Prom 48 - 18.08.13: Ravel, Matthias Pintscher & Stravinsky

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

7.30pm – c. 9.30pm
Royal Albert Hall

Ravel
Rapsodie espagnole (15 mins)
Matthias Pintscher
Chute d'étoiles (20 mins)
London Premiere
INTERVAL
Stravinsky
The Firebird (46 mins)

Tine Thing Helseth trumpet, Proms debut artist
Marco Blaauw trumpet
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Matthias Pintscher conductor

Composer-conductor Matthias Pintscher combines his twin roles this evening, as he joins the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to perform his own music alongside that of composers who have inspired him.

Proms featured artist Tine Thing Helseth joins Marco Blaauw as the pair of virtuoso soloists in the London premiere of Matthias Pintscher's Double Trumpet Concerto, Chute d'etoiles. A dramatic and multi-layered work, it takes inspiration from the sculptures of Anselm Kiefer and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The piece is painted in vivid colours, richly textured, and pushes the techniques of soloists and orchestra to shattering effect.

The concerto is sandwiched between two works which also combine a sense of drama with exquisite and masterfully orchestrated surfaces. Ravel's turn-of-the-century exploration of Spanish dance forms, Rapsodie espagnole and Stravinsky's ballet based on Russian folktales, The Firebird.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

But which Firebird?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But which Firebird?

As it's "46mins", presumably the whole kit and caboodle? (Did Stravinsky make any revisions to the complete ballet? Apart from some [very effective] offstage trumpets that Robert Craft re-introduced in his recording on NAXOS?)

[LaurieWatt]

As it's "46mins", presumably the whole kit and caboodle? (Did Stravinsky make any revisions to the complete ballet? Apart from some [very effective] offstage trumpets that Robert Craft re-introduced in his recording on NAXOS?)

It is the complete Firebird and quite a performance when the extraordinary messing around with the dynamics lets one hear it properly, ongoing as I write. Clearly a very new boy on the controls. A complete mess although the basic sound quality is ok.

[edashtav]

The Firebird - re-imagined by PIntscher or Wrecked by a Tyro on the BBC Balance Desk?

It is the complete Firebird and quite a performance when the extraordinary messing around with the dynamics lets one hear it properly, ongoing as I write. Clearly a very new boy on the controls. A complete mess although the basic sound quality is ok.

Well , Laurie, I gave Matthias Pintscher due credit for re-assessing foreground and background in The Firebird and coming up with some challenging answers - but your diagnosis of a tyro on balance control may be correct! I thought Matthias's reading was alert, finely coloured and benefited from the BBC Sc SO in excellent form. I enjoyed also his reading of Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole although I have to say that I regard the work as one of Ravel's few failures. For me, it never comes fully alive and full of fiesta.

The conductor's own piece will have to wait for the iPlayer for it clashed with dinner.

[LaurieWatt]

Well , Laurie, I gave Matthias Pintscher due credit for re-assessing foreground and background in The Firebird and coming up with some challenging answers - but your diagnosis of a tyro on balance control may be correct! I thought Matthias's reading was alert, finely coloured and benefited from the BBC Sc SO in excellent form. I enjoyed also his reading of Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole although I have to say that I regard the work as one of Ravel's few failures. For me, it never comes fully alive and full of fiesta.

The conductor's own piece will have to wait for the iPlayer for it clashed with dinner.

I agree with you about the performance of Firebird (and the Ravel)- it is always interesting to hear another composer conducting Stravinksy! I quite enjoyed his own piece as well, some great sounds and fascinating writing for the two trumpets

[johnb]

I enjoyed the Firebird and found I was noticing things I hadn't before - though that might be because I haven't listened to it for a long time. The sound via iPlayer was very good too.

Although I'm not usually that aware of any knob fiddling that might be happening I thought I detected a rather disconcerting 'fiddle' just before the build up to the final climax. The problem wasn't the knob fiddling as such (though I do wonder whether it is always needed) but the crass way in which it was done.

[Ferretfancy]

I rather suspect that the best playing of the evening came in the Pintscher work, which was impressive in the hall, especially as we were in close proximity to the two trumpet players.

The Ravel needed better advocacy than it got tonight. Pinscher allowed the trombones to overbalance the orchestra, and I thought the playing in the third sectioon rather ragged.
\Nice placing slightly off the platform in the Firebird helped the more dramatic moments, but again there were some oddities of balance. On the whole it was an interesting evening but not the best this orchestra can offer.

There was an interesting discussion of the music at the RCM before the concert with some interesting insights about the origin of the piece