Absolutely a season highlight for me, riveting from start to finish, and not even a concert I was originally planning to go to. I was up in the Gallery, to which the sound on this occasion carried very well and where the orchestral balance seemed absolutely fine. I did wonder if it would have been a bit overwhelming if I'd been back in the Choir like the day before. The BBC Singers did a beautiful job and their selection was a perfect prelude to the symphony. Petrenko's rapport with the orchestra was wonderful to see and hear, and there was something just right about how the symphony unfolded, moving and intricately exciting.
Prom 56: Bruckner, BBC Singers / Berlin Philharmonic, O. Park / K. Petrenko
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Originally posted by Prommer View PostOn the coughing subject, and annoying it is, but who on earth is bothering to test for Covid anymore? Mad!
of people who have suffered long term health consequences like racing pulse and breathlessness
.
all this “it’s no worse than a cold “ is utter nonsense
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Originally posted by Darkbloom View PostI wish they wouldn't do that, it's not their job.
"What to say after that?"
I didn't detect the mass coughing that those in the RAH observed, who obviously had the advantage overall, all things considered, of being in "the room where it happens", so to speak. At the very least, though, as others have mentioned, no applause between the movements. It's perhaps something subliminal about the prestige of the Berlin Philharmonic that a very packed house accords them, and the music, the respect of waiting until the very end to applaud, both for the orchestra and for the BBC Singers in the choral selections.
While there was probably an element of 'snob prestige' in people trying to buy tickets as quickly as possible for the Berlin Philharmonic Proms, it is worth noting that the Schumann / Smetana Prom sold out initially much faster than the Bruckner Prom. Tickets remained open for the latter for much longer, which is no surprise, given that, in the USA at least, Bruckner is a very hard sell. Eventually, to be sure, the "Seats Not Available" box did show up for this concert on the RAH's site. I'm not a Bruckner fan at all, but lucky patrons who were there and got a concert of this quality.
I was a bit surprised also to hear Sarah Willis mentioned that Bruckner 5 was KP's first go at conducting Bruckner. On reflection, though, it's perhaps not a surprise, since KP has focused so much of his earlier conducting career in the opera house, with symphonic concerts seemingly more on the side. So KP brings that opera house experience as his coverage of the orchestral repertoire expands.
BTW, for anyone with a Digital Concert Hall subscription who wants to "compare and contrast", like with the other DCH offering and the other Prom with Ma vlast:
The Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko started the new season just a few days before the 200th anniversary of Anton Bruckner’s birth. The composer fought for recognition from the public with his Fifth Symphony. In it, he reveals himself as a gifted musical architect, bringing together voluptuous melodies, solemn chorales and contrapuntal structures. Kirill Petrenko emphasised the avant-garde side of the work – an “inspiring” performance of “exceptional quality”, as Die Presse wrote.
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Originally posted by bluestateprommer View Post
Normally, as a presenter, Martin Handley is quite restrained with respect to any sort of extraneous over-gushy post-performance commentary, quite unlike his colleagues GM, KM, and TS. Perhaps I'm being a tad Pollyanna-ish here (for once), in thinking that his comment about the quality of this performance struck me as a genuinely spontaneous utterance, rather than any sort of standard laying it on with a trowel that other presenters tend to do. He did also quip the night before, after Ma vlast:
In both instances, MH was very concise.
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[QUOTE=Petrushka;n1317007]Originally posted by Ein Heldenleben View Post
I had it in June and again in July and, believe me, if you have it you don't want to get out of bed never mind go to a Prom!
Very discouraging to hear that you had it two months in a row. My wife and I had it last month and we leave for our long awaited France trip in 3 days. We will be masking on the plane
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[QUOTE=richardfinegold;n1317073]Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
Right, but at first many people think it’s allergies or a slight cold, and if you’ve been anticipating a concert you might not want to admit to yourself that the early symptoms are Covid. It’s very prevalent and I suspect it caused some of the coughing.
Very discouraging to hear that you had it two months in a row. My wife and I had it last month and we leave for our long awaited France trip in 3 days. We will be masking on the plane
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Originally posted by Prommer View PostOf course this is up to you, but no one really did this before... apart from the Japanese etc... even those more vulnerable. Is this progress?
Also, silence those bloody devices as requested when they play that ringing phone sound over the PA! I heard at least two notification chimes during the BBC Singers' performance.
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Originally posted by mathias broucek View PostMaybe it's because my wife used to be a pro musician, but I always put my phone OFF during a concert.
It really needs an announcement from the stage or, failing that, an announcement from the Prommers in the Arena to whose announcement of the money raised for musical charities shuts everybody up.
Ideally, the announcement also needs to be made before the second half commences, whoever makes it.
Is anybody in the Proms/RAH team alert to what actually needs to be done?
I'm not sure if phone blocking is legally allowed for safety reasons though the Barbican appear to do it. However, the Barbican might be a deep enough bunker to not get a signal anyway. Lucky them."The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink
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