Prom 1 - Friday 15th July 2011 at 7.30 p.m.

[EdgeleyRob]

Makropulos, many thanks for the info.

[Chris Newman]

The tenor in the Janacek may have risen to the occasion if that's what was called for. It sounded more like a rather shouty Sprechgesang to me. But I'm no expert - so please ignore.

I tried to sympathise with Stefan Vinke in Message 11. Janacek shows the tenor no mercy. I believe that that most Glagolitic Mass lovers will agree with me, as will all tenors, that this is the most cruel short singing role in the tenor repertoire next to Florestan in Fidelio. It, as does Florestan, calls for an incredibly wide leaping range of notes with many phrases beginning fortissimo at a very high tessitura combined with the necessary volume of a heldentenor and the added problems of Slavic syllables. Unlike Florestan there is little scope for a little bit of legato beauty.

[pianoronald]

I thought the Liszt concerto was absolutely thrilling - and so was the Brahms/Cziffra encore.

[Pianorak]

I tried to sympathise with Stefan Vinke in Message 11.

Chris, I did notice which is why I commented to see what informed reaction would be. Thanks for your further detailed explanation - much appreciated.

[french frank]

Hello pianoronald

I thought the Liszt concerto was absolutely thrilling - and so was the Brahms/Cziffra encore.

Were you in the hall or listening on air?

It looks as if Grosvenor has a mind to make a bit of a specialism of Liszt. Good choice?

[pianoronald]

I watched on the BBC i-player an hour ago. I would love to hear Benjamin playing other stuff - Liszt certainly suits him well. Splendid technique and good taste!

[french frank]

I watched on the BBC i-player an hour ago. I would love to hear Benjamin playing other stuff - Liszt certainly suits him well. Splendid technique and good taste!

I heard him play the Liszt B minor sonata in Bristol last year, along with Gaspard de la Nuit. No nerves. He obviously has the technique to play what he wants to, so it will be interesting to discover where his tastes will lie.

[teamsaint]

Re the Liszt last night...I quite like some liszt, not his biggest fan, but I really enjoyed the performance of what is, as someone else said, a slightly uneven work.

it was a performance delivered with grace and class, as well as a good deal of musical sensitivity...and a lovely way to start the season.
Lets hope lots of other performers show as much class as BG.

[Jasmine Bassett]

While I enjoyed the perfomances, the sound - listened to live via Freeview - was very different from what I would have hoped the BBC could provide.

Particularly in the piano concerto the piano sound was very strange - almost out of tune - and the perpectives were non-existent. There was no front to back depth and the blanace just seemed totally contrived.

I'm not sure if they were perhaps adding some of the backchannels from a 5.1 mix into the regular stereo feed but the contributions from the audience were most distracting.

It can only get better ...

[Ventilhorn]

In my view your "assurances" re William Tell are ill-founded, even if you have played the piece "on many occasions" (where? the complete opera hasn't been performed on "many" occasions in the last 50 years). For me it is by far Rossini's most original and forward-looking opera, a wonderful experience, and an extraordinary if premature end to his operatic career. So I expect to enjoy it very much...especially as Pappano has a tremendous flair for the piece.

If you are listening to a play on radio, it is easy to picture the characters and the setting in one’s mind (a bit like when reading a book).

But when listening to a radio broadcast of opera, it is not so easy – especially if the words are sung in a foreign language.

Of course, if you’ve previously seen the opera on stage or on television, you can revisit the setting, the characters and the action as you listen to the work in sound only.

The problem with “William Tell” is that there is lots of action but little that is comparable with the musical quality of Rossini’s better-known operas (which is probably why they are better-known)
Listen objectively to the arias and recitatives of the characters and I think you would agree that the music is not of the quality of “The Barber” or “La Cenerentola” or “The Italian Girl” and perhaps you will understand the point that I have been making about this Prom Nº 2.

Anyway, please allow me to divert you with a little story, about a performance for schoolchildren in Cardiff’s New Theatre:

Children were bussed into Cardiff from all the surrounding towns, ranging as far away as Merthyr and Ebbw Vale. To cope with such large numbers it was inevitable that the first to arrive were seated more than an hour before the performance was due to start.

So when we entered the orchestra pit we were greeted by a restless, frustrated and very angry mob.

The opening of the overture by the choir of cellos and the cor anglais solo were completely drowned by the racket from the assembled mob, but when we reached the gallop, there were joyful shouts of “ …the Lone Ranger” and they quietened down to an excited buzz.

Not for long though. Most of the dialogue was drowned and the audience went into pantomime mood,; shouting out “Behind You!” and “Look out!” They booed and hissed when the villain appeared and cheered the house down when William Tell strode onto the stage.

It all came to a climax with the shooting the apple drama. Jemmy, William’s son was played by Elizabeth Vaughan. The apple scene was cunningly contrived but “the best laid plans of mice &c”

Jemmy stood in front of the tree, to the back of which was fixed a spring loaded gadget, holding the shaft and feathers of an arrow out of sight. The scheme was that Tell, complete with bow and arrow would withdraw from the audience’s view at the side and a large apple, sliced in two and joined back together was placed on Jemmy’s head. There was an unseen thread which Jemmy grasped and the idea was that pulling on this string would cause the arrow shaft to flip down onto the apple; thus causing the two halves to separate and fall to the ground.

Well, it had all worked before, but on this occasion, when Betty Vaughan tugged on the thread, nothing happened.
She tugged again frantically, which caused the two halves of the apple to separate and fall. Then the arrow appeared and lowered itself gently to a horizontal position just like Tower Bridge. The rest of the performance was sheer chaos. We felt lucky to escape by the stage door!

That is the scene that I will have in mind when I listen to tonight's broadcast.

VH

[salymap]

Wow, I wish I'd been there. An awful thing to say but I love it when things go slightly wrong in opera.

[Serial_Apologist]

If you are listening to a play on radio, it is easy to picture the characters and the setting in one’s mind (a bit like when reading a book).

But when listening to a radio broadcast of opera, it is not so easy – especially if the words are sung in a foreign language.

Of course, if you’ve previously seen the opera on stage or on television, you can revisit the setting, the characters and the action as you listen to the work in sound only.

The problem with “William Tell” is that there is lots of action but little that is comparable with the musical quality of Rossini’s better-known operas (which is probably why they are better-known)
Listen objectively to the arias and recitatives of the characters and I think you would agree that the music is not of the quality of “The Barber” or “La Cenerentola” or “The Italian Girl” and perhaps you will understand the point that I have been making about this Prom Nº 2.

Anyway, please allow me to divert you with a little story, about a performance for schoolchildren in Cardiff’s New Theatre:

Children were bussed into Cardiff from all the surrounding towns, ranging as far away as Merthyr and Ebbw Vale. To cope with such large numbers it was inevitable that the first to arrive were seated more than an hour before the performance was due to start.

So when we entered the orchestra pit we were greeted by a restless, frustrated and very angry mob.

The opening of the overture by the choir of cellos and the cor anglais solo were completely drowned by the racket from the assembled mob, but when we reached the gallop, there were joyful shouts of “ …the Lone Ranger” and they quietened down to an excited buzz.

Not for long though. Most of the dialogue was drowned and the audience went into pantomime mood,; shouting out “Behind You!” and “Look out!” They booed and hissed when the villain appeared and cheered the house down when William Tell strode onto the stage.

It all came to a climax with the shooting the apple drama. Jemmy, William’s son was played by Elizabeth Vaughan. The apple scene was cunningly contrived but “the best laid plans of mice &c”

Jemmy stood in front of the tree, to the back of which was fixed a spring loaded gadget, holding the shaft and feathers of an arrow out of sight. The scheme was that Tell, complete with bow and arrow would withdraw from the audience’s view at the side and a large apple, sliced in two and joined back together was placed on Jemmy’s head. There was an unseen thread which Jemmy grasped and the idea was that pulling on this string would cause the arrow shaft to flip down onto the apple; thus causing the two halves to separate and fall to the ground.

Well, it had all worked before, but on this occasion, when Betty Vaughan tugged on the thread, nothing happened.
She tugged again frantically, which caused the two halves of the apple to separate and fall. Then the arrow appeared and lowered itself gently to a horizontal position just like Tower Bridge. The rest of the performance was sheer chaos. We felt lucky to escape by the stage door!

That is the scene that I will have in mind when I listen to tonight's broadcast.

VH

Sounds like the performance pommed!

[Alison]

I was disappointed when I first saw this programme back in April.

Completely wrong, I thought it was an excellent start to the season with the Weir piece hitting the

spot, both fresh and appropriate.

A lovely platform manner from the splendid young soloist.

A few new (to me) faces in the BBC ranks and notably more security in the brass playing in particular.

Altogether a concert to remember.

There seemed to be a bigger gap between the platform and the prommers, maybe an optical illusion, but I

felt this aided concentration for me as a TV viewer.

[antongould]

I have at last managed to hear the whole concert thanks to the wonders of the inlayer having only heard "bits" on radio and TV last evening. I too found it excellent - loved the Weir and the Brahms, was impressed by the Liszt and the Mass just blew me away - what a start!

[amateur51]

I have at last managed to hear the whole concert thanks to the wonders of the inlayer having only heard "bits" on radio and TV last evening. I too found it excellent - loved the Weir and the Brahms, was impressed by the Liszt and the Mass just blew me away - what a start!

I totally agree, Anton! I watched it all last evening & greatly enjoyed it.

I did wonder if the new Weir piece would ever get performed again as the no. of performers: length of piece ratio was inhibiting but then I remembered that I'd felt much the same about Weir's We Are Shadows which I heard at the NYO concert at the RFH back in April. Shadows is certainly longer than this piece and together they might make up the first half of a concert.

As you say, anton - what a start!