Prom 21 (29.7.12): Aldeburgh World Orchestra

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sunday 29 July at 8.00 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem (21 mins)
Mahler: Symphony No. 10 – Adagio (22 mins)
Charlotte Bray: At the Speed of Stillness (c10 mins) - BBC Commission, World Premiere
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (32 mins)

Aldeburgh World Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder conductor

Stephen Johnson and musicians from the Aldeburgh World Orchestra, specially created for the London 2012 Festival from young musicians from all over the world, give an illustrated introduction to the music in tonight's Prom.

The Aldeburgh World Orchestra gathers together some of the finest emerging talent from over 30 countries, encapsulating the Olympic ideals of excellence, youth and diversity. It is part of Aldeburgh Music's Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme. Established 40 years ago, the Programme has made Aldeburgh one of the world's most important centres for supporting emerging musical talent. The Aldeburgh World Orchestra illustrates the far-reaching extent of Aldeburgh Music's artist development work, which now offers year-round training and performance opportunities to emerging professional musicians from across the globe.
Planning for the AWO began three years ago, building on Aldeburgh Music's existing artist networks and reaching out beyond its traditional international links to embrace other conservatoires, festivals and youth orchestras around the world. These include the South African National Youth Orchestra, the Yong Siew Toh Conservatoire in Singapore, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, the Buchman-Mehta School of Music in Israel, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Fellowship scheme and many more. In addition to identifying exceptional talent through tried and tested routes, Aldeburgh Music also initiated the use of a new online audition platform, so that as many young artists as possible - regardless of location or background - could apply.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Multi-national orchestras seem to be proliferating like road cones and triffids. I know nothing about this orchestra, but what a great programme.

[Petrushka]

Really great sound coming through my speakers via Freeview tonight. The engineers deserve plaudits so far this season.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I agree. A big improvement over last season.

[Petrushka]

Anyone else listening tonight? Any reaction from the hall?

[Ferretfancy]

They sounded really good in the hall from my usual spot in the Arena, and the seats were well filled elsewhere. The formation of the orchestra was planned a couple of years ago, but has come into fruition this year as part of the London 2012 Festival. Just occasionally you could tell that they have not been working together for long, and there were a few fluffs, but their spirit and style was excellent in Mark Elder's hands. I'm afraid that I can't honestly comment on the Mahler 10 adagio, as late Mahler is always a trial for me, but the performance of the Sinfonia da Requiem was very good.
Charlotte Bray's At the Speed of Stillness made a good impression,but for me the highlight of the evening was the Rite of Spring. A few years ago the Vienna Phil did it with Zubin Mehta conducting as if it was by Strauss, a performance best forgotten. Tonight's young orchestra did it proud, even if the bass drum player temporarily lost one of his stickS!

A fine evening.

[jayne lee wilson]

Sorry but I had to skip this one... Le Sacre is on my "banned for 10 years" (at least) list, one of those early LPs (Igor himself conducting - borrowed from the library) that got too much play;
and the first movement of Mahler 10 really shouldn't be played alone any more - any more than Bruckner 9 should be played without its finale... still, an ear-holiday before some Mahler and Tippett masterpieces coming up soon...

But pleased to hear that the excellent balance from the hall remains consistent!

[cloughie]

Sorry but I had to skip this one... Le Sacre is on my "banned for 10 years" (at least) list, one of those early LPs (Igor himself conducting - borrowed from the library) that got too much play;
and the first movement of Mahler 10 really shouldn't be played alone any more - any more than Bruckner 9 should be played without its finale... still, an ear-holiday before some Mahler and Tippett masterpieces coming up soon...

But pleased to hear that the excellent balance from the hall remains consistent!

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction - Jayne, are you serious?

[jayne lee wilson]

Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction - Jayne, are you serious?

About Mahler 10 and Bruckner 9? Yes, absolutely...

To elaborate - the Cooke performing version is so shattering, so compelling as a stunning insight into Mahler's true agony in the face of death - the great yes-saying to life, the yearning to stay, the cry of love at the 10th symphony's end - that it seems impossible now not to hear it as a complete statement - or not hear it at all. The tradition of playing the 1st movement on its own surely wouldn't have arisen if Cooke's work had been done a few decades years earlier.

With the Bruckner, I just wish every conductor performing the 9th would "just do it" - play the 4-movement version for a few years everywhere, and then see how all seasoned Brucknerians, first-time listeners, performers, everyone, felt. The world of classical music, or the performance of it, is still too loth to change a given performance tradition, overshadowed by "reverence"; it could only be more exciting, and attract more attentive listeners, if it did.

Bruckner 9! The finale! Sounding like it should always have been there! I mean, where's the brandy...

[cloughie]

About Mahler 10 and Bruckner 9? Yes, absolutely...

To elaborate - the Cooke performing version is so shattering, so compelling as a stunning insight into Mahler's true agony in the face of death - the great yes-saying to life, the yearning to stay, the cry of love at the 10th symphony's end - that it seems impossible now not to hear it as a complete statement - or not hear it at all. The tradition of playing the 1st movement on its own surely wouldn't have arisen if Cooke's work had been done a few decades years earlier.

With the Bruckner, I just wish every conductor performing the 9th would "just do it" - play the 4-movement version for a few years everywhere, and then see how all seasoned Brucknerians, first-time listeners, performers, everyone, felt. The world of classical music, or the performance of it, is still too loth to change a given performance tradition, overshadowed by "reverence"; it could only be more exciting, and attract more attentive listeners, if it did.

Bruckner 9! The finale! Sounding like it should always have been there! I mean, where's the brandy...

I can accept your viewpoint, even if I don't agree - but to avoid the Rite for ten years? What else is on that list? If I had one Bolero would top it!