BBC Proms 2017

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Pcm 8: Elias String Quartet With Alice Neary

20170910

The Elias Quartet are joined by cellist Alice Neary to perform Schubert's String Quintet.

From Cadogan Hall, London

Presented by Petroc Trelawny

Elias String Quartet

Alice Neary (cello)

Schubert's final chamber work is a piece of sublime beauty, a masterpiece of the repertoire composed only two months before the composer's death at the age of just 31. Instead of the additional viola preferred by Mozart and Beethoven in their string quintets, Schubert adds a second cello, to create a work of sonorous beauty. From its expansive opening Allegro and the fragile beauty of the Adagio to its exuberant Scherzo and good-humoured closing Allegretto, this is a work of boundless invention and charm. Former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists the Elias String Quartet are joined by cellist Alice Neary.

Another chance to hear the Elias Quartet and Alice Neary play Schubert's String Quintet.

Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season

Prom 17 Repeat: Tchaikovsky's Pathetique

20170730

The BBC Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena in the London premiere of Mark Simpson's 'The Immortal' and Tchaikovsky's 'Path退tique' Symphony.

Presented by Petroc Trelawny

Mark Simpson: The Immortal

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 6, 'Path退tique

Christopher Purves (baritone)

London Voices

Crouch End Festival Chorus

Life and death collide in a concert that explores what lies beyond the limits of human existence. In his passionate Sixth Symphony, which Tchaikovsky described as 'the best thing I ever composed or shall compose', he re-imagined what the symphony could be, daring to face death with uncertainty. The BBC Philharmonic's Composer in Association, a former BBC Young Musician winner and BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Mark Simpson, also looks to the afterlife in his critically acclaimed oratorio 'The Immortal'. Inspired by Victorian seances, he conjures up eerie visions of a world beyond.

BBC Philharmonic in music by Mark Simpson and Tchaikovsky.

Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season

Prom 24 Repeat: Esa-pekka Salonen Conducts John Adams

20170806

Esa?Pekka Salonen, Philharmonia Orchestra and mezzo Marianne Crebassa with music by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged by Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel and John Adams.

Presented by Andrew McGregor from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Johann Sebastian Bach: Canonic Variations on 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm, ich her', BWV 769 (arr. Stravinsky)

Maurice Ravel: Sh退h退razade

John Adams: Naive and Sentimental Music

Marianne Crebassa, mezzo-soprano

Philharmonia Voices

Esa?Pekka Salonen, conductor

The celebrations of John Adams's 70th birthday continue with his Naive and Sentimental Music, conducted by its dedicatee, Esa-Pekka Salonen. A symphony in all but name, the work glows with multi-layered textures. From meditative Minimalism to intricate counterpoint in Stravinsky's Canonic Variations on 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her' - a colourful 'recomposition' of Bach's own chorale variations on the Lutheran hymn. Rising French mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa is the soloist in Ravel's heady song-cycle Sh退h退razade, an exotic musical fantasy of distant lands and forbidden love.

Esa\u2010Pekka Salonen, Philharmonia Orchestra and mezzo Marianne Crebassa.

Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season

Prom 33 Repeat: Grieg, Sibelius, Schumann And Hindemith

20170813

At BBC Proms: BBC Philharmonic and conductor John Storgards with soprano Lise Davidsen and cellist Alban Gerhardt in Grieg, Sibelius, Schumann and Hindemith.

From the Royal Albert Hall, London

Presented by Martin Handley

Grieg: Peer Gynt (excerpts)

Sibelius: Luonnotar; Karelia Suite

Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129

Hindemith: Symphony 'Mathis der Maler

Lise Davidsen (soprano)

Alban Gerhardt (cello)

John Storg倀rds (conductor)

Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen makes her Proms debut singing Solveig's Song from Grieg's incidental music to Ibsen's dark drama 'Peer Gynt' and in Sibelius's late, great tone-poem Luonnotar. The sophisticated orchestral textures and sensuous melodies of Luonnotar contrast with the rough-hewn folk music of the same composer's struggle for freedom from Russian tyranny in his buoyant Karelia Suite.

Hindemith's opera 'Mathis der Maler', is set at the time of the Protestant Reformation; it was dubbed as 'degenerate' by the Nazi regime who then banned all performances of his music. But not before the Symphony drawn from the opera was premiered in March 1934 at one of the early peaks of Hitler's power by one his artistic favourites and persuasive defenders of the artistic credo, Wilhelm Furtw䀀ngler. Alban Gerhardt is the soloist in Schumann's Cello Concerto, which rejects overt solo virtuosity, favouring instead dialogue between cello and orchestra.

The BBC Philharmonic with music by Grieg, Sibelius, Schumann and Hindemith.

Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season

Prom 6 Repeat: Nicola Benedetti Plays Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No 1

20170723

At BBC Proms: BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Thomas Sondergard plus Nicola Benedetti. Shostakovich's tone poem October and 1st Violin Concerto with Sibelius's 2nd Symphony.

From the Royal Albert Hall, London

Presented by Sara Mohr-Pietsch

Shostakovich: October

Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2

Nicola Benedetti, violin

Thomas Sønderg倀rd, conductor

Violinist Nicola Benedetti joins Thomas Sønderg倀rd and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales as they continue their exploration of music by Shostakovich and Sibelius. Here they pair the latter's stirring Second Symphony - adopted as a potent symbol of nationalism and resistance by the people of Finland - with Shostakovich's symphonic poem October, a work whose subversive musical message sees the composer at his most pointedly political.

Shostakovich dedicated his First Violin Concerto to the celebrated violinist David Oistrakh, who praised its solo part as 'Shakespearean', and the concerto's demonic Scherzo gives its soloist plenty of opportunity for virtuosity.

Nicola Benedetti and the BBC NOW under Thomas Sondergard: Shostakovich and Sibelius.

Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season

Prom 60 Repeat: Stravinsky, Rachmaninov And Shostakovich

20170903

The Oslo Philharmonic play Stravinsky and Shostakovich, and are joined by pianist Leif Ove Andsnes for Rachmaninov's Fourth Piano Concerto.

Presented by Penny Gore from the Royal Albert Hall

Stravinsky: The Firebird - Suite (revised version, 1919)

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 4 in G minor (revised version, 1941)

Shostakovich: Symphony No 12 in D minor, 'The Year 1917

Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko, Conductor

It would be impossible to mark this year's centenary of the Russian Revolution without a performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12 - subtitled 'The Year 1917'. Its sweeping, filmic music paints a portrait of Lenin, both as a man and a political force.

Acclaimed Shostakovich interpreter Vasily Petrenko conducts the Oslo Philharmonic in an all-Russian programme also featuring Stravinsky's ever-popular suite from The Firebird and Rachmaninov's mercurial Fourth Piano Concerto (continuing our cycle of the composer's complete piano concertos).

Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, whose Beethoven concerto cycle was a highlight of the 2015 Proms, returns as soloist.

[Prom first broadcast 29th August].

Another chance to hear the Oslo Philharmonic play Stravinsky and Shostakovich at the Proms

Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Comments
Pcm 8: Elias String Quartet With Alice Neary	20170910	The Elias Quartet are joined by cellist Alice Neary to perform Schubert's String Quintet. From Cadogan Hall, London Presented by Petroc Trelawny Elias String Quartet Alice Neary (cello) Schubert's final chamber work is a piece of sublime beauty, a masterpiece of the repertoire composed only two months before the composer's death at the age of just 31. Instead of the additional viola preferred by Mozart and Beethoven in their string quintets, Schubert adds a second cello, to create a work of sonorous beauty. From its expansive opening Allegro and the fragile beauty of the Adagio to its exuberant Scherzo and good-humoured closing Allegretto, this is a work of boundless invention and charm. Former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists the Elias String Quartet are joined by cellist Alice Neary. Another chance to hear the Elias Quartet and Alice Neary play Schubert's String Quintet. Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season
Prom 17 Repeat: Tchaikovsky's Pathetique	20170730	The BBC Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena in the London premiere of Mark Simpson's 'The Immortal' and Tchaikovsky's 'Path退tique' Symphony. Presented by Petroc Trelawny Mark Simpson: The Immortal Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 6, 'Path退tique Christopher Purves (baritone) London Voices Crouch End Festival Chorus Life and death collide in a concert that explores what lies beyond the limits of human existence. In his passionate Sixth Symphony, which Tchaikovsky described as 'the best thing I ever composed or shall compose', he re-imagined what the symphony could be, daring to face death with uncertainty. The BBC Philharmonic's Composer in Association, a former BBC Young Musician winner and BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, Mark Simpson, also looks to the afterlife in his critically acclaimed oratorio 'The Immortal'. Inspired by Victorian seances, he conjures up eerie visions of a world beyond. BBC Philharmonic in music by Mark Simpson and Tchaikovsky. Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season
Prom 24 Repeat: Esa-pekka Salonen Conducts John Adams	20170806	Esa?Pekka Salonen, Philharmonia Orchestra and mezzo Marianne Crebassa with music by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged by Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel and John Adams. Presented by Andrew McGregor from the Royal Albert Hall, London Johann Sebastian Bach: Canonic Variations on 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm, ich her', BWV 769 (arr. Stravinsky) Maurice Ravel: Sh退h退razade John Adams: Naive and Sentimental Music Marianne Crebassa, mezzo-soprano Philharmonia Voices Esa?Pekka Salonen, conductor The celebrations of John Adams's 70th birthday continue with his Naive and Sentimental Music, conducted by its dedicatee, Esa-Pekka Salonen. A symphony in all but name, the work glows with multi-layered textures. From meditative Minimalism to intricate counterpoint in Stravinsky's Canonic Variations on 'Vom Himmel hoch, da komm' ich her' - a colourful 'recomposition' of Bach's own chorale variations on the Lutheran hymn. Rising French mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa is the soloist in Ravel's heady song-cycle Sh退h退razade, an exotic musical fantasy of distant lands and forbidden love. Esa\u2010Pekka Salonen, Philharmonia Orchestra and mezzo Marianne Crebassa. Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season
Prom 33 Repeat: Grieg, Sibelius, Schumann And Hindemith	20170813	At BBC Proms: BBC Philharmonic and conductor John Storgards with soprano Lise Davidsen and cellist Alban Gerhardt in Grieg, Sibelius, Schumann and Hindemith. From the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Martin Handley Grieg: Peer Gynt (excerpts) Sibelius: Luonnotar; Karelia Suite Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129 Hindemith: Symphony 'Mathis der Maler Lise Davidsen (soprano) Alban Gerhardt (cello) John Storg倀rds (conductor) Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen makes her Proms debut singing Solveig's Song from Grieg's incidental music to Ibsen's dark drama 'Peer Gynt' and in Sibelius's late, great tone-poem Luonnotar. The sophisticated orchestral textures and sensuous melodies of Luonnotar contrast with the rough-hewn folk music of the same composer's struggle for freedom from Russian tyranny in his buoyant Karelia Suite. Hindemith's opera 'Mathis der Maler', is set at the time of the Protestant Reformation; it was dubbed as 'degenerate' by the Nazi regime who then banned all performances of his music. But not before the Symphony drawn from the opera was premiered in March 1934 at one of the early peaks of Hitler's power by one his artistic favourites and persuasive defenders of the artistic credo, Wilhelm Furtw䀀ngler. Alban Gerhardt is the soloist in Schumann's Cello Concerto, which rejects overt solo virtuosity, favouring instead dialogue between cello and orchestra. The BBC Philharmonic with music by Grieg, Sibelius, Schumann and Hindemith. Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season
Prom 6 Repeat: Nicola Benedetti Plays Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No 1	20170723	At BBC Proms: BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Thomas Sondergard plus Nicola Benedetti. Shostakovich's tone poem October and 1st Violin Concerto with Sibelius's 2nd Symphony. From the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Sara Mohr-Pietsch Shostakovich: October Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 Nicola Benedetti, violin Thomas Sønderg倀rd, conductor Violinist Nicola Benedetti joins Thomas Sønderg倀rd and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales as they continue their exploration of music by Shostakovich and Sibelius. Here they pair the latter's stirring Second Symphony - adopted as a potent symbol of nationalism and resistance by the people of Finland - with Shostakovich's symphonic poem October, a work whose subversive musical message sees the composer at his most pointedly political. Shostakovich dedicated his First Violin Concerto to the celebrated violinist David Oistrakh, who praised its solo part as 'Shakespearean', and the concerto's demonic Scherzo gives its soloist plenty of opportunity for virtuosity. Nicola Benedetti and the BBC NOW under Thomas Sondergard: Shostakovich and Sibelius. Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season
Prom 60 Repeat: Stravinsky, Rachmaninov And Shostakovich	20170903	The Oslo Philharmonic play Stravinsky and Shostakovich, and are joined by pianist Leif Ove Andsnes for Rachmaninov's Fourth Piano Concerto. Presented by Penny Gore from the Royal Albert Hall Stravinsky: The Firebird - Suite (revised version, 1919) Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 4 in G minor (revised version, 1941) Shostakovich: Symphony No 12 in D minor, 'The Year 1917 Leif Ove Andsnes, piano Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko, Conductor It would be impossible to mark this year's centenary of the Russian Revolution without a performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 12 - subtitled 'The Year 1917'. Its sweeping, filmic music paints a portrait of Lenin, both as a man and a political force. Acclaimed Shostakovich interpreter Vasily Petrenko conducts the Oslo Philharmonic in an all-Russian programme also featuring Stravinsky's ever-popular suite from The Firebird and Rachmaninov's mercurial Fourth Piano Concerto (continuing our cycle of the composer's complete piano concertos). Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, whose Beethoven concerto cycle was a highlight of the 2015 Proms, returns as soloist. [Prom first broadcast 29th August]. Another chance to hear the Oslo Philharmonic play Stravinsky and Shostakovich at the Proms Another chance to hear broadcasts of selected concerts from the 2017 BBC Proms season