Prom 23: Rachmaninov / Busoni, LPO / LP Choir / Rodolfus Choir, Grosvenor / Gardner

[edashtav]

It’s good we’re splitting hairs about which is the best orchestra rather than the worst. Rejoice we have such wonderful ensembles in today’s difficult conditions for professional groups. The Halle in Mahler 5 and the BBCS0 in Bruckner 1 are up there with my listening this season.
Re Rachmaninov Dances, a pity the tam-tam didn’t ring out freely at the end as the composer clearly marks. That would have been icing on the icing of a great performance.

There have been discussions about what SR really meant by his Tam Tam marking since the first performance. We need the composer's Ghost to make a definitive ruling. I'M WITH YOU,!

[edashtav]

Only heard the Rachmaninov and enjoyed it as much as the LPO's recording under Jurowski, what a fine orchestra they are.

[silvestrione]

Spot on.

I was also at the Sinfonia of London concert last night and it was manifestly obvious within about 3 seconds that the LPO is a much "better" orchestra. Even though the members are of the same calibre - and indeed are the same people on occasion although the SoL is more LSO than LPO.

It just shows the difference between a scratch orchestra (of absolutely first rank players) and the real thing with a corporate coherence that comes from working together all the time.

Absolutely whip-crack ensemble and expressive unanimity that stands out just like it did last season.

Of course the plaudits belong first and foremost to Ben Grosvenor in the remarkable Busoni but the Rachmaninov was a foretaste of what could be expected from the orchestral side.

ReassurIng to see the standards set during the Jurowski era are being maintained by Ed G.

I was in the hall (just: on the edge of a cliff at the top of Choir East), and the above qualities were there immediately. What an orchestra! I usually go to LSO, long time since I've heard the LPO.
The Busoni was new to me, and full of wonderful things, from the orchestra, and occasionally from the pianist. Not a criticism of the redoubtable Benjamin, but an observation: the piano does so much 'accompanying', some of it exciting, some exquisite. Exhilarating sonorities, phrases brought out in the middle of crazed runs up and down, to echo solos in the orchestra, etc.

Dare I say, piano-wise, the encore was the moment for me, and brought tears. What a feeling it must be to have the whole audience in that huge hall hanging on your every note. He seemed to be drawing that out as long as possible as the piece died away, into silence, just before the final chord.

[Historian]

I was in the hall (just: on the edge of a cliff at the top of Choir East), and the above qualities were there immediately. What an orchestra! I usually go to LSO, long time since I've heard the LPO.
The Busoni was new to me, and full of wonderful things, from the orchestra, and occasionally from the pianist. Not a criticism of the redoubtable Benjamin, but an observation: the piano does so much 'accompanying', some of it exciting, some exquisite. Exhilarating sonorities, phrases brought out in the middle of crazed runs up and down, to echo solos in the orchestra, etc.

Dare I say, piano-wise, the encore was the moment for me, and brought tears. What a feeling it must be to have the whole audience in that huge hall hanging on your every note. He seemed to be drawing that out as long as possible as the piece died away, into silence, just before the final chord.

I would agree with this in the main, although we perhaps heard more of the piano as we were sitting in the Circle. Made sure that I didn't listen to the Busoni beforehand and left the RAH laughing and joyful: what an extraordinary work. The encore was very beautiful and you describe it so well.

The choir did a fine job, although I felt that they started with quite a full sound which seemed to go against what the programme note had led me to believe. However, this may have been because they were opposite and effectively singing 'at' us.

The Symphonic Dances were also very fine and this was a wonderful concert by Gardner and the LPO. I was surprised that the RAH was not full to the gunwales but congratulations to anyone who was able to make it.

[jonfan]

There have been discussions about what SR really meant by his Tam Tam marking since the first performance. We need the composer's Ghost to make a definitive ruling. I'M WITH YOU,!

Our orchestra in Leeds did this piece last season and we found that if the conductor held his hands high at the ending the audience didn’t applaud as the sound died away. I accept this might be more tricky in a large space such as the RAH.

[Historian]

Our orchestra in Leeds did this piece last season and we found that if the conductor held his hands high at the ending the audience didn’t applaud as the sound died away. I accept this might be more tricky in a large space such as the RAH.

Good chance that it would just be obliterated by applause but I was hoping to end with the tam-tam too.

[Rolmill]

I was in the hall (just: on the edge of a cliff at the top of Choir East), and the above qualities were there immediately. What an orchestra! I usually go to LSO, long time since I've heard the LPO.
The Busoni was new to me, and full of wonderful things, from the orchestra, and occasionally from the pianist. Not a criticism of the redoubtable Benjamin, but an observation: the piano does so much 'accompanying', some of it exciting, some exquisite. Exhilarating sonorities, phrases brought out in the middle of crazed runs up and down, to echo solos in the orchestra, etc.

Dare I say, piano-wise, the encore was the moment for me, and brought tears. What a feeling it must be to have the whole audience in that huge hall hanging on your every note. He seemed to be drawing that out as long as possible as the piece died away, into silence, just before the final chord.

I agree with all of the positive comments - I thought it was a great concert. I too was in the top row of Choir East and presume that the piano sound was less prominent to us than from the other side of the stage. Ben Grosvenor is also one of my favourite pianists, terrific virtuosity but always producing a beautiful sound and musical phrasing. Good to hear the LPO on such good form, they seem to have forged a close musical relationship with Ed Gardner.

[jonfan]

I agree with all of the positive comments - I thought it was a great concert. I too was in the top row of Choir East and presume that the piano sound was less prominent to us than from the other side of the stage. Ben Grosvenor is also one of my favourite pianists, terrific virtuosity but always producing a beautiful sound and musical phrasing. Good to hear the LPO on such good form, they seem to have forged a close musical relationship with Ed Gardner.

Err, I too was in Choir East, top row. Is this a not so secret meeting place for Forumistas at the Proms?

[Roslynmuse]

....Ah I got hold of the wrong end of the stick as usual (several sticks probably().....But Karl Lutch Mayer sounds like a very interesting polymath type/character....https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Lutchmayer

I heard Karl Lutchmayer play the Busoni at St John's Smith Square in Dec 2019 - coincidentally the work in the first half of that concert was also the Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances. Seraphin Orchestra, Joy Lisney conducting.

[ostuni]

And I, too, had a ticket for Row 8 of Choir East - but, thanks to a broken down train on the Jubilee Line, followed by an exhilaratingly speedy Lime bike ride from Waterloo to RAH, I arrived during the first mvt of the Rach. So the usher directed me to some seats just to the R of Choir East, next door to the boxes (a rather better seat which, cheekily, I retained for the Busoni).
Not the best area to hear the piano, as others have suggested - but a great place to observe and enjoy Busoni's orchestration (full of interesting and unusual touches). And to enjoy Rachmaninov's use of percussion in the Dances. Last time I heard the SD live was from within the orchestra (playing trombone 1 in a Gloucestershire amateur orchestra: as one whose comfort zone was the trombone 2 seat, I was concentrating too much on my section to be able to enjoy the full riches of Rach's orchestration…).
Choir East again for Suk's Asrael in a few weeks: anyone else?!

[Ein Heldenleben]

And I, too, had a ticket for Row 8 of Choir East - but, thanks to a broken down train on the Jubilee Line, followed by an exhilaratingly speedy Lime bike ride from Waterloo to RAH, I arrived during the first mvt of the Rach. So the usher directed me to some seats just to the R of Choir East, next door to the boxes (a rather better seat which, cheekily, I retained for the Busoni).
Not the best area to hear the piano, as others have suggested - but a great place to observe and enjoy Busoni's orchestration (full of interesting and unusual touches). And to enjoy Rachmaninov's use of percussion in the Dances. Last time I heard the SD live was from within the orchestra (playing trombone 1 in a Gloucestershire amateur orchestra: as one whose comfort zone was the trombone 2 seat, I was concentrating too much on my section to be able to enjoy the full riches of Rach's orchestration…).
Choir East again for Suk's Asrael in a few weeks: anyone else?!

Let’s face it Choir East is rapidly becoming the go-to place.
I may give up stalls left…

[silvestrione]

OK, but which of you guys was the one so slow both times to put his phone away, and both times got it out again to check silent?
(Ostuni, I saw you arrive late and slip into the box...)
(Not knowing who you were, of course!)

[Nick Armstrong]

Looking forward to Busoni. I only know John Ogdon, Daniell Revenaugh, RPO which I first heard when out of curiosity I borrowed it on LP from the library - well over 50 years ago as a student. I didn't hear it again until I acquired the 17CD Ogdon Icon box several years ago.

And you’ll have a chance to compare a different orchestra with the same pianist in the early hours of Sunday morning in the opening concert on TTN, when (London-bus style) along comes another Busoni piano concerto performance!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021r1m

[Pulcinella]

Five stars from the Times:

https://www.thetimes.com/article/9f98e7a7-9dc6-40f1-9039-8fba53afd9a4?shareToken=7d502bb2103e7e027fb67a067830f500

[Kingfisher]

The Times reviewer might like to know that the Rodolfus Choir sounded older than their years because most of the singers were from the London Philharmonic Choir!

Busoni did ask for the Choir to be invisible so I suppose he had an excuse.