Prom 9 - 24.07.14: LSO, Douglas / Khudoley / Matochkina / Vekua / Vorobiev / Gergiev

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Thursday, 24 July
7.30 p.m. – c. 9.45 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor

Janáček: Glagolitic Mass (original version, reconstructed by Paul Wingfield)

Barry Douglas, piano
Mlada Khudoley, soprano (Proms debut artist)
Yulia Matochkina, mezzo-soprano (Proms debut artist)
Mikhail Vekua, tenor (Proms debut artist)
Yuri Vorobiev, bass (Proms debut artist)

London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Valery Gergiev, conductor

One of choral music's greatest works, Janácek's Glagolitic Mass is a passionate, secular oratorio celebrating nationhood and peace. By contrast, conflict is to the fore in Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, a work that distils the drama of the composer's relationship with Schumann and his wife Clara. Valery Gergiev conducts the London Symphony Orchestra, with soloist Barry Douglas.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Does anyone have any knowledge of the reconstruction?

[CallMePaul]

See my comments on Prom 4. How the LSO can continue to have this stooge of the world's most dangerous warlord at its helm is beyond belief! Please boycott this concert and return your tickets to the Albert Hall. I hope Barry Douglas refuses to perform with him!

[mlb7171]

I would be fascinated to know what rehearsals there are for this Prom. Until recently the World Orchestra for Peace were supposed to repeat tonight's Prom in Aix and Munich on Monday and Tuesday. Leaving Wednesday for LSO rehearsals and concert day. Gergiev is conducting anyway in Munich tomorrow, a Maazel tribute. So, can we expect a well rehearsed Glagolitic Mass? Or just a read through?

[VodkaDilc]

I'm excited about hearing the Glagolitic Mass in a live performance for the first time. It's been a favourite on disc since the 60s, so I'm hoping for something stunning, though I'm completely ignorant about the significance of the version being used.

I last saw Barry Douglas soon after he won the Tchaikovsky Competition, which must be almost 30 years ago. What a strange combination of works!

[Nick Armstrong]

I last saw Barry Douglas soon after he won the Tchaikovsky Competition, which must be almost 30 years ago. What a strange combination of works!

I heard him a few months back in Strauss's 'Burleske' with LSO (another strange programme - it preceded Mahler 6!). I found him disappointing, hammering away (and incidentally looking as if he'd come from an all-night lock-in); and the LSO were shrill. It wasn't great.

[teamsaint]

I heard him a few months back in Strauss's 'Burleske' with LSO (another strange programme - it preceded Mahler 6!). I found him disappointing, hammering away (and incidentally looking as if he'd come from an all-night lock-in); and the LSO were shrill. It wasn't great.

Is he generally thought of as being at his best when hammering it out? I saw him playing Rach 1 not long ago, and in my memory it was the big virtuosic loud passages that stood out.
Mind you he did a lovely encore of a quiet piece of tchaik.

Either way, its another gergiev night, so its a virtual Prom of the Faust/ Brahms VC and Leighton #2 for me.

probably.

[Lento]

Does anyone have any knowledge of the reconstruction?

Stephen Johnson expresses admiration for the original version in his talk, eg the extra rhythmic complexity in places.

[Pianorak]

I won't be listening - but only because I'm not keen on either work. I did like Barry Douglas playing Debussy's Pour le Piano this morning (Sarah Walker - Essential Classics)

[makropulos]

Does anyone have any knowledge of the reconstruction?

Yes - there have been quite a number of previous discussions about it on this board between Bryn and myself. Probably worth a search for "Glagolitic"

[DracoM]

Well, I liked Barry Douglas's meditative [ btw, Posh Boy Petroc, please note the word and its spelling and thus pronunciation?], inward approach, distinctly lacking flash and Lang Lang. Refusing to be hurried, taking us into Brahms's complex inner world. Gently revelatory performance.

Can I share other posters surprise at the lack of response to Gergiev in the present circs? I know we are generally pretty well behaved, but just maybe there is a case for showing someone as egregiously in the Putin fan club as VG that we very. very much disapprove. Audiences can perhaps when orchestras can't? Yet, I too am truly surprised at the LSO. Or maybe the money needed to rescind the contract is so alarming, they thought they'd better sit tight, grit teeth, and bank the cash. Hmm.

[VodkaDilc]

A very enjoyable concert - and marginally less hot than on my last visit. Barry Douglas gave a good performance, but the evening really came to life after the interval. A wonderful team of soloists, placed behind the orchestra, but still coming over powerfully. This edition of the Glagolitic Mass brought out its rawness and rhythmic vitality and the LSO was stunning, especially the brass and percussion. Just one slight criticism - from my seat in the stalls, the placing of the cellos to the left and basses to extreme left made the strings sound bass-light. It could have been my particular seat, but I thought the position of the double basses in particular was strange.

Thomas Trotter showed just how much the RAH organ has improved from its overhaul - and Gergiev was on great form.

[Rolmill]

I pretty much agree with VodkaDilc. The Brahms was OK, but not really compelling (but then it's not a piece that grips me anyway). The Janacek was what I had been looking forward to, as I too have long loved the piece but never heard it live. I thought it was terrific, with a heroic tenor soloist, marvellous organ playing, excellent chorus (the antiphonal men vs women passages came over very well) and brilliant orchestral playing (one or two trumpet splits notwithstanding!). Gergiev did seem to go for more of a romantic style than the crisp, angular rhythms sometimes demanded (IMO), but the overall result was an exciting and satisfying performance.

[jillfc]

I'm a bit of lurker on these boards these days, but felt the need to come forward on this: I thought the Brahms was awful. It may be that Barry Douglas did everything that DracoM and VodkaDilc say, but from the back of the arena any subtleties were utterly squashed by stodgy, unimaginative and unbalanced orchestral playing (and the intonation was haywire in places too) and a wayward approach to tempo and dynamics. A later bus-stop conversation with a front-of-arena pal suggested that it came across to them in pretty much the same way. A great disappointment, since it's a splendid piece that deserves a properly-thought-out and well-rehearsed performance. Clearly all the rehearsal time had gone into the Janacek, which was impressive - and the RAH organ sounded particularly magnificent. But Barry Douglas was shamefully short-changed.

[VodkaDilc]

I'm a bit of lurker on these boards these days, but felt the need to come forward on this: I thought the Brahms was awful. It may be that Barry Douglas did everything that DracoM and VodkaDilc say, but from the back of the arena any subtleties were utterly squashed by stodgy, unimaginative and unbalanced orchestral playing (and the intonation was haywire in places too) and a wayward approach to tempo and dynamics. A later bus-stop conversation with a front-of-arena pal suggested that it came across to them in pretty much the same way. A great disappointment, since it's a splendid piece that deserves a properly-thought-out and well-rehearsed performance. Clearly all the rehearsal time had gone into the Janacek, which was impressive - and the RAH organ sounded particularly magnificent. But Barry Douglas was shamefully short-changed.

I have to agree with jillfc that the Janacek was the memorable part of the concert. The Brahms is not a favourite concerto of mine, so I did not have high expectations. However I must admit that I attended a recent performance by Hélène Grimaud and the Philharmonia which brought it to life in a way that last night's performance did not.