Prom 27 - 2.08.13: Naresh Sohal, Rachmaninov & Tchaikovsky

[pastoralguy]

Good gracious. Are you serious? It's a good orchestra, yes, but it's not Britain's greatest, far less the world's.

It is if you're in Edinburgh on a Friday night...

[RobertLeDiable]

It is if you're in Edinburgh on a Friday night...

Ah well - that would explain a lot...

[Barbirollians]

Especially if you have had Meyerbeer than you ought to have done.

[VodkaDilc]

As expected, I found the odd two interval arrangement very strange. The Sohal piece was pleasant enough (this is not a compliment), but did seem much too long. Some of the more bombastic sections reminded me of sub-standard Shostakovich film music. The Rachmaninov was superb and Lugansky's playing was a triumph, especially in the last movement.

At that point, I felt that I had attended a perfectly satisfactory concert and left. Transport arrangements made it necessary, but I really would not want to start listening to a huge 19th century symphony at 10pm. I was certainly not the only person on S Ken station holding a Prom programme at 9.40.

An enjoyable concert though - due to two Russians: a great composer and a great pianist.

[marvin]

Has this concert been captured for BBC TV? I hope so as I admire Lugansky and love the Rachmaninov Concerto.

[VodkaDilc]

Has this concert been captured for BBC TV? I hope so as I admire Lugansky and love the Rachmaninov Concerto.

No cameras were evident (and they are usually all too evident when they are present.) A shame!

[gedsmk]

Didn't see any tv cameras at all, I'm afraid. Lugansky and the orchestra played beautifully. In the Tchaikowsky the solo horn was played by French 23 year old Félix Dervaux (and not David McClenaghan - the announcer got that wrong). A Major talent.

[pastoralguy]

Didn't see any tv cameras at all, I'm afraid. Lugansky and the orchestra played beautifully. In the Tchaikowsky the solo horn was played by French 23 year old Félix Dervaux (and not David McClenaghan - the announcer got that wrong). A Major talent.

Thanks for that, gedsmk. The RSNO do have a vacancy for a first horn just now so he's probably on trial. Yes, I thought he was excellent.

[VodkaDilc]

Not quite sure what I thought of the Sohal, so I thought I'd listen to the R3 repeat this afternoon. Oh dear! It's been edited out. Too much for Sunday afternoon listeners?

Is that distinct whirring noise the sound of Reith, Glock, Drummond et al spinning in their graves?

Quote from the Prom programme:

This concert is being broadcast live by BBC Radio 3 (repeated on Sunday 4 August at 2.00pm)

No mention of omitted works.

[RobertLeDiable]

Not quite sure what I thought of the Sohal, so I thought I'd listen to the R3 repeat this afternoon. Oh dear! It's been edited out. Too much for Sunday afternoon listeners?

Is that distinct whirring noise the sound of Reith, Glock, Drummond et al spinning in their graves?

Quote from the Prom programme:

This concert is being broadcast live by BBC Radio 3 (repeated on Sunday 4 August at 2.00pm)

No mention of omitted works.

I don't know about Lord Reith. He didn't approve of Radio 3, remember. I shouldn't think either Glock or Drummond would have been impressed by Sohal's pretentiously inflated bollywood music. But then they probably wouldn't have commissioned it in the first place. I expect it was dropped for practical reasons - i.e. the mammoth length of the programme with it in and the fact that it was ten minutes longer than even the Proms guide timing.

You can always hear it on the i-player if you're desperate!

[gedsmk]

I don't know about Lord Reith. He didn't approve of Radio 3, remember. I shouldn't think either Glock or Drummond would have been impressed by Sohal's pretentiously inflated bollywood music. But then they probably wouldn't have commissioned it in the first place. I expect it was dropped for practical reasons - i.e. the mammoth length of the programme with it in and the fact that it was ten minutes longer than even the Proms guide timing.

You can always hear it on the i-player if you're desperate!

My friend and I had a nice relaxed dinner and skipped the Bollywood. Rach 3 and the symphony were enjoyable, quite enough for a prom concert, IMHO .

[VodkaDilc]

My friend and I had a nice relaxed dinner and skipped the Bollywood. Rach 3 and the symphony were enjoyable, quite enough for a prom concert, IMHO .

I treated the Prom the other way around. A new piece in the first half, followed by the concerto. Then home for Horlicks (or was that Boult?)

[edashtav]

I hope that the BBC has sold its tape of the Sohal to an Indian Film Producer for billions of rupees.

On this occasion, justice has been done. Two works received outstanding performances during this tripartite Prom. They deserved, and got, a second broadcast.

I'm sorry , Mr Sohal, but my report says:

Grade C : Satisfactory,much facile work that lacked originality; could do better.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I hope that the BBC has sold its tape of the Sohal to an Indian Film Producer for billions of rupees.

On this occasion, justice has been done. Two works received outstanding performances during this tripartite Prom. They deserved, and got, a second broadcast.

I'm sorry , Mr Sohal, but my report says:

Grade C : Satisfactory,much facile work that lacked originality; could do better.

Looking through the Proms Archive (seeking All-Night Raga events) I noticed that this wasn't Sohal's first appearance at the Proms - back in 1982, his The Wanderer appeared as the First Half of a Prom that concluded with Holst's The Planets. No Forum/Messageboards then, of course.

[VodkaDilc]

Looking through the Proms Archive (seeking All-Night Raga events) I noticed that this wasn't Sohal's first appearance at the Proms - back in 1982, his The Wanderer appeared as the First Half of a Prom that concluded with Holst's The Planets. No Forum/Messageboards then, of course.

According to the Prom programme, he also had two other BBC commissions: Gautama Buddha (a ballet score, 1987) and Lila for soprano and orchestra (1996). The ballet was commissioned for BBC Television, but was produced by Houston ballet.