Prom 53 - 22.08.13: Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Prokofiev

[Richard Tarleton]

Did anyone dislike Anna Caterina Antonacci's voice? I thought it was dreadful.

Glad it wasn't just me, cloughie. Awful. Wobbly and squally. I even listened again to the start of the BBC4 relay just to confirm my impression. Does anyone remember Anne Evans at the Proms in 1994? (BBC Music CD Vol lll no 7)

[edashtav]

Rotterdam PO initiate 3 Nights of Soviet Symphonies at the Proms

Nézet-Séguin emphasised his points in a rather heavy-handed manner, I felt, in Prokofiev’s 5th Symphony. There was no blandness, such as I’d encountered the last time I heard the work live at the Proms: bland gave way to blatant. I’d characterise the performance as “A Young Conductor’s Guide to Profofiev’s 5th”. Brass and percussion were to the fore, but, maybe a bit raw. The woodwind played nicely. Full marks to the clarity and precision of the many rhythmic figures and episodes – they were crisp and appropriately martial. The first movement ended fiercely and loud – Soviet public pomposity at it most resplendently empty. I enjoyed the scherzo, but were the tempo and heavy beat in the slow movement unnecessarily leaden? The finale zipped along, and the unanimity and precision of the Rotterdam Orchestra were exemplary. As the movement dissolved into an awful march full of clanking steel and robotic warriors, the full horror of Prokofiev’s dystopian dream was driven home in a remorseless manner. Joe Stalin would have hated it!

Great to have an unusual encore – a piece of Shostakovich’s film music. It occurred to me in its later brassy moments that it wouldn’t be long before the composer penned his 1956 Festival Overture.

Earlier, Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Overture was wonderfully well played under Yannick’s live-wire baton and I enjoyed Wagner’s Wesendonccan't spell in Germank songs – for the first time!

Orchestra :

Conductor :

Soloist :

[Nick Armstrong]

Did anyone dislike Anna Caterina Antonacci's voice? I thought it was dreadful.

Agreed. Heard the first phrase and thought 'interesting'... but then the rest: unlistenable-to on the radio, off it went.

Wonder how it grabbed those who were there in the hall...

Does anyone know where the BBC 4 'also in HD' programme can be located? BBC 303 Red Button doesn't seem to mention it?

I seem to recall this one was sacrificed for a Hockey match on the 303HD channel....

I didn't bother with BBC4 as I've seen Yannick on tv before and he annoys me...

Not a concert for me, on several levels. Shame, as I'd like to have heard the Rotterdamers in other things...

[Petrushka]

I didn't bother with BBC4 as I've seen Yannick on tv before and he annoys me...

So it wasn't just me then. This was the first time I've encountered him at all and I found him intensely irritating to watch.

[amac4165]

Glad it wasn't just me, cloughie. Awful. Wobbly and squally. I even listened again to the start of the BBC4 relay just to confirm my impression. Does anyone remember Anne Evans at the Proms in 1994? (BBC Music CD Vol lll no 7)

Well a concert of one half really - R & J ok but a bit odd in places. Unfortunately Antonacci all over the place to start with - but got better imho towards the end. For me all the lieder do is annoy you into trying to think what bit of Tristan - Parsifal - Ring etc etc that sounded like.

Prokofiev 5 quite thrilling in the Hall - rescued the concert.

amac

[teamsaint]

I was at the front of the arena for this one.
Three of us in our little group, so obviously we had a good chat about it before reading the comments above.

We were in agreement that we felt there were some timing issues in the R and J in the woodwind particularly early on.even so, a perfectly decent run through, though its obviously quite tough to do anything revelatory with this work.

The Wagner. Almost new to me, but the soloist really didn't bring the house down. There were some dodgy moments , particularly in the first two. As said above, just too wobbly for me. However, i felt she dealt with the quiet passages really nicely, they came over beautifully, (although I guess we were in prime position to catch them) and her diction was excellent. The response from the audience was a little underwhelming, really.

The Prokofiev. First live performance for me, so not much to compare it with, but from where we stood, it was just wonderful. The Orchestra were pretty exemplary, the strings quite excellent . Very exciting work to hear live for the first time.

Really surprised to read the comments about Yannick above, from previous work. he seemed to have the audience in the palm of his hand. He does have a very specific style, (rather literal one of our group described it), but I have to say I really enjoyed his work, and the audience seemed to love it.

Stuck around for the World Routes Prom, which was absolutely fantastic. Three of us had a really fabulous evenings entertainment in three wildly varying musical styles for £30, including a free Proms talk !!!
I should like to thank somebody for that.

[Nick Armstrong]

V glad you had a great time!

Yes, I have no problem with Yannick N-S in terms of what he's capable of delivering musically, and I think he does cut the mustard when the audience is behind him - it's just that when there's a TV camera in front of him, I can't watch.

And the other thing with this concert for me was that 30 years of trying hasn't been able to make me 'get' Prokofiev symphonies. It's a conundrum to me - esp being so close to DSCH's works - but there it is, I just don't get on with that side of SP's output at all

Interesting to read that Ms Antonacci didn't convince in the hall either. Was the audience reaction really palpably unenthusiastic? Ouch.

[teamsaint]

I'll have a look at the video to see how Yannick comes over on there. Honestly, he exuded all the right things in the hall.

The reaction to Ms Antonacci. Well she got one call back, pretty routine, but the applause was dying out well before she left the stage a second time. Th reaction I would call "polite" , really. I have to say there were some things to enjoy about her performance, as I mentioned. I think I am a much sterner critic of singers than instumentalists, and I am pretty "live and let live" about live performance,but I do tend to hear far too much from solo singers that I find difficult to enjoy.

Prokofiev Symphonies. Now THERE is a big subject !! I'll let others deal with that, if they see fit. What I can say for sure is that #5 in the RAH last night was something (for me) to savour .

[Nick Armstrong]

I am a much sterner critic of singers than instrumentalists... but I do tend to hear far too much from solo singers that I find difficult to enjoy.

Me too...

That said, things can happen in the hall that are different from what comes out via the mike at home. Philip Langridge was one - he could be excruciating on the radio, but in the hall there was something expressive going on which didn't make it through to the radio, and which could have you on your knees...

[Ferretfancy]

Me too...

That said, things can happen in the hall that are different from what comes out via the mike at home. Philip Langridge was one - he could be excruciating on the radio, but in the hall there was something expressive going on which didn't make it through to the radio, and which could have you on your knees...

I was standing a little further back in the Arena than you, teamsaint. I thought that the Romeo and Juliet came off well, helped in particular by the excellence of the strings, the cellos in particular, and the impact was fine. I always enjoy the Wesendonck Lieder, but I do share reservations about the soprano's wobble, she seemed rather nervous. As it happens, a German couple were standing next to me, and they were impressed by her diction.

Prokofiev's 5th used to bowl me over, but less so today, it does seem rather an assembly job. I wish that sometimes Prokofiev could really speak from the heart, but there always seems to be a certain emotional detachment - perhaps this mirrored his times, an essential protection?

Some conductors try to smooth over the rough edges in this symphony, but Yannick avoided this and went full throttle, it was an exciting performance.

[Richard Tarleton]

I was standing a little further back in the Arena than you, teamsaint.

It would be really helpful, perhaps for next year's Proms, if the BBC could manage little on-screen graphics to let us at home know where you are - perhaps little text boxes with your user-names and arrows hovering just over your heads

[teamsaint]

I was standing a little further back in the Arena than you, teamsaint. I thought that the Romeo and Juliet came off well, helped in particular by the excellence of the strings, the cellos in particular, and the impact was fine. I always enjoy the Wesendonck Lieder, but I do share reservations about the soprano's wobble, she seemed rather nervous. As it happens, a German couple were standing next to me, and they were impressed by her diction.

Prokofiev's 5th used to bowl me over, but less so today, it does seem rather an assembly job. I wish that sometimes Prokofiev could really speak from the heart, but there always seems to be a certain emotional detachment - perhaps this mirrored his times, an essential protection?

Some conductors try to smooth over the rough edges in this symphony, but Yannick avoided this and went full throttle, it was an exciting performance.

We were right by the Cellos, and in the R and J it was a joy to behold them going full tilt !!

One of the great pleasures, for me, of the Proms, is to see up close the response of the orchestral players to the enthusiastic reaction that they frequently get from the audience.

These guys have pretty much seen it and done it, but presumably playing to a full RAH is still one of their best nights of the year. I imagine that orchestral playing involves a good deal of routine, but you could see last night how much a big response from an enthusiastic full house means. Performers and listeners enjoying together. Perfect !

Interesting thoughts about Prokofiev, FF.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I wish that sometimes Prokofiev could really speak from the heart, but there always seems to be a certain emotional detachment - perhaps this mirrored his times, an essential protection?

Interesting - the "detachment" is what makes the Prok#5 such a magnificent experience for me: the sense that more is being implied than stated. (Which is why I so love the recordings by Karajan and Mravinsky, who both had comparable distaste for excessive emotional display and whose overwhelmingly powerful performances wipe the floor with the competition).

There are other composers (not DSCH, by the way) who are so direct and unbuttoned that this alienates me from what they're trying to communicate. I just don't think that grown men should behave like that in public!

[teamsaint]

Interesting - the "detachment" is what makes the Prok#5 such a magnificent experience for me: the sense that more is being implied than stated. (Which is why I so love the recordings by Karajan and Mravinsky, who both had comparable distaste for excessive emotional display and whose overwhelmingly powerful performances wipe the floor with the competition).

There are other composers (not DSCH, by the way) who are so direct and unbuttoned that this alienates me from what they're trying to communicate. I just don't think that grown men should behave like that in public!

oh come on Ferney, name names !!!

Detachment or emotional involvement....Its a sailing close to the wind thing, I suppose. Sorry to bring dirty old pop music into it....but something like " Man out of Time " by Elvis Costello, a direct cry from the heart if ever I heard one, is just pure genius, while Kevin Rowland's current work (brave and skillful though it is) falls into the area that you suggest of just being so direct that I find it hard to deal with, (especially over 45 minutes) although theoretically it ticks a lot of good boxes.

[Ferretfancy]

It would be really helpful, perhaps for next year's Proms, if the BBC could manage little on-screen graphics to let us at home know where you are - perhaps little text boxes with your user-names and arrows hovering just over your heads

A couple of years ago, the Telegraph published a double page photo of the RAH audience taken with a super wide angle lens from the top of the dome.We were able to identify one friend's position in the Arena, but so could his friends at the paper. Cunning use of Photoshop produced a modified version showing a huge bald head surrounded by the audience!