Prom 52 - 25.08.14: Budapest Festival Orchestra, I. Fischer

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Monday, 25 August
7.30 p.m. – c. 9.35 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Brahms (orch. Iván Fischer): Hungarian Dances Nos. 14 in D minor, 7 in A, 6 in D
Mozart: March in D major, K335/1 (first performance at The Proms)
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor, 'Unfinished', D 759

Josef Strauss: Sphären-Klänge - waltz, Op 235
Johann Strauss II: Vergnügungszug - quick polka, Op 281
Dvořák: Legend in B flat minor, Op. 59 No. 10 (first performance at The Proms)
Kodály: Dances of Galánta

Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer, conductor

The Budapest Festival Orchestra returns to the Proms with a programme of orchestral showpieces. Sparkling Strauss dances are matched by a selection of Brahms's colourful Hungarian Dances, and Kodály's sweeping Dances of Galánta are balanced by the crisp Classical textures of Mozart's March in D major. At the centre is Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony, with its mood-swings and elusive harmonies.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We're doing well for new arrangements this year.

[pastoralguy]

Quite a 'bitty' programme. I'm not sure why they're not doing the Edinburgh Festival this year. They've been a few times and have always been mightily impressive.

[David-G]

Quite a 'bitty' programme. I'm not sure why they're not doing the Edinburgh Festival this year. They've been a few times and have almost been mightily impressive.

Did you mean always?

[pastoralguy]

Did you mean always?

Yes! Thank you.

Bloody predictive text...

[Ferretfancy]

Quite a 'bitty' programme. I'm not sure why they're not doing the Edinburgh Festival this year. They've been a few times and have always been mightily impressive.

It will probably be enjoyable as the second of two Bank Holiday Monday offerings, with Grieg's Piano Concerto at the afternoon Prom, and we do get two Brahms symphonies from this fine orchestra on Tuesday

[pastoralguy]

?.. and we do get two Brahms symphonies from this fine orchestra on Tuesday

NOW you're talking!

[Richard J.]

The works listed in the first post in this thread match those on the Proms website, but I noticed tonight that the Radio 3 schedule* for that concert includes two extra Johann Strauss II pieces between the Dvorak and the Kodaly - the Blue Danube waltz and the Bandits' Galop.

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04f8nzx

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The last of three Proms today.

[pastoralguy]

Lovely performance of the 'Unfinished' symphony with some beautiful pianissimos! The preceding works were well done too.

I really feel the broadcast is better engineered than last nights concert for the Czech Phil. IMHO, more sense of air round the players.

[Petrushka]

Something of an insubstantial programme tonight, I thought, more of a Classic FM playlist and audience reaction didn't sound wildly enthusiastic either. Perhaps the dismal Bank Holiday rain had dampened everybody's spirits.

[EdgeleyRob]

Dog's breakfast.

[Alison]

The Blue Danube didn't really work for me tonight!

[Petrushka]

In my view 'mixed bag' programmes like this simply don't work at the Proms. I go to the Albert Hall, or listen on R3, in order to hear a substantial evening's music-making but this fell short on several counts and as a result lacked the usual pizzazz that the BFO and Fischer normally bring to their concerts.

[amac4165]

In the hall a brilliant concert - of course the dire prom beforehand probably made it sound even better ! A lot of the benefits probably didn't come across on radio though !