Prom 67: RVW / Schoenberg / Shostakovich, BBC SO, Kopatchinskaja / Peltokoski

[edashtav]

Bsp wrote:
Fine opening from Tarmo P. and the BBC SO of the RVW Fantasia on Greensleeves.

Tarmo Peltokoski, conductor, admitted that he was a great admirer of RVW's music and he interpreted this trifle out of RVW's "Sir John in Love" by Ralph Greaves with affection, distilling its spirit of England rather than looking through Sibelian lakes and woods.

[edashtav]

Family matters distracted me on Monday evening so I'm catching up on BBC SOUNDS

Schoenberg Violin Concerto op 36
So, with Pat Kop as Arnold's fiddler that makes the Proms Final score:

Schoenberg Utd 3 :
Berg and Webern Wanderers 0

Well,well, Arnie deserves the applause in his 150th year but... it's more than sad that his pupils are not part of the BBC's feint praise.
With Pat at the Kop End, the work is about people and their world: in the absence of a 6th finger, PC threatened to sing any unplayable notes!

Complex, not cosy and still modern.
Pat COP started at her most languid, plyrical and ingratiating whilst the orchestral strings were more angular producing sounds which typified the public caricature of 'the Schoenberg sound" fifty years ago. Were I to criticise Pat's assessable approach, I would say that she segmented the whole into a series of peeps through windows of coloured glass. I suppose 50 years ago I would have used the term 'moments'. It came across as a 'Aunt Pat's Guide to Arnie's Violin Concerto.

The slow movement was delicate and delicious with soloist and Orchestra playing from the same song sheet. I could hear a lineage through Berg to Frankel's violin concerto although those Concerti have few opportunities for the sheer fun and cheekiness that Arnold incorporated into his work. His finale was hilarious with great contributions from the trombones.
Pat capered through the cadenza as if starring in a cartoon film.
The audience sounded very happy with it all.



I loved the Giya Kancheli encore.
Ideal Proms fare.

[Pulcinella]

I was sufficiently taken with the VC to feel bad about not getting to know it sooner.
The version on my shelves is Pierre Amoyel/LSO/Boulez, which I'd never really taken to.
Perhaps I should try again, or are there other (better?) recordings that I should seek out?

[Petrushka]

I was sufficiently taken with the VC to feel bad about not getting to know it sooner.
The version on my shelves is Pierre Amoyel/LSO/Boulez, which I'd never really taken to.
Perhaps I should try again, or are there other (better?) recordings that I should seek out?

I also have that Boulez recording and, likewise, have never really taken to it. I also have Zvi Zeitlin with the Bavarian Radio SO/Kubelik but can't remember playing it.

I think the Hilary Hahn recording has garnered a lot of praise though I don't have it.

[edashtav]

I also have that Boulez recording and, likewise, have never really taken to it. I also have Zvi Zeitlin with the Bavarian Radio SO/Kubelik but can't remember playing it.

I think the Hilary Hahn recording has garnered a lot of praise though I don't have it.

Yes, I have the Hilary Hahn CD which I really love. It is much more aware of structure that Pat Kop's episodic, highly variegated and idiosyncratic interpretation but it finds the work's melodies and crafts them with obvious affection. Nicely recorded sound, too.

[edashtav]

Wow! That was a truly sensational performance of the Shostakovich 5. I've rarely heard the third movement played with such poetry and feeling and there were some daring pianissimos in places. Thrilling conclusion to the whole work, too.[...]

whereas Ein Heldenleben has written:

"!Got the impression initially that the band were initially going through the motions in Shosh 5 - perhaps they’re just getting tired with the finish line in sight. They’re also following on from some exceptionally committed orchestral playing in the last week. But as the performance went on th8ngs improved very significantly. Excellent last movement - the bit where an awful lot of bands tire - remarkable."

I'll start with the tricky finale. I agree with both of my fellow Boarders: it was thrilling, tireless and a remarkably fine conclusion for which the young Finnish conductor, Tarmo Peltokoski, deserves some sort of 'Stalin Prize '.

EH doesn't comment on the 3rd movement but one can infer that things had improved significantly for him. I agree entirely with "I've rarely heard the third movement played with such poetry and feeling and there were some daring pianissimos in places" which was Petrushka's apt assessment.

I found the Scherzo and the opening movement rather ordinary and thosecomments fit with EH's feelings, overall. As Petrushka was wowed and described the whole perfornance as truly sensational, EG/EH may have a numeric majority but Petrushka's passionate advocacy, which seemed to be pre-echoed in the Hall, may dominate the jury's vote.

[smittims]

In my view, Pulcinella,,the best Schoenberg Violin Concerto is the one with Rolf Schulte and Robert Craft. I think it's on Naxos at present. The old Israel Baker/Craft version (SONY) is really a 'historical' recording now but it's a wonderful performance.

[Pulcinella]

Thanks all for the comments/recommendations: I'll see what's streamable for me.