. Jonathan Nott conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in music by Mozart, Ligeti and Benjamin. | |
2010 | 22B | Mozart, Ligeti, Ravel - Part 2 | 20100802 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Penny Gore The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Jonathan Nott present a typically wide-ranging programme placing contemporary works alongside classics of the repertoire and ending with three glittering showpieces by Ravel. Pierre Laurent Aimard plays an adventurous solo piece by Ligeti and concertos by Mozart and George Benjamin - the latter an exploration of the contrasting and complementary sounds that the piano and orchestra can make. Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales Ravel: Miroirs - Une barque sur l'ocean Ravel: La Valse Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano BBC Symphony Orchestra Jonathan Nott, conductor This Prom will be repeated on Friday 6th August at 2pm. Jonathan Nott conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in three pieces by Ravel. | |
2010 | 23A | Foulds, Vaughan Williams, Elgar - Part 1 | 20100803 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham Donald Runnicles makes his first Proms appearance as Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in an all-British programme featuring former BBC Young Musician of the Year Nicola Benedetti in her Prom debut. The concert features Vaughan Williams' choral masterpiece written for sixteen solo singers and orchestra as a tribute to Proms founder, Henry Wood. Tonight's performance showcases singers from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Foulds: Dynamic Triptych Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music Emily Mitchell, Natalie Montakhab, sopranos Jemma Brown, Beth Mackay, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, Lynda-Jane Workman, mezzo-sopranos Stephen Chambers, Warren Gillespie, John Pumphrey, Ronan Busfield, tenors James Birchall, Owain Browne, Michel de Souza, Ross McInroy, basses Ashley Wass, piano Nicola Benedetti, violin BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Donald Runnicles, conductor This Prom will be repeated on Monday 9th August at 2pm. Donald Runnicles makes his first Proms appearance as Chief Conductor of the BBC SSO. | |
2010 | 23B | Foulds, Vaughan Williams, Elgar - Part 2 | 20100803 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham Donald Runnicles makes his first Proms appearance as Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in an all-British programme featuring former BBC Young Musician of the Year Nicola Benedetti in her Prom debut. The concert features Vaughan Williams' choral masterpiece written for sixteen solo singers and orchestra as a tribute to Proms founder, Henry Wood. Tonight's performance showcases singers from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending Elgar: Symphony No.1 in A flat major Elin Pritchard, Marie Claire Breen, Emily Mitchell, Natalie Montakhab, sopranos Jemma Brown, Beth Mackay, Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, Lynda-Jane Workman, mezzo-sopranos Stephen Chambers, Warren Gillespie, John Pumphrey, Ronan Busfield, tenors James Birchall, Owain Browne, Michel de Souza, Ross McInroy, basses Ashley Wass, piano Nicola Benedetti, violin BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Donald Runnicles, conductor This Prom will be repeated on Monday 9th August at 2pm. Donald Runnicles makes his first Proms appearance as Chief Conductor of the BBC SSO. | |
2010 | 24 | Bbcsso/runnicles (2) | 20100804 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Donald Macleod Chief conductor Donald Runnicles teams up once again at the Proms with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Scottish mezzo Karen Cargill to perform Mahler's massive Third Symphony. The composer himself wrote 'My symphony will be something such as the world has not had before! The whole of Nature finds a voice.' The Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus are joined by the ladies of the Edinburgh Festival chorus to create the sound world of bells and an angelic choir before the symphony reaches its radiant conclusion. Mahler: Symphony No.3 in D minor Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano Edinburgh Festival Chorus (women's voices) Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Donald Runnicles, conductor. The BBC SSO and Donald Runnicles perform Mahler's expansive Third Symphony. | |
2010 | 25 | Bbc Singers/london Sinfonietta | 20100804 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Louise Fryer This Late Night Prom pairs music by Igor Stravinsky with one of the composers he most admired - J S Bach. At the heart of the concert the two composers overlap in Stravinsky's orchestral arrangement of one of the Bach's masterpieces: the great Canonic Variations on "Vom Himmel Hoch", in which he subjects a Lutheran Christmas hymn to a staggering array of blindingly clever techniques - but all-the-while producing music so charming and fluent that the unsuspecting listener would never know what was going on below the surface. The concert ends with a work by Stravinsky which, like Bach's, combines austerity with a deeply-felt spirituality: Threni - setting words from the Biblical Lamentations of Jeremiah. Bach: Chorale "Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein" Bach: Canonic Variations on "Von Himmel hoch" BWV769 Bach arr. Stravinsky: Chorale Variations on "Von Himmel hoch" BWV 769 Stravinsky: Threni Elizabeth Atherton, soprano Hilary Summers, mezzo-soprano Alan Oke, tenor Andrew Kennedy, tenor David Wilson-Johnson, baritone Sir John Tomlinson, bass Daniel Hyde, organ BBC Singers London Sinfonietta David Atherton, conductor. The BBC Singers and the London Sinfonietta perform music by Stravinsky and JS Bach. | |
2010 | 26A | Mahler: Symphonies Nos 4 And 5 - Part 1 | 20100805 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Andrew Mcgregor Valery Gergiev makes the first of his two appearances this season conducting the World Orchestra for Peace, an ensemble of first-rate players from around the world, in two symphonies by Mahler whose 150th anniversary it is. The often child-like innocence of the Fourth is followed by the funereal, stormy and ultimately life-affirming Fifth. Mahler: Symphony No.4 in G major Camilla Tilling, soprano World Orchestra for Peace Valery Gergiev, conductor This Prom will be repeated on Tuesday 10th August at 2pm. Valery Gergiev conducts the World Orchestra for Peace in Mahler's Symphony No 4 in G. | |
2010 | 26B | Mahler: Symphonies Nos 4 And 5 - Part 2 | 20100805 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Andrew Mcgregor Valery Gergiev makes the first of his two appearances this season conducting the World Orchestra for Peace, an ensemble of first-rate players from around the world, in two symphonies by Mahler whose 150th anniversary it is. The often child-like innocence of the Fourth is followed by the funereal, stormy and ultimately life-affirming Fifth. Mahler: Symphony No.5 in C sharp minor Camilla Tilling, soprano World Orchestra for Peace Valery Gergiev, conductor This Prom will be repeated on Tuesday 10th August at 2pm. Valery Gergiev conducts the World Orchestra for Peace in Mahler's Fifth Symphony. | |
2010 | 49 | A Celebration Of Rodgers And Hammerstein | 20100822 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Petroc Trelawny Kim Criswell heads the cast marking the 50th anniversary of the death of American lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. With the John Wilson Orchestra under John Wilson they perform a glorious medley of songs from the evergreen musicals Hammerstein wrote with composer Richard Rodgers, the Waltz king of the musical. From the ground-breaking scores of Oklahoma! and the dark-themed Carousel, to the family favourites - The King and I and The Sound of Music. Musicals expert John Wilson conducts the lushly-scored movie orchestrations. Featuring excerpts from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song and The Sound of Music. Kim Criswell, Sierra Bogess, Julian Ovenden, Anna-Jane Casey and Rod Gilfry, vocalists Maida Vale Singers John Wilson Orchestra John Wilson, conductor. John Wilson conducts his orchestra in a celebration of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals. | |
2010 | 50A | Mozart, Bartok, Haydn - Part 1 | 20100822 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Louise Fryer The BBC Symphony Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor, David Robertson, makes the first of two appearances this season. Between Mozart's final operatic overture and the most determinedly optimistic of Haydn's 'London' symphonies come two contrasting works by Bartók: the unusually mellow and good-humoured Piano Concerto No. 3, featuring distinguished pianist Richard Goode, and the compact burst of fierce vocal virtuosity in which Bartók retells the Romanian coming-of-age parable of nine young hunters fleeing their roost. Mozart: The Magic Flute - Overture Bartók: Piano Concerto No.3 Richard Goode, piano Nicholas Phan, tenor Ashley Holland, baritone BBC Singers BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson, conductor. The BBC Symphony Orchestra under David Robertson performs music by Mozart and Bartok. | |
2010 | 50B | Mozart, Bartok, Haydn - Part 2 | 20100822 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Louise Fryer The BBC Symphony Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor, David Robertson, makes the first of two appearances this season. Between Mozart's final operatic overture and the most determinedly optimistic of Haydn's 'London' symphonies come two contrasting works by Bartók: the unusually mellow and good-humoured Piano Concerto No. 3, featuring distinguished pianist Richard Goode, and the compact burst of fierce vocal virtuosity in which Bartók retells the Romanian coming-of-age parable of nine young hunters fleeing their roost. Bartók: Cantata profana Haydn: Symphony No.102 in B flat major Richard Goode, piano Nicholas Phan, tenor Ashley Holland, baritone BBC Singers BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra David Robertson, conductor. David Robertson conducts BBC Singers and Symphony Chorus in Bartok, and BBC SO in Haydn. | |
2010 | 69A | Berlioz, Beethoven, Macmillan, Respighi - Part 1 | 20100906 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and its French-born Music Director, Stéphane Denève, are joined by Paul Lewis as he completes his cycle of the five Beethoven piano concertos with the last and most proudly majestic of them all. Also featured are spectacular orchestral showpieces by Berlioz and Respighi, inspired respectively by Rome's lively street life and its imperial past; and cementing Celtic connections, the RSNO introduces a recent symphonic suite drawn from the Scottish composer James MacMillan's opera The Sacrifice, inspired by the medieval folk tales of The Mabinogion and premiered to great acclaim in 2007. Berlioz: Overture 'Roman Carnival' Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor' Paul Lewis (piano) Royal Scottish National Orchestra Stéphane Denève (conductor). RSNO in Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5 (Paul Lewis). | |
2010 | 69B | Berlioz, Beethoven, Macmillan, Respighi - Part 2 | 20100906 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Katie Derham The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and its French-born Music Director, Stéphane Denève, are joined by Paul Lewis as he completes his cycle of the five Beethoven piano concertos with the last and most proudly majestic of them all. Also featured are spectacular orchestral showpieces by Berlioz and Respighi, inspired respectively by Rome's lively street life and its imperial past; and cementing Celtic connections, the RSNO introduces a recent symphonic suite drawn from the Scottish composer James MacMillan's opera The Sacrifice, inspired by the medieval folk tales of The Mabinogion and premiered to great acclaim in 2007. James MacMillan: The Sacrifice - Three Interludes (London premiere) Respighi: Pines of Rome Paul Lewis (piano) Royal Scottish National Orchestra Stéphane Denève (conductor). The RSNO under Stephane Deneve performs music by James MacMillan and Respighi. | |
2010 | 71A | Debussy, Stravinsky - Part 1 | 20100907 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Suzy Klein The Orchestre National de France and Music Director Daniele Gatti present three vibrant masterpieces with Parisian connections. Debussy's subtly shifting impression of the sea, completed in Eastborne and first performed in Paris, is now one of his best-loved works. His earlier Prelude, inspired by a Mallarmé poem, alludes to the desires and dreams of the faun. Nijinsky danced his erotic choreography to Debussy's score for the Ballets russes in 1912, and this connection is followed through with Stravinsky's primeval Rite of Spring, which was performed by the Ballets russes in Paris the following year and provoked an even more sensational scandal for Diaghilev's company. Debussy: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Debussy: La mer Orchestre National de France Daniele Gatti (conductor). Orchestre National de France/Gatti in Debussy: Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune; La mer. | |
2010 | 71B | Debussy, Stravinsky - Part 2 | 20100907 | 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Suzy Klein The Orchestre National de France and Music Director Daniele Gatti present three vibrant masterpieces with Parisian connections. Debussy's subtly shifting impression of the sea, completed in Eastborne and first performed in Paris, is now one of his best-loved works. His earlier Prelude, inspired by a Mallarmé poem, alludes to the desires and dreams of the faun. Nijinsky danced his erotic choreography to Debussy's score for the Ballets russes in 1912, and this connection is followed through with Stravinsky's primeval Rite of Spring, which was performed by the Ballets russes in Paris the following year and provoked an even more sensational scandal for Diaghilev's company. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring Orchestre National de France Daniele Gatti (conductor). Orchestra Nationale de France under Daniele Gattie in Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. | |
2010 | 73 | Penguin Cafe | 20100908 | 20101229 | 'I think our recordings have been put in the classical, folk, pop, rock, avantgarde, chillout, world and dance sections of record shop,' says Arthur Jeffes, leader of Penguin Café, the 21st-century reincarnation of the Penguin Café Orchestra made famous by his father Simon Jeffes. In this Late Night Prom from September the Penguin Café's wide-ranging lineup: ukulele, dulcitone, penny whistles and guitars alongside violin, cello and piano, supplemented by the Northumbrian smallpipes - played by their star champion Kathryn Tickell. Kathryn Tickell (Northumbrian smallpipes) Penguin Café. The Penguin Cafe makes its Proms debut, playing with Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell. Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London For its debut in this Late Night Prom the Penguin Café's wide-ranging lineup of ukulele, dulcitone, penny whistles and guitars alongside violin, cello and piano, is supplemented by the Northumbrian smallpipes - played by their star champion Kathryn Tickell. |
2016 | 43 | Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim And The West-eastern Divan Orchestra | 20160817 | Martha Argerich joins Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in a programme of Liszt, Wagner and Widmann. Live from the Royal Albert Hall Presented by Sara Mohr-pietsch Jörg Widmann: Con brio Liszt: Piano Concerto No 1 in E flat major 8.10pm INTERVAL: Proms Extra - Wagner's Orchestra Christopher Cook explores Wagner's writing for the orchestra with musicologist Barbara Eichner. Recorded earlier today at the Concert Hall of Imperial College Union. 8.30pm Wagner: Tannhäuser - Overture Götterdämmerung - Dawn and Siegfried's Rhine Journey; Funeral March The Mastersingers of Nuremberg - Overture Martha Argerich, piano West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Daniel Barenboim, conductor Daniel Barenboim returns with his orchestra of young Arabs and Israelis, and with another iconic musician, Martha Argerich. Composer Jörg Widmann harnessed the energy of Beethoven's fast movements in the 'exercise in fury and rhythmic insistence' that is his Con brio. After Liszt's thunderously virtuosic First Piano Concerto, Daniel Barenboim - who conducted Wagner's Ring cycle at the Proms in 2013 - concludes with powerful excerpts from three of the composer's operas. | |
2016 | 57 | Thomas Larcher, Wagner And Richard Strauss | 20160828 | Live at the BBC Proms: Semyon Bychkov conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Strauss's An Alpine Symphony, Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder with mezzo Elisabeth Kulman, and Thomas Larcher's new Symphony No. 2 "Kenotaph". Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Petroc Trelawny Thomas Larcher: Symphony No.2 "Cenotaph" (UK premiere) Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder 20.25 INTERVAL: Proms Extra Sara Mohr-Pietsch talks to William Mival and Gavin Plumey about Strauss's epic 'An Alpine Symphony'. Recorded earlier this evening at the Concert Hall of Imperial College Union. 20.45 Richard Strauss: An Alpine Symphony Elisabeth Kulman, mezzo BBC Symphony Orchestra Semyon Bychkov conductor An Alpine Symphony combines the tunefulness, richness of orchestration and sheer unadulterated beauty of Richard Strauss's character-based tonepoems with what is probably his most impressive piece of musical architecture. Whether depicting a bracing mountain climb or the slow formation of the mountain range itself, the work has a magnificence all of its own, particularly when resounding through the Royal Albert Hall. The BBC Symphony Orchestra under Semyon Bychkov scales its heights here, after Wagner's unalloyed love songs for Mathilde Wesendonck, sung by distinguished Austrian mezzo Elisabeth Kulman, and the UK premiere of Symphony No. 2 "Cenotaph" by another Austrian - composer Thomas Larcher. |