Prom 25: R. Schumann/Sibelius/Abrahamsen/Tchaikovsky, BBC Phil, Dohr / Storgårds

[bluestateprommer]

Wednesday 7 August 2024
19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Robert Schumann: Genoveva – Overture
Sibelius: Pohjola’s Daughter (Pohjolan tytär), op. 49
Hans Abrahamsen: Horn Concerto (UK premiere)

Interval

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op. 36

Stefan Dohr, French horn (Proms debut artist as soloist)
BBC Philharmonic
John Storgårds, conductor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ec8mzc

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-24/prom-25/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021k23

[smittims]

I've high hopes for the Abrahamsen Horn concerto. In my (limited) experience he 's one of the more solid, serious composers around today.

[bluestateprommer]

Good, solid opening to this Prom with Robert Schumann's Genoveva overture. Like smittims, I'm also very much looking forward to the Hans Abrahamsen work.

PS: Hans Abrahamsen's recent Horn Concerto sounded quite restrained, for the most part, kind of "edgy quiet", if that makes sense. Thought that I heard some slight bobbles from Stefan Dohr, but then Hans A. doesn't make it easy with the long, sustained lines. Nice that Hans Abrahamsen is in the RAH tonight to take in the concert (I remember him walking down the steps in 2016 for Let me tell you).

[edashtav]

I've high hopes for the Abrahamsen Horn concerto. In my (limited) experience he 's one of the more solid, serious composers around today.

I admire Abrahamsen, too but tonight's premiere started poorly with slips, squeaks and uncertainty, particularly during some brutally exposed slow parts. The final movement told me to listen again but to a different performance.

The Sibelius was a success. Its storyline was well plotted and my attention was captured throughout.

I'm a Schumann fan and have long wanted to love Genoveva as much as I admire Manfred.
I never do and a well-rounded performance this evening by the BBC PO under John Storgards did nothing to advance the cause of Genoveva.
My conclusion is that neither its materials nor their development are sufficiently memorable.

The Tchaikovsky was somewhat clinical
The last time that I heard it live was one baking hot night during a long Italian holiday when the players were from a leading Moscow orchestra and their inductor was a Tchaikovsky specialist: Fed plus a deal of now-forgotten Cryrillic characters. .The Muscovites were on fire

[kernelbogey]

I'm a Schumann fan and have long wanted to love Genoveva as much as I admire Manfred.
I never do and a well-rounded performance this evening by the BBC PO under John Storgards did nothing to advance the cause of Genoveva.
My conclusion is that neither its materials nor their development are sufficiently memorable.

I have sometimes wondered whether Schumann's 'unevenness' in composition was related to his mental health issues. It's likely, I believe, that he suffered* from what used to be called 'manic-depressive illness', now usually referred to as 'bipolar disorder'. He wrote of his alter egos "Florestan" for his impetuous self and "Eusebius" for his gentle poetic side [Wkipedia].; but I suspect these may have had other personal meanings related to creativity (positive) and depression (negative). Was Genoveva a product of his darker side, I wonder?

* see Jamison, Kay Redfield (1993), Touched with Fire

[jonfan]

I enjoyed both the Schumann and Sibelius pieces played with vigour with exciting horn playing dominating. Stefan Dohr had a shaky start to the horn concerto with long sustained notes only just managed. He improved as the piece progressed, but I’m afraid the concerto left me cold, a poor addition to the horn repertoire.
JS explained in the interval that he didn’t want the Phil to play the Tchaikovsky Symphony on autopilot, he wanted to look at the piece afresh. The first movement showed that with the opening horn fanfare ruined with dynamic changes; not attention seeking as Tchaikovsky intended. The movement was awful as though played by a bad orchestra playing equally bad music. A transformation thank goodness in the remaining movements with the Phil on top form again. Terrific!

[Sir Velo]

Contrary to others, I enjoyed the Genoveva with its clear debt to Weber's Freischutz overture in its journey from shadowy darkness to light. The horn playing, in particular, a delight.

[oddoneout]

I enjoyed both the Schumann and Sibelius pieces played with vigour with exciting horn playing dominating. Stefan Dohr had a shaky start to the horn concerto with long sustained notes only just managed. He improved as the piece progressed, but I’m afraid the concerto left me cold, a poor addition to the horn repertoire.
JS explained in the interval the he didn’t want the Phil to play the Tchaikovsky Symphony on autopilot, he wanted to look at the piece afresh. The first movement showed that with the opening horn fanfare ruined with dynamic changes; not attention seeking as Tchaikovsky intended. The movement was awful as though played by a bad orchestra playing equally bad music. A transformation thank goodness in the remaining movements with the Phil on top form again. Terrific!

I'm glad it wasn't just me!

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I'm glad it wasn't just me!

It certainly wasn't.

The concerto seemed to be a rather ungrateful example of squeak and squawk, and post-match analysis over a beer with a posse of fellow hornists was not kind to it.

A waste of Stefan Dohr's talent, I'm afraid. Another outing for something like Penderecki's far better example of the genre would have been welcome, but hey, I guess he's not in fashion.

Tchaik4 might not have been on autopilot - I suspect (from first movement evidence) that too little rehearsal time had gone into it for that - but there was far too much in the way of trickery and effect, such as various insertions of unmarked subito pp crescendo, which set in as early as the horn fanfare.

I'm in agreement with jonfan about the Schumann and Sibelius, much the best part of this concert. I'd go so far as to say the concert was worth it for those.

[oliver sudden]

Stefan Dohr had a shaky start to the horn concerto with long sustained notes only just managed.

that’s very unusual indeed! (Not of course from that instrument but from that player!)

[silvestrione]

I'm always drawn to John Storgard's work, but after last night I decided Tchaikovsky was definitely not his strong point.

[Barbirollians]

Thanks for these reviews . I heard Genoveva last night and I rather share edashtav's views of it but as I struggle to catch up I think I might skip the rest of this Prom.