Prom 12: Helen Grime / Beethoven 9

[bluestateprommer]

Sunday 23 July 2023
19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Helen Grime: Meditations on Joy (BBC co-commission: UK premiere)

interval

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in d, op. 125 ('Choral')

Eleanor Dennis, soprano (Royal Albert Hall Proms debut)
Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano
Nicky Spence, tenor
Michael Mofidian, bass-baritone

BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth, conductor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ec6wxj

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-2023/prom-12-beethovens-choral-symphony/

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Sunday 23 July 2023 ON TV
Royal Albert Hall

Helen Grime: Meditations on Joy (BBC co-commission: UK première)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, ‘Choral’

Eleanor Dennis soprano
Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano
Nicky Spence tenor
Michael Mofidian bass-baritone
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth conductor

[french frank]

Beethoven’s mighty ‘Choral’ Symphony, with its famous ‘Ode to Joy’ finale, is performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and new Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth in the first of their two Proms together this season (see Prom 43).

The symphony’s monumental, revolutionary musical statement – seizing hope and happiness from doubt and struggle – is picked up in Helen Grime’s Proms commission Meditations on Joy, whose three movements are each inspired by a different poem and facet of joy.

[pastoralguy]

Wow! Fantastic performance!

[Bert Coules]

I do think it diminishes the Ninth to stop everything after two or three movements for the soloists to troop on: the best performances I've seen have always brought them on at the beginning. And tonight we even had tuning; horrible.

[smittims]

Now funnily enough that doesn't bother me at all. The first time I heard it was when Herbert conducted Mahler 6 and the orchestra (Berliner Philharmoniker) retuned after the first movement.

What I don't like is the conductor slamming into the finale before I've had time to draw breath after the end of the Adagio. Once I even heard it done attacca, just before the last note of the Adagio finished.

[Pulcinella]

I do think it diminishes the Ninth to stop everything after two or three movements for the soloists to troop on: the best performances I've seen have always brought them on at the beginning. And tonight we even had tuning; horrible.

Would you rather have had no tuning?
Wouldn't that have made it even more horrible?

[smittims]

Sir Adrian didn't like it. He said that when the soloist sounded the D -A tuning after a remote-key first movement 'I feel like breaking my stick over his head'.

[duncan]

I enjoyed the performance a lot in the hall despite some shocking 'gatekeeping' by some of the front row promenaders towards my offspring. It's not easy to encourage agnostic youths to attend even without this kind of thing.

I am untroubled by between-movement tuning, it feels like the players are taking their performances seriously. But nor am I disturbed by between-movement applause, it's The Proms not the Wigmore Hall and will be many people's first classical concert. Phones, coughing, popping corks and dropped glasses during the performance are another matter.

I'd rather the soloists were on stage for all movements, I'd like them to have a feel for how the whole performance is going, but I have wondered if this is something to do with staying warmed-up. It might be an hour between the last time you ran through your scales and "O Freunde!" The chorus manage but they are not individually exposed. Any singers care to comment?

[kernelbogey]

The tv introduction, the little I saw of it, was again awful. I think it must be producers who determine the tone. TS (not ours!) absolutely unwatchable.

Inter-movement applause is becoming the norm...? Does it matter?

[Bert Coules]

Would you rather have had no tuning?
Wouldn't that have made it even more horrible?

If an orchestra can play a ninety minute Wagnerian act without needing to retune half way through, they can do the same for a sixty minute Beethoven symphony.

[Bryn]

Like the historically accepted, indeed, encouraged, show or approbation between movements, retuning, especially under television lights, is part and parcel of many performance events. Maybe, for some, it's best to stick to studio-compiled 'performances' via disc, download or streaming.

[Ein Heldenleben]

If an orchestra can play a ninety minute Wagnerian act without needing to retune half way through, they can do the same for a sixty minute Beethoven symphony.

If you’ve heard the final act of Gotterdamerung on a hot night at Covent Garden - you might change your mind

[Bert Coules]

If you’ve heard the final act of Gotterdamerung on a hot night at Covent Garden - you might change your mind

Ah, but I have. And I didn't!

[jonfan]

Wow! Fantastic performance!

Absolutely, a cracking pace throughout that the performers responded to with aplomb.
I like TS and his fun approach which will appeal and grab the attention of newcomers to the music. I do miss David Owen Norris though and his Chord of the Week. Whatever happened to Proms Extra? I enjoyed that too.