Prom 29 - 8.08.14: BBC Phil, Grosvenor / Goode / Noseda

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Friday, 8 August
6.30 p.m. – c. 9.10 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Casella: Elegia eroica (first performance at The Proms)
Chopin: Concerto for Piano No. 1 in E minor, Op 11

Franck: Variations Symphoniques
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C minor, 'Organ'

Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
David Goode, organ

Casella's powerful "Heroic Elegy", dedicated to the "unknown soldier", opens the concert and continues this year's Proms series of works written in the shadow of the First World War. Former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist Benjamin Grosvenor joins the orchestra for Chopin's lyrical but virtuosic First Piano Concerto and, after the interval, returns as soloist in Franck's Symphonic Variations. Saint-Saëns's thrilling journey from darkness to blazing light, the "Organ" Symphony, closes the programme.


BBC Philharmonic
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Recalling the Franck thread, the Symphonic a Variations were once so popular that they were included as a volume of the Penguin Scores series in the 1950s.

[mercia]

is that the Casella who did something to Islamey ?

[cloughie]

is that the Casella who did something to Islamey ?

Indeed the same mercs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Casella#Recordings

I think Noseda has been a champion of his works with a number of BBCPO recordings on Chandos. Also there are a number on Naxos - Orchestra Sinfonica Di Roma/Francesco La Vecchia. My only CDs of his work are of Paganiniana - one with Cantelli on Testament and one by Kondrashin - the filler to his complete Daphnis on Philips.

[Serial_Apologist]

Indeed the same mercs.

...and hugely overlooked by the BBC for as long as I can remember. I often wonder why. Fascist connections?

[mercia]

only just noticed 6:30pm start

[teamsaint]

only just noticed 6:30pm start

Why all the 6.30 starts ?
Seemed to manage In previous years when there was a late nighter.

[Nick Armstrong]

Why all the 6.30 starts ?
Seemed to manage In previous years when there was a late nighter.

A point I was making only a couple of hours ago to rubbernecker who like me is going to the Alwyn/VW Prom and which (he had not spotted) is another 6.30 kick-off...

No idea why the previous practice of 7pm starts before late-nighters has been changed.

[mercia]

soloist and orchestra seemed to be out-of-sync a fair amount in the Franck

[antongould]

soloist and orchestra seemed to be out-of-sync a fair amount in the Franck

Not to be recommended then mercs? It is one of my favourite pieces and, shamefully, I didn't even realise it was scheduled. ...

[Alison]

I too love the Franck but something just felt wrong about this programme which for me is perhaps best sampled on the I player. A Casella symphony would have been much more interesting.

[Rolmill]

I was there last night and enjoyed it very much overall. In particular, Benjamin Grosvenor's playing was lovely - delicate touch, gorgeous tone and bravura when needed. The Franck was indeed ragged in places, it looked as though the orchestra was slow to respond to Noseda's windmill-like attempts to get them moving in some of the later tuttis, but the Chopin worked much better and sounded like it had received the lion's share of rehearsal time.

The Casella was quite striking in places, but didn't leave a strong impression as a coherent entity. The Saint-Saens, one of my favourite "feel good" pieces was marvellous, with overwhelming organ where needed and some fine orchestral playing.

[Ferretfancy]

I was there last night and enjoyed it very much overall. In particular, Benjamin Grosvenor's playing was lovely - delicate touch, gorgeous tone and bravura when needed. The Franck was indeed ragged in places, it looked as though the orchestra was slow to respond to Noseda's windmill-like attempts to get them moving in some of the later tuttis, but the Chopin worked much better and sounded like it had received the lion's share of rehearsal time.

The Casella was quite striking in places, but didn't leave a strong impression as a coherent entity. The Saint-Saens, one of my favourite "feel good" pieces was marvellous, with overwhelming organ where needed and some fine orchestral playing.

It was very enjoyable, as you say, and full marks to Benjamin Grosvenor. Am I the only person who finds both the Chopin piano concertos vacuous in the extreme?

The orchestral writing is subfusc at best, while the piano seems to be giving us repeated arabesques most of the time, pretty, yes, but rather pointless.

I'll take cover !

[Serial_Apologist]

I too love the Franck but something just felt wrong about this programme which for me is perhaps best sampled on the I player. A Casella symphony would have been much more interesting.

I DO wish someone would revive the marvellously rousing, sunshine-filled Partita for piano and small orchestra of 1925 - one of Casella's first neoclassical works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SZTnCwMFF8

The style, which has not yet congealed, is a decluttered Milhaud with pre-echoes of later Hindemith, and there's a touchingly Mediterraneanised reminiscence of the early Mahler of "Das Knaben" midway through the slow movement. I challenge anybody not to feel lifted by this infectious, brilliantly crafted music.

[amateur51]

Why all the 6.30 starts ?
Seemed to manage In previous years when there was a late nighter.

Praps the in-house staff have rebelled?