Prom 33 - 8.08.13: Beethoven, Berlioz

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

7.00pm – c. 9.10pm
Royal Albert Hall

Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major (35 mins)
INTERVAL
Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique (50 mins)

Mitsuko Uchida piano
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mariss Jansons conductor

Mitsuko Uchida is a much loved figure on the concert platform, and this evening she returns to the Proms after an absence of almost 20 years, joining the Bavarian Radio Symphony for Beethoven's Piano Concerto no.4, in which musical ideas are tested to their limits in a dialogue between the keyboard and orchestra. The rest of the programme is devoted to Berlioz's monumental Symphonie fantastique, complete with opium-fuelled obsessions, a rural idyll and a danse macabre. The conductor Mariss Jansons, who celebrates his 70th birthday this year, is a regular at the Proms, and he demonstrates the closeness of his 10 year partnership with the Bavarian orchestra.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

A touch stingy?

[David-G]

Perhaps 8.08.13?

[Petrushka]

A touch stingy?

Typically short Jansons programme. A look at his previous Proms will confirm.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A touch stingy?

No; I thought you summed it up rather well.

Janssons has been very ill recently, and the Fantastique is a demanding work even for Musicians in the peak of health and fitness - perhaps that explains the short duration of the concert (in total, about the length of a Mahler Symphony)? Understandable, if so, but a pity some inventive programming isn't brought into play for these events - Ms Uchida performing a Mozart Fantasia, perhaps - or (at the RAH) a Bach or Messiaen Organ work - or one of Jansons' conducting students doing a Haydn Symphony (or Webern's!) - or one of Ms Uchida's students playing some Alkan?

[BBMmk2]

Could have chucked an overture or something similar in as well.

[Flosshilde]

I've just noticed, EA, that you use the USA form for the date of the Proms - ie month first, then day. Is this dictated by the Board software? If not, could you perhaps use the UK form - day, month, year - which IMO is more logical & also less confusing for most of the Board members who are based in the UK.


& yes, the programme does look a little abreviated. As BBM says, an overture would have been nice.

[mercia]

oh yes, this is the odd one which starts at 7:00pm on the radio and 7:30 on BBC4

[Mary Chambers]

Uchida may be (is) a very good pianist but I find her incredibly distracting to watch.

[amateur51]

Uchida may be (is) a very good pianist but I find her incredibly distracting to watch.

She is undoubtedly a very good pianist in my opinion but I do agree, Mary

[Barbirollians]

Best to stick to Radio 3 with old Mitsuko or sit well back in the stalls and forget your glasses.

I think she is getting more animated at the piano - I saw her accompany Ian Bostridge in Die Schone Mullerin at Aldeburgh a few years back and I do not recall all that gurning and surprised eyebrow stuff then .

Lovely performance though and an exquisite Bach encore .

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've just noticed, EA, that you use the USA form for the date of the Proms - ie month first, then day. Is this dictated by the Board software? If not, could you perhaps use the UK form - day, month, year - which IMO is more logical & also less confusing for most of the Board members who are based in the UK.

It was just a typo which I've now corrected. I'd never knowingly use the U.S. form, as it makes little sense. However the Japanese format (y.m.d) does, and is consistent with hours, minutes and seconds.

Getting back to the concert, I've been quite impressed so far, though I do wish the camera crew and producers would refrain from excessive close-ups of soloists. It can serve little useful purpose.

[OldTechie]

It was just a typo which I've now corrected. I'd never knowingly use the U.S. form, as it makes little sense. However the Japanese format (y.m.d) does, and is consistent with hours, minutes and seconds.

Getting back to the concert, I've been quite impressed so far, though I do wish the camera crew and producers would refrain from excessive close-ups of soloists. It can serve little useful purpose.

I find close-ups most distracting - may brain is confused by the close up image combined with distant sound. At one time they used to produce a TV sound mix and change the sound to match the pictures which was much worse. In these days of HDTV what would be wrong with pointing one camera at the whole orchestra, and leaving us to look at the bit that interested us? Perhaps an option on the red button!

[Bryn]

I find close-ups most distracting - may brain is confused by the close up image combined with distant sound. At one time they used to produce a TV sound mix and change the sound to match the pictures which was much worse. In these days of HDTV what would be wrong with pointing one camera at the whole orchestra, and leaving us to look at the bit that interested us? Perhaps an option on the red button!

Especially in this case, the pictures are better on Radio 3 anyway.

[OldTechie]

Especially in this case, the pictures are better on Radio 3 anyway.

... and the presentation?