Prom 24: Purcell - The Fairy Queen, Les Arts Florissants, Agnew / Merzouki

[bluestateprommer]

Tuesday 6 August 2024
19:00
Royal Albert Hall

Henry Purcell: The Fairy Queen (semi-staged; sung and spoken in English, with English surtitles)
[Encore: Henry Purcell: The Fairy Queen, Act V - "They shall be as happy as they’re fair" (reprise of final chorus)]

Paulina Francisco, soprano (Proms debut artist)
Georgia Burashko, mezzo-soprano (Proms debut artist)
Rebecca Leggett, mezzo-soprano (Proms debut artist)
Juliette Mey, mezzo-soprano (Proms debut artist)
Rodrigo Carreto, tenor (Proms debut artist)
Ilja Aksionov, tenor (Proms debut artist)
Hugo Herman-Wilson, baritone (Proms debut artist)
Benjamin Schilperoort, bass-baritone (Proms debut artist)
Samuel Florimond, dancer (Proms debut artist)
Anahi Passi, dancer (Proms debut artist)
Alary-Youra Ravin, dancer (Proms debut artist)
Timothée Zig, dancer (Proms debut artist)
Baptiste Coppin, dancer (Proms debut artist)
Daniel Saad, dancer (Proms debut artist)

Compagnie Käfig (Proms debut ensemble)
Les Arts Florissants

Paul Agnew, conductor
Mourad Merzouki, choreographer / stage director (Proms debut artist)

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

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-24/prom-24/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021jzd

[Quarky]

Baffled why this wasn't selected for televising by BBC4.

A Rights issue, may be? However the full performance is freely available on YouTube.

[smittims]

Last time the Fairy Queen was 'semi-staged' at the Proms it wasn't televised, and one heard the audience laughing at things we couldn't see. Absurd.

[Simon Biazeck]

Every singer is a Proms debut artist. Toi-toi-toi, Hugo Herman-Wilson - a superb singer.

[oddoneout]

Last time the Fairy Queen was 'semi-staged' at the Proms it wasn't televised, and one heard the audience laughing at things we couldn't see. Absurd.

I don't think the Beeb likes early music...

[smittims]

You have a point there, I think. We don't see it on TV very often do we? They seem to have missed a goden opportuity, when one considers that the Early Music Movement generally has surely been the most significant and valuable event in music-making of the last century.

[bluestateprommer]

Thought that I heard a cell phone go off during "Ye Gentle Spirits of the Air" (following the text here), but that aside, a very good performance. A few slightly hammy stage moments here and there, which probably work better when you see it on stage in the hall rather than hearing it just through speakers aurally, with no visual element. Presumably the stage bumps and clumps are from Compagnie KÄFIG's dancers moving about (again, one really should be there in person). Interesting interval discussion now.

[AuntDaisy]

Thought that I heard a cell phone go off during "Ye Gentle Spirits of the Air"(following the text here), but that aside, a very good performance. A few slightly hammy stage moments here and there, which probably work better when you see it on stage in the hall rather than hearing it just through speakers aurally, with no visual element. Presumably the stage bumps and clumps are from Compagnie KÄFIG's dancers moving about (again, one really should be there in person). Interesting interval discussion now.

Enjoying the bits I've heard. Looking forward to listening tomorrow. Thanks for all your hard work with the Proms info.

I think you're right, sounds like a trim phone just before an "Appear, appear" repeat (~5mins in to the song, ~45:40 from AM's starting announcement).

[edashtav]

Every singer is a Proms debut artist. Toi-toi-toi, Hugo Herman-Wilson - a superb singer.

A loveable production full of fresh ideas, new voices and everyone was having fun. Are Purcell's great grounds a sufficient reason for ignoring one's wife?

[Darkbloom]

Thought that I heard a cell phone go off during "Ye Gentle Spirits of the Air" (following the text here), but that aside, a very good performance. A few slightly hammy stage moments here and there, which probably work better when you see it on stage in the hall rather than hearing it just through speakers aurally, with no visual element. Presumably the stage bumps and clumps are from Compagnie KÄFIG's dancers moving about (again, one really should be there in person). Interesting interval discussion now.

There were a few gasps at some of the dancers' acrobatics, much of it quite jaw-dropping. It was a wonderful performance but I'm not convinced the score really works on its own. It reminded me of those operas with spoken dialogue that are recorded with the dialogue removed. You definitely lose something important.

[AuntDaisy]

There were a few gasps at some of the dancers' acrobatics, much of it quite jaw-dropping. It was a wonderful performance but I'm not convinced the score really works on its own. It reminded me of those operas with spoken dialogue that are recorded with the dialogue removed. You definitely lose something important.

Thanks Darkbloom - it sounds as if you had to be there to get the full impact.

There's a Paul Agnew Bachtrack interview inclduing a short dance video - amazingly energetic!
.. and a separate video clip here.

[Kingfisher]

Where were the counter tenors?

[Pulcinella]

Where were the counter tenors?

Serving the drinks in the bar?

[AuntDaisy]

Serving the drinks in the bar?

[LeWoiDeWeigate]

Was there are really didn't enjoy this at all at least from waaaay back in the Rausing Circle. What is missing is any sense of narrative or connecting thread - people came on stage, sang, danced but I didn't know who they were, what the context of what they were singing or dancing about was and then they shipped out... Yes, the dancing was superb, but honestly 15 minutes of break-dancing is probably enough for me. Plus the acoustics of the hall do not lend themselves to a Baroque ensemble of such lightness. At one point, the dancers were thumping feet in time to the percussion and it was just plain annoying. Total sensory overload - delicate music AND singing AND dancing AND disjointed thread.

The highlight for me was the solo soprano singing against muted orchestra and solo violin wandering on the stage; who she was portraying, what she was singing about and where it fitted in the storyline I have no idea (the surtitles unhelpfully didn't identify the 'characters' to even relate them to the original Shakespeare) but it was beautiful.

Much of the rest of the music was rather 'samey' as well and the precision of the playing was lost in the rumble (including an overfly helicopter at one point!) of the RAH.

All of it was superb but none of it 'gelled.' Not for me, I'm afraid :-(