Prom 25 (1.8.12): Ives, Barber, Zimmermann & Tippett

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Wednesday 1 August at 7.30 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Ives: The Unanswered Question (6 mins)
Barber: Adagio for strings (8 mins)
Zimmermann: Nobody knows de trouble I see (15 mins)
Tippett: A Child of Our Time (72 mins)

Håkan Hardenberger trumpet
Measha Brueggergosman soprano
Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano
Paul Groves tenor
Jubilant Sykes bass-baritone
BBC Proms Youth Choir
BBC Symphony Orchestra
David Robertson conductor

The BBC SO performs Ives, Barber and Zimmerman's jazz-influenced trumpet concerto with Hakan Hardenberger.
And the BBC Proms Youth Choir debuts in Tippett's great oratorio A Child of Our Time. David Robertson conducts.

Principal Guest Conductor, David Robertson, conducts two iconic American pieces before turning to works in which the emotive force of the African American spiritual is harnessed by composers of the old world.

In Child of our time, Tippett drew on five spirituals to reaffirm the indispensable human values of compassion and brotherhood. Star trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger returns and an impressive array of international singing talent features alongside tonight's newly formed youthful chorus.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Quite a stellar cast.
And what a great work the Tippett is.

[amateur51]

Quite a stellar cast.
And what a great work the Tippett is.

I've not heard the Tippett for over 15 years so I'm really looking forward to it

[Nick Armstrong]

I've not heard the Tippett for over 15 years so I'm really looking forward to it

I've never heard it live! So am I...

[amateur51]

I've never heard it live! So am I...

Interesting 30 minute pre-concert film narrated by Richard Smith, Caliban ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6i37HYX5gI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdArcTj-VoI&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFDfXVSU_yM&feature=relmfu

Hope you enjoy tonight's concert :porkproducts:

[BBMmk2]

What a programme! Can't wait!!

[jayne lee wilson]

Heavens! A few problems here tonight... constant dropouts on the AAC (HD) feed from the Radio 3 webpage, and - for the first time ever - the iTunes feed was almost as bad! Tried FM, but finally gave up - love without sex, coffee without sugar, music without climaxes...
I can't get no satisfaction.

Will try to catch up, but tempus fugit...

[cloughie]

Heavens! A few problems here tonight... constant dropouts on the AAC (HD) feed from the Radio 3 webpage, and - for the first time ever - the iTunes feed was almost as bad! Tried FM, but finally gave up - love without sex, coffee without sugar, music without climaxes...
I can't get no satisfaction.

Will try to catch up, but tempus fugit...

Maybe it'll be better next week!

[robk]

Just been trying to listen to The Unanswered Question on iPlayer. There seem to be some strange clicks at the beginning as well as the usual coughing. I don't think they are supposed to be there although you never know with Ives.

[Simon Biazeck]

Just been trying to listen to The Unanswered Question on iPlayer. There seem to be some strange clicks at the beginning as well as the usual coughing. I don't think they are supposed to be there although you never know with Ives.

Not according to the score accompanying this clip! (Mistake in Trumpet at 3.46 - tut-tut!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkaOz48cq2g&feature=fvst

I was in the Hall last night and the clicks were annoying - sounded like a creaking door!

[Nick Armstrong]

Another enjoyable night in t'RAH, this - the string sound in the Ives and the Barber not quite up to the BBC Welsh the previous evening, but nonetheless a sonic warm bath, which may account for the fact that I had a nice little doze in the Zimmermann for all Hakan H's trumpetings.

The Tippett was the highlight, great choral singing from legions of youngsters, very well and attentively attended-to by David Robinson. I was less happy with the soloists, but then I'm very hard to please - I did enjoy the magnificently-named Jubilant Sykes's clarity and there was a Porgy-like feel to his contributions which chimed well with the Spirituals.

I think I got more pleasure from the VW-Ireland-Delius-Walton concert the previous night, though, and am looking forward to experiencing it again on BBC4 a week tonight http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lv88b

[David Underdown]

The clicking was apparently something to do with the Hammond organ speakers (according to a tweet from a BBC staffer). One of the back desk 1st violins did her best to sort it out mid-performance, but there were a couple of recurrences

[amateur51]

Another enjoyable night in t'RAH, this - the string sound in the Ives and the Barber not quite up to the BBC Welsh the previous evening, but nonetheless a sonic warm bath, which may account for the fact that I had a nice little doze in the Zimmermann for all Hakan H's trumpetings.

The Tippett was the highlight, great choral singing from legions of youngsters, very well and attentively attended-to by David Robinson. I was less happy with the soloists, but then I'm very hard to please - I did enjoy the magnificently-named Jubilant Sykes's clarity and there was a Porgy-like feel to his contributions which chimed well with the Spirituals.

I think I got more pleasure from the VW-Ireland-Delius-Walton concert the previous night, though, and am looking forward to experiencing it again on BBC4 a week tonight http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lv88b

Thanks for this report, Caliban!

I enjoyed the programme and was unashamedly singing along in the choruses and spirituals, while my neighbours were roaring their approval of yet another medal-winning performance (at a guess).

It brought back the memory that I had not heard ACoOT since a performance by Simon Rattle and the CBSO with Iris Vermillion in the mid-1990s. It always makes me cry and I'm grateful for that sometimes - a staggering work.

I've found this complete performance by BRSO/Sir Colin Davis on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXOSjm4PelQ&feature=related

[Nick Armstrong]

The clicking was apparently something to do with the Hammond organ speakers (according to a tweet from a BBC staffer). One of the back desk 1st violins did her best to sort it out mid-performance, but there were a couple of recurrences

It got a mention in the ES review: A big unanswered question remains for the BBC technicians: what the hell was that popping sound that, along with serial coughing, all but ruined the Ives?

From where we were, I didn't notice. Alas I can't say the same about the coughing How can people intelligent enough to go to the concert be so DIM!?!