Proms Chamber Music 6 - 19.08.13: London Conchord Ensemble

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

1.00pm – c. 2.00pm
Cadogan Hall

Poulenc
Sextet (18 mins)
Holst
Phantasy Quartet (10 mins)
Warlock
The Curlew (23 mins)
Couperin
Les barricades mistérieuses (arr. T. Adès) (3 mins)

Robin Tritschler tenor, Proms debut artist
London Conchord Ensemble

Peter Warlock's yearning and melancholy song-cycle on poems by WB Yeats lies at the heart of this Prom, paired with another wistful piece of English pastoralia from the student pen of the young Imogen Holst. Alongside them, Poulenc's wonderfully witty and colourful Sextet for piano and wind instruments provides a spicy contrast, with - to finish - an elusive 17th-century harpsichord work by François Couperin, refracted through the contemporary prism of Thomas Adès's fertile musical imagination.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Interesting spelling.

[doversoul1]

…and a very interesting concert it was, too. I think this concert demonstrated superbly what chamber music was all about.

[teamsaint]

…and a very interesting concert it was, too. I think this concert demonstrated superbly what chamber music was all about.

Absolutely.
Very interesting programme. Only caught the Warlock properly, amazing stuff.
I think Scott Walker must have this in his cd collection !

[bluestateprommer]

…and a very interesting concert it was, too. I think this concert demonstrated superbly what chamber music was all about.

Totally agree; yet another excellent PCM from Cadogan Hall. The only quibble perhaps was putting the Couperin arrangement last, as it sort of came off as a "planned encore", if that makes sense. I would have been more inclined to put it at the start as the "overture" to the concert, but that's a matter of taste. I'll admit that I'm used to hearing the Couperin as on-the-hour music from growing up near Philadelphia, when the old WFLN-FM was on the air (sadly, it got sold off back in 1997 to become a rock station, and that dial has changed formats several time since).

It was kind of droll to hear the audience applaud after the "wrong movement" in the Poulenc, i.e. they missed what actually was the last movement at the first "happy clappers" moment. Nice treat to have the Imogen Holst Phantasy Quartet (not bad to go from none of her music ever featuring at The Proms to 2 works of hers in one season), and also very fine work from RT in the Warlock. From hearing the names of the LCE musicians, my guess is that at the very least, one of them is also a member of the BBC SO, namely Daniel Pailthorpe, although I thought at least one more name associated with the BBC SO was mentioned (but I could be mistaken).