Proms Chamber Music 4 - 11.08.14: Prokofiev & Schubert, Jansen / Oramo / Golan

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Monday, 11 August
1.00 p.m. – c. 2.00 p.m.
Cadogan Hall

Violinists Janine Jansen and Sakari Oramo with pianist Itamar Golan live at the BBC Proms perform two works by Prokofiev and the Fantasie for violin and piano by Schubert

Prokofiev: Five Melodies

Prokofiev: Sonata in C major for two violins

Schubert: Fantasie in C major, D934

Janine Jansen (violin)
Sakari Oramo (violin)
Itamar Golan (piano)

Prior to her appearances at the Royal Albert Hall later this week and at the Last Night of the Proms, Dutch violinist Janine Jansen performs as a chamber musician alongside pianist Itamar Golan and violinist-turned-conductor Sakari Oramo. Although a familiar face on the podium, Oramo is only now making his Proms debut as a violinist.

Two richly coloured works by Prokofiev contrast with the Fantasie for violin and piano in which Schubert leans towards the sublime, less than a year before his death.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Ah, the REAL Prokofiev.

[aeolium]

I thought this was a glorious concert. The Schubert Fantasy is possibly my favourite of all works for violin and piano, not easy for the players either technically or interpretatively. It was good to hear Sakari Oramo away from the podium in the Prokofiev sonata with its interesting textures and colours, and that characteristically Prokofian ambiguity at the end of the slow movement. Definitely the highlight of the Proms chamber concerts so far for me.

[Lancashire Lass]

It was glorious indeed, from someone lucky enough to be there. I know it's about the music -- at first I closed my eyes so I could concentrate just on that -- but Jansen is so engaging to watch that it enhances the experience. Her facial expressiveness transmits to the music, together with her great delicacy.

It was also good to see her making frequent eye contact with Sakari Oramo -- I guess it may have been that she was the leader, and therefore accommodating what he was doing -- because it really gave the feel of a proper conversation between them. Oramo didn't respond much -- probably too busy reading his score! -- but I am sure it added to the superlative performance.

[bluestateprommer]

Fine listening indeed on iPlayer, where one aspect I noticed of the presentation was how business-like it was. No mini-interviews between Petroc and either JJ or Oramo, as it was laser-focused on concise verbal intros to the music and then just letting the artists play. Neither JJ nor Oramo is certainly adverse to talking about music, and it did seem like a pretty well-packed hour of music, so presumably everyone sensibly decided on a no-frills verbal framework.