Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra play Sibelius 4th Symphony

[Hornspieler]

Live from the Lighthouse, Poole
First broadcast:Wednesday 21 November
Presented by Martin Handley

The young rising star Benjamin Grosvenor takes centre stage with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for Grieg's Piano concerto. Sibelius's 4th symphony opens the concert - a dark work with a sense of foreboding, but a fascinating piece. Tchaikovsky ends the programme, with his stormy take on Dante's story of the fallen lovers condemned to whirl through hell together for eternity.

Sibelius: Symphony Nº 4
INTERVAL
Grieg: Piano Concerto
Tchaikovsky : Francesca da Rimini

Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
conductor James Gaffigan

The fourth symphony was once considered to be the strangest of Sibelius's symphonies, but today it is regarded as one of the peaks of his output. Sibelius was proud of the work and later said "I am pleased that I did it, for even today I cannot find a single note in it that I could remove, nor can I find anything to add."

Grieg's highly lyrical and romantic piano concerto remains a favourite for both pianists and audiences alike. The final composer in tonight's programme, Tchaikovsky, was one of Grieg's admirers, and said of the work "there prevails that fascinating melancholy which seems to reflect in itself all the beauty of Norwegian scenery."

When Tchaikovsky read Dante's epic The Divine Comedy, an episode from the Inferno fired his imagination: the tale of Francesca, a young woman who has been condemned to eternal damnation because of an illicit love affair. Tchaikovsky vividly depicts the driving winds of hell before a solo clarinet launches Francesca's tale, and the music builds in a long crescendo of passion.

[jayne lee wilson]

It will (or should) be remembered that the BSO made one of the greatest of all recordings of the 4th Symphony with Paavo Berglund, in Abbey Road in June 1975. Berglund could never match, let alone surpass this in his later COE or Helsinki efforts. Not familiar with tonight's conductor, so we'll see...

Afraid part 2 is well beyond the pallor of familiarity for me, but I'll listen closely to the Sibelius.

[Nick Armstrong]

God I love Sibelius 4 !!!!

Used to be my least favourite, now I can't get enough of it. I can't even tell if this is a great performance or not, I just can't take my ears off the music

Maybe that's a sign is IS a good performance, though!

Will be interested to read others' more objective thoughts.





(OT: hope the same thing happens to me with Shostakovich 4 some day. Can't make head nor tail of it, despite the 40th anniversary of my first loving his 15th being not far away )

[AjAjAjH]

Sibelius 4 and Shostakovich 4 mentioned in the same message. Gerrrrrrrrrrate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Caliban.
I could say the same as you about the Sibelius and I love the Shostakovich though I don't understand it either.

[jayne lee wilson]

After a performance as intense as that, maybe objectivity is a bit difficult.
James Gaffigan is evidently devoted to the piece, and he explored every corner of its craggy soundscape tonight, drawing a richly varied, very disciplined orchestral sound from the BSO - far more convincing than their playing for Karabits in Tchaikovsky's 5th a few weeks ago. The performers served the music (in every sense) - cold and bleak, yes, but physically quite a thrilling sound too.

And I can't imagine the Orchestra themselves are unaware of their great tradition in Sibelius, perhaps this symphony especially (Gaffigan said in an introductory talk that they were using orchestral parts from 1913!) - I think it showed in their response tonight.

TECHNICAL PRESENTATION ON HDs: 5/5.

[Flosshilde]

I wouldn't normally listen to Sibelius, but I left the radio on after the Teleman & found the opening of the symphony so arresting that I listened all the way through. Worth listening to again, to see if I like it as much the second time around.

[Richard Tarleton]

A fine performance. I wish conductors would resist the urge to talk! The new BBC NOW one did it recently. A work like this needs to be preceded by...silence.

I have the great Berglund performance on LP......

[Hornspieler]

[COLOR="#0000FF"]God I love Sibelius 4 !!!!

Used to be my least favourite, now I can't get enough of it. I can't even tell if this is a great performance or not, I just can't take my ears off the music

Maybe that's a sign is IS a good performance, though!

Will be interested to read others' more objective thoughts.


COLOR]

Sorry Cali, but I can't be objective here.

So satisfying to hear my old orchestra still able to produce the goods as we did in former days under Paavo Berglund. This performance is a tribute to his memory - argueably the greatest interpreter of Sibelius in recent years.

A performance.

HS

[teamsaint]

God I love Sibelius 4 !!!!

Used to be my least favourite, now I can't get enough of it. I can't even tell if this is a great performance or not, I just can't take my ears off the music

Maybe that's a sign is IS a good performance, though!

Will be interested to read others' more objective thoughts.








(OT: hope the same thing happens to me with Shostakovich 4 some day. Can't make head nor tail of it, despite the 40th anniversary of my first loving his 15th being not far away )

Given the runaway success of the "Schumann..." thread,(thread of the month according to one reviewer, ) I think you should go for a follow up on DSCH 4. I would give you the secret, but what would be the fun in that? (giving it a whirl ATM, just to make sure my analysis is spot on!!)
Oh, if you don't do it , I will, and I will name names !!

Mark Wigglesworth says...

http://www.markwigglesworth.com/notes/marks-notes-on-shostakovich-symphony-no-4/

[kernelbogey]

I wish conductors would resist the urge to talk! .... A work like this needs to be preceded by...silence. ......

I found James Gaffigan's talk mildly embarrassing. He told some of the same anecdotes that we'd just heard from Martin Handley, whose elegantly scholarly introduction was just right. If I'd been in the audience I think I'd have liked it even less. Maybe it's all part of the marketing package that billed this concert as 'Fire and Ice'.

[Nick Armstrong]

Sorry Cali, but I can't be objective here.

So satisfying to hear my old orchestra still able to produce the goods as we did in the old days under Paavo Berglund. This performance is a tribute to his memory - argueably the greatest interpreter of Sibelius in recent years.

A performance.

HS

Great to hear my ears weren't fooling me... Very glad to have heard it, and shall listen again!

[LeMartinPecheur]

Sibelius 4 and Shostakovich 4 mentioned in the same message. Gerrrrrrrrrrate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Caliban.
I could say the same as you about the Sibelius and I love the Shostakovich though I don't understand it either.

Hands up anyone prepared to declare that they understand any great musical work?

Come to that, understand any artistic masterpiece?

[Nick Armstrong]

Given the runaway success of the "Schumann..." thread,(thread of the month according to one reviewer, ) I think you should go for a follow up on DSCH 4. I would give you the secret, but what would be the fun in that? (giving it a whirl ATM, just to make sure my analysis is spot on!!)
Oh, if you don't do it , I will, and I will name names !!

Mark Wigglesworth says...
http://www.markwigglesworth.com/note...symphony-no-4/

Cor... ... Well maybe I will

[Hornspieler]

A splendid performance of Francesca da Rimini to bring tonight's performance to a close.

I can even forgive young Mr Grosvenor's slight slips in the Greig concerto.

I was particularly impressed by the cello ensemble in the Tchaikovsky. Rarely do I recommend an entire programme, but I certainly urge anyone who did not hear this to spend some time with the iPlayer. I promise that you will not be disappointed.

HS

[jayne lee wilson]

Hands up anyone prepared to declare that they understand any great musical work?

Come to that, understand any artistic masterpiece?

Ah but! As the logical positivists would have said: what exactly do you mean by "understand"?