Prom 47: Friday 19th August at 7.00 p.m. (Brahms/Haitink 1)

[Richard J.]

When will these soloists realise that sometimes they are only the accompanist and someone else has the tune?
I think the Axeman kept his foot down on the loud pedal from start to finish.

First of all, please don't insult Emanuel Ax by calling him that name. I am amazed by your 'loud pedal' comment, as from the Side Stalls I was struck in many passages by the delicacy of his touch. In no way did he overpower the orchestra. Perhaps the electronic wizardry that enabled you to hear the concert was at fault.

I played both concertos with Julius Katchen on several occasions and I can assure you that during my horn solos, he never took his eyes off me..

Not sure what the relevance of that is. If you are trying to say that Ax wasn't interested in what the orchestra were doing, that is patent nonsense. One could see in both concerts that whenever Ax stopped playing he turned to the orchestra and was absorbed in their playing.

[pilamenon]

I played both concertos with Julius Katchen on several occasions and I can assure you that during my horn solos, he never took his eyes off me.

[BBMmk2]

Bet that was nerve wracking, VH!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this concert. OK, maybe Ax did have the loud pedal on, but I found that didnt dtract from the actual performance. The Symphony No.3, I found was really sublime.

It was good to see a few British musicians in the orchestra.

[Lateralthinking1]

I listened to the whole of this broadcast on the I-Player. I wouldn't have done so had it not been for your recommendations. Brahms was indeed brown to me until now. He doesn't on paper fit into my rather naive classifications about personal preference, having been seen as too early, too formal, too Germanic, and insufficiently poetic. I have now changed my mind.

I was surprised by the range in these pieces. There appeared to be considerable innovation. At the same time, there is a control that ensures an absence of sugary melodrama. Emotion is there but measured. I preferred the first to the second but only slightly. Less brown, more bronze perhaps, while the latter had the sound of light reflected on stone. I realise that these words display not only appreciation but general ignorance.

The discussion with Tom Service in the break was really excellent. It was educational and entertaining. It really enhanced my listening as it enabled me to understand the context. I would now like to hear Ax performing Rachmaninov with whom I am more familiar.

[Chris Newman]

The two Haitink/Ax concerts were highlights of my concert going career. To hear the treacly varinish gently shaved away from traditionally overblown Brahms' playing was beautiful. Ax and Haitink played with what appeared to be a total spirit of unanimity. I do hope that the artists put the symphonies and concerti on CDs.

The Pre-Prom talk was equally exciting: as Cavatina says

Pianist and musicologist Kenneth Hamilton was absolutely phenomenal: as he took us through a bit of music theory on the piano, his enthusiasm and love for his subject was all over his face. What a joy to hear!

He and Stephen Johnson were strong enough to out-manouevre the dull presenter.

[Norfolk Born]

I've only just got round to watching this on my PVR. While the music-making was just as wonderful as on the following night - in particular, I found the performance of the Third Symphony quite spellbinding - I was struck by the difference in presentation compared with BBC2's coverage of the Saturday night concert.
Charles Hazelwood's approach to interviewing Bernard Haitink struck just the right note (no pun intended): he was friendly, enquiring but not fawningly enthusiastic or falsely deferential. And the contributions by Robert Saxton, discussing both works within the context of Brahms's oeuvre and in broader historical terms, were most illuminating.
Generally speaking, CH seemed pleased to be there, and pleased we were there with him, and managed to convey his admiration of Bernard Haitink without any of the excessive enthusiasm and gushing that characterized the BBC2 coverage. And he managed to say just enough about Brahms without whisking us off to Vienna at vast expense and for no apparent reason.
Does the BBC believe that people who watch the Proms on BBC4 are that different from those that watch them om BBC2?

[bluestateprommer]

I directed a colleague at work to this Prom on iPlayer. When we talked later, it turns out that we had sort of the same reaction to Brahms 3, namely that it started a tad slippery on the very opening chord. To me, the pace initially seemed a bit on the stately side. But I kept listening, and gradually I settled into BH's interpretation, as did the COE, it seemed. I guess one could use the slightly cliched word "autumnal" to describe the overall ethos of BH's work here, but it fits. (BTW, if anyone can explain to me the reason for the reference to the Beethoven 5 fate motif in the finale of Brahms 3, it'd be interesting to hear. I've never figured that one out.)

I got a sense that Emanuel Ax did sound a bit "clangy" on iPlayer, presumably from the miking for radio broadcast, as from my experience of him as a concerto soloist in the concert hall on this side of the pond, he's never been a "clangy" type of player. Still, it's good to see these two old pros at work, as I've seen Ax in concert live, and I've seen Haitink conduct live, but unfortunately never the two on the same program.

[bluestateprommer]

For anyone who wants to revisit this Prom from 2011, via a certain video site:

1. Symphony No. 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK4NcLcUH9o

2. Piano Concerto No. 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxH50l50dvs

[Nick Armstrong]

Just listening to the repeat of this on TTN, specifically the First Piano Concerto.... Tremendous performance, I was gripped - not knowing who was playing till I just looked it up.

Till then, I thought it must be somewhere in Eastern Europe in the depths of winter due to THE UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF OBTRUSIVE COUGHING DURING THE SLOW MOVEMENT!!

What is it with these people? How can anyone cough repeatedly, loudly, uncovered, open-mouthed, during that music?!

Note to self: make sure Carstairs has serviced and oiled the Walther and silencer ready for this season

[Beef Oven]

Just listening to the repeat of this on TTN, specifically the First Piano Concerto.... Tremendous performance, I was gripped - not knowing who was playing till I just looked it up.

Till then, I thought it must be somewhere in Eastern Europe in the depths of winter due to THE UNBELIEVABLE AMOUNT OF OBTRUSIVE COUGHING DURING THE SLOW MOVEMENT!!

What is it with these people? How can anyone cough repeatedly, loudly, uncovered, open-mouthed, during that music?!

Note to self: make sure Carstairs has serviced and oiled the Walther and silencer ready for this season

Agreed - most annoying. I had to endure the same thing during a Deep Purple gig in the 70s. Some bloke coughed at least eight times during Highway Star. I think it's selfish. Why couldn't he have taken the trouble to make a purchase of a packet of Hacks on the way to the concert?

[Nick Armstrong]

Agreed - most annoying. I had to endure the same thing during a Deep Purple gig in the 70s. Some bloke coughed at least eight times during Highway Star. I think it's selfish. Why couldn't he have taken the trouble to make a purchase of a packet of Hacks on the way to the concert?

Hard to tell sometimes, Beefy old boy, if you're taking the Panjandrum or not...