Prom 37: Britten - War Requiem, LSO / LSC / BBC SC / Tiffin Boys' Choir, Pappano

[bluestateprommer]

Saturday 17 August 2024
19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Britten: War Requiem, op. 66

Natalya Romaniw, soprano
Allan Clayton, tenor
Will Liverman, baritone (Proms debut artist)

London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Chorus
Tiffin Boys’ Choir

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e9h6gw

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-24/prom-37/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021xzm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00226px

[Ein Heldenleben]

Allan Clayton’s singing in this is absolutely phenomenal. One of the glories of the age .

[LMcD]

Saturday 17 August 2024
19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Britten: War Requiem, op. 66

Natalya Romaniw, soprano
Allan Clayton, tenor
Will Liverman, baritone (Proms debut artist)

London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Chorus
Tiffin Boys’ Choir

Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e9h6gw

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-24/prom-37/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021xzm

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00226px

60 minutes - the quickest ever performance of this work?

[Ein Heldenleben]

60 minutes - the quickest ever performance of this work?

I’m behind on Sounds .
Doesn’t sound rushed .
Currently on Hosanna In Exclesis - what glorious a piece of writing - one that always reminds me of Monteverdi Orfeo.
Some superb singing with very much an operatic rather than concert hall “feel”
Sadly listening on inferior equipment - some of the sound balance sounds that odd . Need to relisten in quality .

[edashtav]

Certainly faster than most but I clocked it at 75 minutes.

Natalya Romaniw is a Welsh Ukrainian with a fine ringing voice. I've heard and always admired the poetic Allan Clayton in many works and parts. Is he or Ian Bostridge, the Peter Pears of our time? I'd probably choose Allan because Ian's idiosyncrasies can grate from time to time. Good to hear Will Livermore, a Black American who understands Britten's idiom - he''ll be singing in a forthcoming production of Peter Grimes.

Great to listen to the polished and secure Tiffin School BOYS' choir accompanied by the Chamber organ in some distant gallery.

BBC Symphony Chorus and the London Symphony Chorus sang with accuracy, intensity and dramatic flair.

The LSO under its new Chief Conductor, Antonio Pappano were superb. Pappano showed a marvellous command of the score ensuring that we heard incidental details which we may have missed in earlier performances. Twice I heard echoes of Shostakovich at his bitter, satirical best. Of course, I picked up Britten's all too obvious debts to Verdi's Requiem, but overall this work shows Britten at his most searching and empathetic.

How good was this performance? Well, I broke off and ordered a CD of Pappano's Italian recording of this great piece to fill a gaping hole on my heaving shelves.

[edashtav]

Allan Clayton’s singing in this is absolutely phenomenal. One of the glories of the age .

:irony3:

[Petrushka]

I've been spoilt in this piece by having heard Galina Vishnevskaya singing the soprano part, albeit late in her career (1983) but still terrific.

I wonder if I had some gremlins in my audio system somewhere as I found Allan Clayton's voice much too quiet at times, to the point of inaudiblity. The full chorus sounded great, however, as did the boys' choir.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I've been spoilt in this piece by having heard Galina Vishnevskaya singing the soprano part, albeit late in her career (1983) but still terrific.

I wonder if I had some gremlins in my audio system somewhere as I found Allan Clayton's voice much too quiet at times, to the point of inaudiblity. The full chorus sounded great, however, as did the boys' choir.

Sounded fine on a smart speaker though his voice was tiring by the end a tad . One of those singers who really doesn’t hold back I think.

[Dave2002]

60 minutes - the quickest ever performance of this work?

It started late, but from where I was sitting it did seem to take more than an hour, finishing just before 9pm.

Maybe time flows more slowly in the RAH.

The organ entry towards the end was a slight surprise - very powerful. I doubt that many would have experienced anything like that from a radio.

Looked like it was being televised, so would be good to watch bits of it again, for example to spot which parts precisely were being taken by the chamber orchestra and soloists. The boy’s choir was up in the gallery.

[LMcD]

It started late, but from where I was sitting it did seem to take more than an hour, finishing just before 9pm.

Maybe time flows more slowly in the RAH.

The organ entry towards the end was a slight surprise - very powerful. I doubt that many would have experienced anything like that from a radio.

Looked like it was being televised, so would be good to watch bits of it again, for example to spot which parts precisely were being taken by the chamber orchestra and soloists. The boy’s choir was up in the gallery.

Initial post gives a start time of 19.30 and an end time of 20.30.

[Nick Armstrong]

Looked like it was being [WILL BE] televised, so would be good to watch bits of it again..

Tonight (Sunday) on BBCFour at 8pm

[LMcD]

Tonight (Sunday) on BBCFour at 8pm

Presented - I'm pleased to see - by Petroc Trelawny, and not Clive Myrie, Tom Service or Katie Derham.

[Pulcinella]

Presented - I'm pleased to see - by Petroc Trelawny, and not Clive Myrie, Tom Service or Katie Derham.

Hurrah!
And we got our system sorted out by the kind folk at Richer Sounds (I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't spotted that a lead had become disconnected: ) so we can send the TV sound through the Hi-Fi system.

[LMcD]

Hurrah!
And we got our system sorted out by the kind folk at Richer Sounds (I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't spotted that a lead had become disconnected: ) so we can send the TV sound through the Hi-Fi system.

I'm quite enjoying tonight's Prom, to which, I've been told twice in the last 10 minutes, I'm currently listening.

[Pulcinella]

Five stars from Richard Morrison in The Times:

https://www.thetimes.com/article/0d23a052-8eb1-4c26-9412-9f013a3d23e7?shareToken=b05ae9225d5ba231e447fd0e5d9d5c91