Prom 4: Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 (19.07.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

7.30 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Lucy Crowe, Gerhild Romberger, Dmitry Popov, Kostas Smoriginas with the CBSO and CBSO Chorus conducted by Andris Nelsons live at the BBC Proms.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Beethoven: The Creatures of Prometheus overture
John Woolrich: Falling Down London premiere-(Margaret Cookhorn, contrabassoon)
Beethoven: Symphony No.9 in D minor, 'Choral'

Lucy Crowe (soprano)
Gerhild Romberger (mezzo)
Dmytro Popov (tenor)
Kostas Smoriginas (bass-baritone)
CBSO Chorus
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons (conductor)

Beethoven's 'Choral' Symphony is a celebration of human endeavour, as is his ballet score The Creatures of Prometheus. Andris Nelsons gives his final concert as Music Director of the CBSO before returning (see Proms 49 and 51) with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, of which he became Music Director last season. John Woolrich's dark, sardonic contra-bassoon concerto was written for the CBSO's own contrabassoonist Margaret Cookhorn.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There used to be a tradition of Beethoven's 9th being performed on the penultimate night of the Proms.

To change the subject, I've never heard a contra-bassoon concerto in my entire life.

[bluestateprommer]

To change the subject, I've never heard a contra-bassoon concerto in my entire life.

Kalevi Aho has written a contrabassoon concerto, but the catch is that he wrote is for a "custom" version that's not in standard use, to my understanding from the BIS recording liner notes. Link to that recording is here.

Getting back to the main subject, based on this review of Nelsons' LvB cycle with the CBSO some time back, a taste of things to come is indicated from this passage in the review:

"Listening to four concerts in which the nine Beethoven symphonies were played in all their coruscating power and glory, it seemed as if the changes wrought by period performance practitioners - minimal string vibrato, pinched phrasing and breakneck speeds - had never happened.

Andris Nelsons prefers warmer string tone, a varied tonal palette, moulded legato lines and tempi which generally ignore Beethoven's highly controversial metronome markings.

After some of the low-fat, decaffeinated Beethoven performances I've heard at Symphony Hall in recent years, Nelsons' approach - high-cholesterol with a double espresso chaser - was a refreshing change."

(Never mind the contradiction between "breakneck speeds" and "decaffinated".) It will be interesting to learn whom the CBSO eventually chooses as their next podium boss, with the CBSO and the New York Phil as the top open slots in the orchestral world now.

[Roehre]

Gunther Schuller composed one in the 1970s, iirc 1977
and I recall to have seen (and not bought) an American CD with contra bassoon concertos by American composers.

[Tony Halstead]

Kalevi Aho has written a contrabassoon concerto, but the catch is that he wrote is for a "custom" version that's not in standard use, to my understanding from the BIS recording liner notes. Link to that recording is here.

Getting back to the main subject, based on this review of Nelsons' LvB cycle with the CBSO some time back, a taste of things to come is indicated from this passage in the review:



(Never mind the contradiction between "breakneck speeds" and "decaffinated".) It will be interesting to learn whom the CBSO eventually chooses as their next podium boss, with the CBSO and the New York Phil as the top open slots in the orchestral world now.

( Heaven Help Us) Andrew Man~e or Paul McCree~h?
much better surely to stay with an acknowledged 'mainstream' conductor such as e.g. Paul Daniel or Stephen Barlow?

[MrGongGong]

There used to be a tradition of Beethoven's 9th being performed on the penultimate night of the Proms.

To change the subject, I've never heard a contra-bassoon concerto in my entire life.

Worth a listen IMV
(though I am a little biased with this one )

Margaret is a wonderful and inspiring musician and i'm sure John Woorich will have written something really worth a listen as he has a long collaboration with BCMG (which Margaret plays in as well as the CBSO).

[grasscroft]

Next CBSO Music Director?

( Heaven Help Us) Andrew Man~e or Paul McCree~h?
much better surely to stay with an acknowledged 'mainstream' conductor such as e.g. Paul Daniel or Stephen Barlow?

Regarding the potential successor to Andris Nelsons at the CBSO, and based mainly on who has been invited back or for the first time during the coming season, the contenders (assuming Edward Gardner would already have been appointed, not merely re-engaged as Principal Guest for 15/16 if he were in the frame) appear to be:

Nicholas Collon, Lahav Shani (those two have several programmes)
Ryan Wigglesworth, Ben Gernon, Andrew Gourlay (re-invited after appearing last year)
Cristian Macelaru, Daniele Rustioni (as far as I know making their first appearances with the CBSO)

There are several familiar guests (Manze, Volkov, Litton, Van Steen and others) but again I assume they are sufficiently well-known to not be in the running.

One final possibility: on July 23rd a few days after the Proms concert there is a "Summer Concert" at Symphony Hall conducted by an Assistant to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, who does not appear in the regular 2015/16 season and thus has one chance to impress.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Looking forward to this one tonight.

[Prommer]

Are we getting just the Choral at 9pm on BBC4? Or the whole programme?

[french frank]

Are we getting just the Choral at 9pm on BBC4? Or the whole programme?

The BBC list says 'Selected pieces will be broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 19 July'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/r89mxj/series/rd4wrz

[bluestateprommer]

The BBC list says 'Selected pieces will be broadcast on BBC Four on Sunday 19 July'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/r89mxj/series/rd4wrz

BBC Four's page indicates a program duration of 90 minutes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0638jc0

Obviously that will include LvB, but that raises the question of whether The Creatures of Prometheus will be included. The John Woolrich work obviously got axed from TV broadcast, unfortunately. BTW, change of tenor among the singers, with Pavel Černoch pinch-hitting for Dmytro Popov.

[MrGongGong]

The John Woolrich work obviously got axed from TV broadcast, unfortunately. .

WHY WHY WHY ???

Why on earth do we get to watch Beethoven 9 AGAIN I'm sure it will be a great performance but a missed opportunity

(that's a bottle of Talisker then John )

[Barbirollians]

Terrific finale so far but I thought the trio was a bit rushed in the scherzo and the adagio beautifully played as it was hardly plumbed the depths - CBSO chorus stars of the show

[Barbirollians]

Suzy Klein really is ghastly her post concert blithering were beyond belief

[Bert Coules]

"What an electrifyng performance!" I'm really not enthusiastic about being assaulted by an announcer's opinion the moment a piece ends (or indeed at all), especially when that opinion doesn't accord with mine.

And yes, good grief, what on earth is happening on BBC4?