Prom 45: Eastman / G. Mahler / Sibelius, BBC SO, Barton / Stasevska

[Ein Heldenleben]

Encouraged by your comments, I've just listened to this on Sounds - a remarkable performance (in a good way).

Glad you enjoyed it. I heard sound textures in that I’d not heard before - even to the point of wondering they were in the score !

[smittims]

I had heard of Julius Eastman but not heard any of his music so I didn't know what to expect. I suppose I was ready for 25 minutes of lively syncopation, or screaming saxes a la Anthony Braxton. This sombre 11-minute elegy was a pleasant surprise; not a work of much originality, the closing passage reminiscent of the equivalent part of Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments, to mention one moment, but worth hearing again, which is more than I can say for some of the novelties this year (and yes, I know it was written 40 years ago, but this was the British premiere).

I couldn't help hearing that it was written in memory of a personal relationship, but had I been able to approach it 'unseen' as I usually try to do, I don't think it would have occurred to me to find it 'heartbreaking' .I think sometimes they try to tell us what to feel in advance.

[jonfan]

An ex-piano pupil of mine has just got a 6 months trial as principal trombone in the Lahti Symphony Orchestra where DS is principal conductor. Lucky break; she starts with a complete traversal of the symphonies in an autumn Sibelius Festival.

[oliver sudden]

Glad you enjoyed it. I heard sound textures in that I’d not heard before - even to the point of wondering they were in the score !

Retouching (to use a nice word for it) happens a _lot_ in Sibelius. I got quite cross with the closing pages of Berglund’s Sib 2 with Bournemouth. And no two conductors do the end of 7 the same way.

But portamento is fair game as far as I’m concerned in early 20th-century repertoire and I must make some time to hear this performance since I feel it was unfairly evicted from the collective palette mid-century and if it’s coming back I want to be there when it does.

[LMcD]

Retouching (to use a nice word for it) happens a _lot_ in Sibelius. I got quite cross with the closing pages of Berglund’s Sib 2 with Bournemouth. And no two conductors do the end of 7 the same way.

But portamento is fair game as far as I’m concerned in early 20th-century repertoire and I must make some time to hear this performance since I feel it was unfairly evicted from the collective palette mid-century and if it’s coming back I want to be there when it does.

Conclusion to the review in the i: "The best conductors leave you marvelling, not at their own skill, but the composer's. Stasevska, bringing Sibelius's emotion and intellect into perfect synchronicity, did just that".

[alywin]

Glad you enjoyed it. I heard sound textures in that I’d not heard before - even to the point of wondering they were in the score !

Listening on the radio, so did I.

[jch48]

We were there. We're not near London so it was our 4th prom in 20+years.
I found the sound level disappointing.
I sensed beautiful playing and singing but wished for - I don't know what the word is - more 'presence', more a feeling that I was part of it. Especially when the wind section had prominence in the Sibelius. Is this an Albert Hall problem or specific to our section (Stalls L)?

We have started to have up to 3 concert visits a year. Wigmore never disappoints, Cadogan Hall was not as memorable as I was hoping (my only live Rachmaninov S2). Barbican has been fine.
We live an hour from Symphony Hall Birmingham - are we spoilt by that?
Any thoughts please

[Ein Heldenleben]

We were there. We're not near London so it was our 4th prom in 20+years.
I found the sound level disappointing.
I sensed beautiful playing and singing but wished for - I don't know what the word is - more 'presence', more a feeling that I was part of it. Especially when the wind section had prominence in the Sibelius. Is this an Albert Hall problem or specific to our section (Stalls L)?

We have started to have up to 3 concert visits a year. Wigmore never disappoints, Cadogan Hall was not as memorable as I was hoping (my only live Rachmaninov S2). Barbican has been fine.
We live an hour from Symphony Hall Birmingham - are we spoilt by that?
Any thoughts please

L is a long way back esp if you are nearer K than L. I never go further round than G if I can help it . It’s simple physics - the hall is large so sound energy will have dissipated quite significantly by the time it reaches you . Equally because of the circular nature of the whole you will be getting quite a bit of reflected sound . That muddies things still further. It’s personal preference but I like clear sound so try to get reasonably near. The best sound in the RAH is the front few rows of the arena - though some swear by the side stalls .

[Pulcinella]

L is a long way back esp if you are nearer K than L. I never go further round than G if I can help it . It’s simple physics - the hall is large so sound energy will have dissipated quite significantly by the time it reaches you . Equally because of the circular nature of the whole you will be getting quite a bit of reflected sound . That muddies things still further. It’s personal preference but I like clear sound so try to get reasonably near. The best sound in the RAH is the front few rows of the arena - though some swear by the side stalls .

So those are the noisy interruptions we hear, are they?

[Cockney Sparrow]

L is a long way back esp if you are nearer K than L. I never go further round than G if I can help it . It’s simple physics - the hall is large so sound energy will have dissipated quite significantly by the time it reaches you . Equally because of the circular nature of the whole you will be getting quite a bit of reflected sound . That muddies things still further. It’s personal preference but I like clear sound so try to get reasonably near. The best sound in the RAH is the front few rows of the arena - though some swear by the side stalls .

I prefer O (opposite G). I've sat in both, but can't say I have a decided judgement which is superior to the other. I understood that's where they seat composers as having the better sound balance (although thinking about it, its handy for them to make their way onto the stage to take applause......)

I had a ticket for a Last Four Songs in stalls K, some years ago and that decided me - I'd have been better listening on the radio. I was aware a Soprano soloist was singing - I could see her, but I only heard her intermittently. Which is the reason I don't participate in the Proms Plan and their "take it or leave it" offer of seats wherever in the stalls the algorithm decides, after I've spent my time filling it all in and waiting. If I'm particularly interested, I look in at intervals and try to pick up stalls seats which appear for sale later on.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I prefer O (opposite G). I've sat in both, but can't say I have a decided judgement which is superior to the other. I understood that's where they seat composers as having the better sound balance (although thinking about it, its handy for them to make their way onto the stage to take applause......)

I had a ticket for a Last Four Songs in stalls K, some years ago and that decided me - I'd have been better listening on the radio. I was aware a Soprano soloist was singing - I could see her, but I only heard her intermittently. Which is the reason I don't participate in the Proms Plan and their "take it or leave it" offer of seats wherever in the stalls the algorithm decides, after I've spent my time filling it all in and waiting. If I'm particularly interested, I look in at intervals and try to pick up stalls seats which appear for sale later on.

Re O and G All depends whether you prefer top or bottom heavy orchestral sound. For me stalls right wherever I go is too double bass and brass heavy. I tend to sit a few rows back on the fiddle side or one fifth to one quarter round in the Royal Albert Hall clock (about 9-10 as it were ) . Sat at 0 for the Barenboim Gotterdamerung and it was excellent - no problem with the soloists,
Completely agree about K. The tickets I got for the Haitink Bruckner I mentioned on another thread were there. Bruckner 9 was ok but Murray Perahia in the Beethoven was very quiet indeed.

[Nick Armstrong]

Re O and G All depends whether you prefer top or bottom heavy orchestral sound. For me stalls right wherever I go is too double bass and brass heavy. I tend to sit a few rows back on the fiddle side or one fifth to one quarter round in the Royal Albert Hall clock (about 9-10 as it were ) . Sat at 0 for the Barenboim Gotterdamerung and it was excellent - no problem with the soloists,
Completely agree about K. The tickets I got for the Haitink Bruckner I mentioned on another thread were there. Bruckner 9 was ok but Murray Perahia in the Beethoven was very quiet indeed.

I quite agree. Nowadays I go for front stalls between a quarter to the conductor and a quarter past (as a trombonist I prefer the latter! ) - the Rotterdam orchestra was ideal as the double basses were at the back behind the wind.

For the prices they charge, seats on the far side from the musicians are a no-no for me. I remember the sensation of perceiving the music as it were through the wrong end of the aural telescope from back there; or in the case of a big choral work, hearing the concert twice at a half-second interval, first the direct sound and just afterwards, the reverberated version - most distracting.

.

PS a few years ago, a foreign guest really wanted to go and the only seats we could get were rear choir - I was amazed how wonderful the sound was, for the symphony (it was the Manze RVW London Symphony) … though poor for whichever concerto it was (the soloist’s contributions were almost completely lost):



Bonus for me: stupendous leg room, as can be seen from my extended lower limbs there!

[Ein Heldenleben]

I quite agree. Nowadays I go for front stalls between a quarter to the conductor or a quarter past (as a trombonist I prefer the latter! ) - the Rotterdam orchestra was ideal as the double basses were at the back behind the wind.

For the prices they charge, seats on the far side from the musicians are a no-no for me. I remember the sensation of perceiving the music as it were through the wrong end of the aural telescope from back there; on in the case of a big choral work, hearing the concert twice at a half-second interval, first the direct sound and just afterwards, the reverberated version - most distracting.

.

PS a few years ago, a foreign guests really wanted to go and the only seats we could get were rear choir - I was amazed how wonderful the sound was, for the symphony (it was the Manze RVW London Symphony) … though poor for whichever concerto it was (the soloist’s contributions were almost completely lost):



Bonus for me: stupendous leg room, as can be seen from my extended lower limbs there!

Suspect rear choir is the RAH equivalent of the side lower slips at Covent Garden where I always seem to end up at rehearsals. This has better sound than the stalls - though one third to two thirds of stage can’t be seen and there’s virtually no leg room

[smittims]

Jus a reminder ; this concert is repeated this afternoon about 1400 BST ; I'll be listening as I haven't yet heard the Mahler and Sibelius performances, which have been much praised here.

[parkepr]

For this Prom, I had a seat in the gallery (section Q row 1 seat 36} but was offered a re-seat in the stalls about 4 rows in front of the R3 box. I was quite impressed with sound and the view was great (especially for the Eastman with its 4 timpanists)

https://x.com/Parqueros/status/1829065688591258084?t=unsK5NfAZc36EZYuRVWoZw&s=19