Proms at Nottingham: BBC Concert Orchestra, C. Hammond / Helsing

[bluestateprommer]

Sunday 8 September 2024
16:00
Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Theatre Square
Nottingham
NG1 5ND

Doreen Carwithen (arr. Philip Lane): The Men of Sherwood Forest – Overture
Elizabeth Kelly: Lace Machine Music (BBC commission: world premiere)
Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
[Encore: Cécile Chaminade: Six Études de concert, op. 35, no. 5 - 'Impromptu' (first performance at The Proms)]

Interval

Korngold: The Adventures of Robin Hood – Suite
Sibelius: Symphony No 3 in C major, op. 52

Clare Hammond, piano (Proms debut artist)
BBC Concert Orchestra
Anna-Maria Helsing, conductor

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

https://trch.co.uk/whats-on/bbc-proms-nottingham/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0022jym

[bluestateprommer]

Clare Hammond just finished her Cecile Chaminade encore, a real charmer and very well done. The Rachmaninov was OK, nothing special IMVHO, and sounded a bit slack in pace in places. But given how fantastic the Rachmaninov is, even an OK performance is OK.

The new Elizabeth Kelly work sounded a bit of a mixed bag to me, which admittedly is par for the course for new music. At the risk a spoiler alert (if you prefer to approach it with no advance biases, then stop reading at this point ): it falls in two sections, at least to my tin ear, where the use of what sounds like a pop-like or 'machine-like' percussion kit (perhaps that was part of EK's point, given the title of the work) reminded me of Kevin Puts' Sinfonia, which had a rather blatant drum kit in the work. EK's use of percussion here is a bit more subtle, and also seems to use pop-like dance rhythms. The slower second section was in a rather 'romantic' vein, and surprisingly, at least to me, ended with this slow section, rather than provide a more up-tempo concluding fast section.

The Doreen Carwithen selection was a pleasant opener, good to hear, even if it didn't knock me out as a eye-opening re-discovery. But overall, this program is a very good mix of familiar and not-so-familiar works, as well as a world premiere.

[Barbirollians]

Glad to see BBC CO having an opportunity to play Sibelius 3.

[bluestateprommer]

Glad to see BBC CO having an opportunity to play Sibelius 3.

Indeed, and today's performance looks to be the BBC CO's first time performing Sibelius 3 under the rubric of The Proms (though obviously not at the RAH), a good, solid reading. A-MH is kind of a "safe pair of hands" kind of conductor, who doesn't necessarily set one (or at least me) alight with her interpretations, but she's honest and straightforward, without pulling things about. This worked well with the Hollywood glitz of EWK's selections from The Adventures of Robin Hood. Applause between all the movements of both the EWK and the Sibelius, which would indicate an audience beyond core classical, IMVHO.

[Barbirollians]

I only heard the last few minutes of the Paganini Rhapsdy and would agree with your asessment from what I heard BSP.

[LMcD]

Applause between all the movements of both the EWK and the Sibelius, which would indicate an audience beyond core classical, IMVHO.

How long before soloists or sections of the orchestra are applauded during movements - after all, it's been common practice in the jazz world for years and I haven't heard or read any complaints.