Prom 53: Wednesday 24th August at 7.00 p.m. (Stravinsky, Ravel, Tchaikovsky)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sir Colin Davis conducts an orchestra of brilliant young musicians in a programme which ranges from Stravinsky's so-called 'war symphony' via the heady orientalism of Ravel to the dramatic Fate motif of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. The leading American mezzo soprano, Susan Graham joins them for Ravel's vision of the Orient, which is by turns sensuous, voluptuous and erotic.

Stravinsky: Symphony in Three Movements
Ravel: Shéhérazade
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor

Susan Graham (mezzo-soprano)
Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester
Sir Colin Davis (conductor)

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks again, EA

The Stravinsky is one of this composer's most thrilling works to be written after "The Rite", marrying neo-classical influences with the rhythmic disjunctiveness and harmonic acerbity of the Diaghilev period. The Ravel was his first excursion into full orchestral writing, if I'm not mistaken, yet already shows his mastery of colour and atmosphere. Newcomers to Tchaik 4 might well be in for an unexpected musical battering if unfamiliar with this, to say the least, powerful work!

S-A

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I know two people who dislike Tchaikovsky's music (poor things ) who cite the finale of the 4th symphony as their greatest dislike. I think it's the percussiveness of this movement that overwhelms. But look beyond this to the range of moods expressed within a short timespan.

[salymap]

Known to friends of mine as 'Kate knocking at the door' but I love Tchaikovsky's 4th and tonight's Prom looks good to me.

[Petrushka]

The broadcast sound here could hardly be a bigger contrast with last night. Listening via Freeview this is sound of great depth and detail that is at least as good as that we heard last Wednesday in the Salonen Prom.

Who is on the Wednesday shift as sound supervisor?

[Roehre]

..... The Ravel was his first excursion into full orchestral writing, if I'm not mistaken, yet already shows his mastery of colour and atmosphere. ...S-A

Shehérazade is Ravel's first orchestral score, but that's not this song cycle (1903), but an Ouverture féerique Shehérazade from 1898, published in the early 1970s with Martinon the first conductor to record it in his EMI complete Ravel orchestral works set (from 1974 iirc), now on Brilliant.

[makropulos]

The broadcast sound here could hardly be a bigger contrast with last night. Listening via Freeview this is sound of great depth and detail that is at least as good as that we heard last Wednesday in the Salonen Prom.

Who is on the Wednesday shift as sound supervisor?

Exactly the same experience here, Petrushka (I began to wonder if it was my ears playing tricks last night!)
I wonder if anybody who was at the concert can comment on the number of microphones used tonight? (Sounded like a Tony Faulkner-like minimum - very natural).

[amac4165]

Exactly the same experience here, Petrushka (I began to wonder if it was my ears playing tricks last night!)
I wonder if anybody who was at the concert can comment on the number of microphones used tonight? (Sounded like a Tony Faulkner-like minimum - very natural).

The orchestral set up looked to be very much the same as last night and to be honest the best set up for sound in the front of the arena. The timpani were at the back to the left of HW (to the right of HW last night) and brass on a line to the right on the third(?) top riser. horns to the left a little lower down on the left in 2 by 2 form.

Someone noticed a individual mic over the tuba apart from that - it looked much the same. Mind you most of the sound is created after it has left the mics !



Another excellent concert - Tchaikovsky iv - brilliant in the hall

[Bryn]

Mind you most of the sound is created after it has left the mics !

Or crammed into a pint pot, as happened with Proms 1 and 4.

[Chris Newman]

I am really happy to hear the sort of sound I expect from Colin Davis. Tonight's radio sound tonight is infinitely far better than most other evenings. I agree last Wednesday with the Philharmonia was excellent too. Bryn is too polite in Message 9: I would say the Proms sound quality this year on radio has been abysmal...CRAP even. I am relistening to tonight's Stravinsky on iPlayer and cannot fault the sound quality.

I got home after hearing superb concerts at the Albert Hall with Haitink, Manze, Layton and Dausgaard from last Friday to Monday and was disappointed to hear the mutilated versions on iPlayer.

[Chris Newman]

WHY? WHY? Oh, why did I not go to this concert? What more can I say about my stupidity?

[Petrushka]

WHY? WHY? Oh, why did I not go to this concert? What more can I say about my stupidity?

If it's any consolation I felt like that after last week's Salonen Prom and usually say it to myself at least once every season.

[Chris Newman]

I should have known that Colin Davis (along with ABBado and Boulez) is fabulous with Stravinsky. Susan Graham...wow! And I have never associated Colin with Tchaikovsky. How wrong can you be?

[Petrushka]

I should have known that Colin Davis (along with ABBado and Boulez) is fabulous with Stravinsky. Susan Graham...wow! And I have never associated Colin with Tchaikovsky. How wrong can you be?

The Stravinsky regularly turns up in Sir Colin's programmes (I first heard it from him in 1979) and he gave a pretty good Tchaik 4 at the Proms a year or two ago (coupled with Elgar 1) with the EUYO.

[makropulos]

The Stravinsky regularly turns up in Sir Colin's programmes (I first heard it from him in 1979) and he gave a pretty good Tchaik 4 at the Proms a year or two ago (coupled with Elgar 1) with the EUYO.

How time flies - I think that concert was on 5 August 2001 :)