Prom 29: Friday 5th August at 7.30. p.m. (Mahler 2)

[Nick Armstrong]

Detained at work till very late, but with a hiatus till 9, I am really pleased to be able to hear this on the R3 player with headphones

Some absolutely terrific trumpet and horn playing already, in particular

Whether Snr Dudamel's conception of the first movement is quite as terrific overall, I'm less sure...

[RobertLeDiable]

Damp squib so far......

[khiiutvhjui]

Some sumptuously beautiful passages, but it is painfully slow as if old Klemp was at the rostrum.

[Bryn]

Um, "are we there yet?"

Looks like they will have to re-jig the BBC2 schedule for tomorrow. You can't squeeze a quart into a pint pot.

[pmartel]

I liked VERY MUCH.

Considering I'm listening on computer speakers, I was much impressed with what I heard.

Having grown up with the Stokowski Mahler 2nd, it's nice to hear a modern version.

Didn't find the tempi all that slow, but then that's just my idea.

This will be worth rehearing on my night off computer hooked up to the stereo

[makropulos]

Um, "are we there yet?"

Looks like they will have to re-jig the BBC2 schedule for tomorrow. You can't squeeze a quart into a pint pot.

Yup - it certainly does, even with a 1 hour 35 minute slot already. Ho hum.

[kernelbogey]

Well, after considering travelling up to London for this (5 hr round trip) I chose to stay home, also for other reasons, and listened in DAB.

I think this is among the greatest of all symphonies, and for me the greatest of the twentieth century. I don't think for me there can, or should, be one way of playing it. What came through was the mesmeric passion that this orchestra and this conductor achieve in performing this music.

Donald MacLeod, in the back-announcement, mentioned that the Leader of the SBO had said to him that the message of resurrection in the last movement is one that they believe in as an orchestra; and I think he said it's also the philosophy behind the ideas of Sistema.

This was a great performance and I hope it will come out on CD. I sadly will not be able to hear its repeat on Tuesday but I'd like to check when the tv broadcast is/was as I'd llike to reexperience it. Clearly the audience, some of whom had apparently camped out to be sure of getting a prom place, were ecstatic.

Wonderful performance: no gripes here.

[Nick Armstrong]

Um, "are we there yet?"

Looks like they will have to re-jig the BBC2 schedule for tomorrow. You can't squeeze a quart into a pint pot.

... hence the quick getaway by R3. Wonder if all the roars resulted in an encore? Look forward to someone who was there telling us.

It did occur to me, catching some of his Mahler 1 on the radio the other morning, that Dudamel still thinks slowness is essential to beauty and profundity in Mahler, at the expense of a pulse and a sense of structural purpose. I fear that was evident tonight too.

Still, it enabled one to revel in the brass playing (the fact that some of them are friends is entirely irrelevant to that objective comment )

[Nick Armstrong]

I'd like to check when the tv broadcast is/was as I'd llike to reexperience it.

Tomorrow (Saturday evening), BBC2 and BBChd

[makropulos]

... hence the quick getaway by R3. Wonder if all the roars resulted in an encore? Look forward to someone who was there telling us.

It did occur to me, catching some of his Mahler 1 on the radio the other morning, that Dudamel still thinks slowness is essential to beauty and profundity in Mahler, at the expense of a pulse and a sense of structural purpose. I fear that was evident tonight too.

Still, it enabled one to revel in the brass playing (the fact that some of them are friends is entirely irrelevant to that objective comment )

There was some wonderful playing - not just from the brass (though they were pretty remarkable) - and the National Youth Choir acquitted themselves pretty impressively too. But I agree with you about Dudamel and slow speeds - the music nearly stopped on a few occasions. But but but... having said that, I was pretty moved by the performance. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it on BBC2 tomorrow night.

[kernelbogey]

Tomorrow (Saturday evening), BBC2 and BBChd

Thanks Caliban. It may be me too rearranging my schedule.

I thought the off-stage band(s) all sounded excellent - must have been great in the Hall.

[DracoM]

For me it was just several nicely turned paragraphs, not a novel with shape, and in some places the tempi were simply ludicrously slow. On site, no doubt it was 'imnpressive', in that space / acoustic, it could hardly fail to be, but for me self-indulgent might be an adjective that begins to surface. The Choir were a knockout - how they kept breathing at one or two moments, on;y they will know.

Might well be a fine 'Proms occasion' - it will certrainly be bigged up as that - but whether it added up to a great Mahler performance, still not sure.

[kernelbogey]

[...]whether it added up to a great Mahler performance, still not sure.

If you had been there without ever having heard the work before I think you'd consider it 'great'. I think it's so difficult to compare a live experience with our knowledge from recordings, which, after all, are fixed for ever. The live event depends on so much more, including the influence of the audience - a big factor, I imagine, for a visiting orchestra.

[Nick Armstrong]

If you had been there without ever having heard the work before I think you'd consider it 'great'. I think it's so difficult to compare a live experience with our knowledge from recordings, which, after all, are fixed for ever. The live event depends on so much more, including the influence of the audience - a big factor, I imagine, for a visiting orchestra.

Yes, indeed. Can't wait for contributions here from those who were in the hall.

[johnb]

Well I'm probably fortunate in not expecting a great performance when I live concert - if it happens to be one then that's wonderful, of course.

We are so used to listening to our favourite greatest performance on CD that we sometimes forget that live music making is quite different to studio recorded CDs with their multiple takes and numerous patches.

Dudamel isn't Abaddo and the SBO isn't the Lucerne Fest Orch - so what? I thought the performance had a sense of occasion and I thoroughly enjoyed it.