Prom 56 - 28.08.14: LPO, Toradze / Jurowski

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Thursday, 28 August
7.30 p.m. – c. 9.35 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Holst: The Planets

Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16
Scriabin: Prométhée, le poème du feu, Op 60

Alexander Toradze, piano

London Philharmonic Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski, conductor

Tuneful good humour and vivid characterisation see the century at its most approachable in Holst's well-loved The Planets. Scriabin's Prometheus is more eccentric - scored for piano, 'colour organ' and orchestra. This performance of it includes the optional part for choir and responds to the composer's imaginative ideas on colour.

Premiered at the Proms in 1912, Schoenberg's Five Orchestral Pieces take tonality to the limit, anticipating the composer's later development of serialism.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Possibly a bold move to put the popular work first and risk losing some audience members at the interval.
Possibly unwise?

The first time I heard The Planets live was in the early 1960s. In the first half was Berg's Concerto for Violin, Piano & 13 Wind Instruments. Before the Berg performance, Barbirolli addressed the audience, asking us to have an open mind. It's the only time I recall JB doing this.

[Ferretfancy]

Possibly a bold move to put the popular work first and risk losing some audience members at the interval.
Possibly unwise?

The first time I heard The Planets live was in the early 1960s. In the first half was Berg's Concerto for Violin, Piano & 13 Wind Instruments. Before the Berg performance, Barbirolli addressed the audience, asking us to have an open mind. It's the only time I recall JB doing this.

In my very early days at the Proms in the late forties, the Promenade used to empty after the interval quite often when a new work was in the second half. I think that today's Prommers are more open to novelty. In those days even composers like Sibelius often had a sparse following.

Re Alban Berg, when Nigel Kennedy played the Violin Concerto at the RFH some years ago, a crowd of young groupies sat in the seats behind the orchestra, all fans of Nige. The Berg was preceded by Gwyneth Jones singing Schoenberg's Erwartung. I can still see the looks of bafflement on the young faces.

[Barbirollians]

Intriguing programme and Jurowski and LPO are always worth hearing

[pastoralguy]

In my very early days at the Proms in the late forties, the Promenade used to empty after the interval quite often when a new work was in the second half. I think that today's Prommers are more open to novelty. In those days even composers like Sibelius often had a sparse following.

Re Alban Berg, when Nigel Kennedy played the Violin Concerto at the RFH some years ago, a crowd of young groupies sat in the seats behind the orchestra, all fans of Nige. The Berg was preceded by Gwyneth Jones singing Schoenberg's Erwartung. I can still see the looks of bafflement on the young faces.

Mrs. PG and I were amazed at how many vacated seats there were for the second half of the Czech Phil's concert last week where that avant-grade radical Martinu's fourth symphony was performed!

[Simon B]

Intriguing programme and Jurowski and LPO are always worth hearing

Much looking forward to being in the hall for this - for these reasons. LPO/Jurowski = top combination presently IMV.

I've heard Jurowski (standing in for Yutaka Sado in a slightly unexpected move IIRC) do the Planets with the LPO before. Bracingly different - might wind up those preferring an indulgent take on e.g. Jupiter.

I'll happily buy a hat so I can eat it if the Holst is afforded the silent attention it really demands...

[mercia]

will I notice the colour organ on the radio ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

In my very early days at the Proms in the late forties, the Promenade used to empty after the interval quite often when a new work was in the second half. I think that today's Prommers are more open to novelty.

It reminds me of a different interval escape.

The arena had been dominated by Young Chinese fans of Lang Lang, who was playing one of the Chopin Concertos. Most of them left during the interval, giving more than ample space for those who remained.

[Petrushka]

It reminds me of a different interval escape.

The arena had been dominated by Young Chinese fans of Lang Lang, who was playing one of the Chopin Concertos. Most of them left during the interval, giving more than ample space for those who remained.

An even odder interval escape was in a Gurrelieder conducted by Boulez in 1987 when Jessye Norman fans disappeared after Part 1. The two people sitting next to me that night were quite open about it.

[maestro267]

What a disappointing Planets! Taken way too quickly, and the audience felt it necessary to applaud between EVERY movement.
Seriously, the Proms audience get so much praise from artists and all, and yet they're the only audience at serious concerts who applaud in the wrong places. And before anyone says anything, not knowing the music is not an excuse anymore. You have the Internet right here. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!

[Blotto]

What a disappointing Planets! Taken way too quickly, and the audience felt it necessary to applaud between EVERY movement.
Seriously, the Proms audience get so much praise from artists and all, and yet they're the only audience at serious concerts who applaud in the wrong places. And before anyone says anything, not knowing the music is not an excuse anymore. You have the Internet right here. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!

I went to a quartet concert at the Barbican in the winter and a good number in the audience applauded between every movement for the whole night. I think it was the Nightingale Quartet and they looked a little surprised. I wish someone would stand up and tell the audiences they don't need to.There was some kind of embassy involvement and possibly something corporate. I had the impression from a couple in front of me that they were pleased with themselves (not disagreeably so but still) for behaving 'correctly' and politely in what must have been unfamiliar circumstances.

At the Iceland SO, I would guess 1/3rd to 1/2 of the hall applauded after each movement. It was alot of people.

[Bryn]

What a disappointing Planets! Taken way too quickly, and the audience felt it necessary to applaud between EVERY movement.
Seriously, the Proms audience get so much praise from artists and all, and yet they're the only audience at serious concerts who applaud in the wrong places. And before anyone says anything, not knowing the music is not an excuse anymore. You have the Internet right here. DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!

It's you who should be doing the research. Early performances of the The Planets at the Proms most likely received similar approbation at the end of the separate movements. Waiting until the end is no more than a fairly recent fashion. One I tend o participate in, but a fashion nonetheless.

If a performer, including a conductor, wishes audience members to refrain from applauding between movements, (s)he has only to indicate as much before the performance. I know quite a few who do so, and other who make it clear they are happy to receive approbation as and when those listening feel it deserved.

[Vile Consort]

It's you who should be doing the research. Early performances of the The Planets at the Proms most likely received similar approbation at the end of the separate movements. Waiting until the end is no more than a fairly recent fashion. One I tend o participate in, but a fashion nonetheless.

You seem to be suggesting that audiences should/could know which works they ought to applaud between movements and which not, based on what happened at early performances of said pieces. In fact, I find it difficult to put any other interpretation on what you are saying. Surely that would be even more recondite and elitist that a blanket "we don't applaud between movements" convention, and even more off-putting to the not-very-well-up-on-this-sort-of-thing. It seems to me that this audience tonight (and most audiences who applauding between movements) are applauding in ignorance of the convention, rather than being highly aware of the conventions of the time and place in which the individual works had their first performances.

The issues with applauding every movement include (1) it prolongs the concert excessively, (3) it's embarrassing if the performers don't acknowledge the applause, (3) it prevents the conductor launching into the next movement as quickly as he might like, (4) it can destroy the atmosphere and (5) it disrupts the performers' concentration.

FWIW, I am not absolutely hard and fast about this. I normally don't join in applause between movements, but I can recall the odd occasion when a first movement has been so stunningly performed that I have. And I think the performers knew it. Indeed, one occasion was a performance of Brahms's B flat piano concert with John Lill, and he specifically mentioned that performance a couple of years later in a programme on R4 about what it is that makes some performances special. I think you can usually tell whether an audience is applauding in the "wrong" place because they've heard something out of the ordinary, or because they either haven't bought an (outrageously expensive) programme and think the work has finished or aren't aware of the modern convention.

[jayne lee wilson]

PROM 56, LPO/JUROWSKI.

HDs Ratings Part 2 (Schoenberg Op. 16): Sound 10/10, Performance 10/10.

Terrific power from the LPO with vivid colours and characterisation. Wonderfully idiomatic 2nd Viennese, postMahlerian sound, that ominous sense of a culture on the verge of collapse into War. The 3rd, "colours" movement was less quiet than usual, beautifully projected into the broadcast acoustic.
ABSOLUTELY SUPERB IN EVERY RESPECT! A stunning partnership on top form, living and breathing the music's essence.

(Interstitial applause during Schoenberg's 5 Pieces Op. 16 seems VERY ill-advised. Indiscriminate, destructive and pointless.
Well, Just bloody childish really. This is not THAT kind of Viennese night, kids!)

Sorry, but not a fan of the Scriabin Prometheus. I'll leave comment on it to those who are...)

[teamsaint]

PROM 56, LPO/JUROWSKI.

HDs Ratings Part 2 (Schoenberg Op. 16): Sound 10/10, Performance 10/10.

Terrific power from the LPO with vivid colours and characterisation. Wonderfully idiomatic 2nd Viennese, postMahlerian sound, that ominous sense of a culture on the verge of collapse into War. The 3rd, "colours" movement was less quiet than usual, beautifully projected into the broadcast acoustic.
ABSOLUTELY SUPERB IN EVERY RESPECT! A stunning partnership on top form, living and breathing the music's essence.

(Interstitial applause during Schoenberg's 5 Pieces Op. 16 seems VERY ill-advised. Indiscriminate, destructive and pointless.
Well, Just bloody childish really. This is not THAT kind of Viennese night, kids!)

Sorry, but not a fan of the Scriabin Prometheus. I'll leave comment on it to those who are...)

Jayne, I just found myself wanting the "colours" section much , much quieter. I know so much is down to the engineers, one really shouldn't need to start fiddling around with controls to get something near the desired effect. I also felt that the start of the fourth could have been more unrestrained in feel and volume. Nevertheless, enjoyable apart from , as you say, the desperate inter movement applause. can it be SO hard to deal with this?