Prom 68: 'Recomposed', Britten Sinfonia, T. Gould, Wednesday 6 September 2023

[bluestateprommer]

Wednesday 6 September 2023
19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Lera Auerbach: Sogno di Stabat Mater (first performance at The Proms)
Corelli: Concerto grosso in F major, Op. 6, No. 2
Tippett: Fantasia concertante on a Theme of Corelli

interval

Max Richter: Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons (first performance at The Proms)
[Encore: Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen: "Shine You No More" (first performance at The Proms)]

Britten Sinfonia
Thomas Gould, violin and director

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/eqwj6q

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-2023/prom-68-max-richter-recomposed/

[bluestateprommer]

Not much interest in this Prom, it seems, where perhaps the idea of hearing the Max Richter re-working of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons might have been a bit of a turnoff. Having heard this Prom on BBC Sounds, that's an understandable reaction, since the Vivaldi is an outstanding work in its own right and had no need of "recomposing" from anyone. Max Richter's efforts didn't add anything new or special to the original, even as a "riff" on the original.

But with that said, this was a very well performed concert. At the start, the Britten Sinfonia received prolonged and very warm applause from the audience, with many, if not all, in the audience probably quite aware of the draconian funding cut against Britten Sinfonia by the Arts Council. The Lera Auerbach work was certainly the most outré of the "re-compositions", in its choice of instrumentation and some scrunchy harmonies. At least LA was more concise than Tippett, in terms of prolixity of writing in their respective works. But again, very good work from the Britten Sinfonia all around, and here's hoping that they make their fund-raising challenge:

https://www.brittensinfonia.com/support-us/play-on

[Barbirollians]

Yes I am afraid it is a work of Tippett's that can go on a bit. I have only heard the first half but it was an enjoyable concert and they are such a fine orchestra - The Arts Council's appalling treatment of them is an utter disgrace from a gang of Philistines.

I am afraid I am struggling with the recomposed Four Seasons - it has turned it into a minimalistic sounding bore.