Prom 13: Holst – The Planets (27.07.15)

[edashtav]

[...]

Oh, she's damn fine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCLIWnOsG4w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLWitklbN_4

... and, in more "traditional" repertoire:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLWitklbN_4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLWitklbN_4

{some repetition of tracks?}

My word, what a corker, fhg! She's not just "damn fine" as a conductor, she's in love with the music! Such qualities: stillness, flowing, balletic beat as opposed to "stiff", and great self-control. When she bats an eyelid, you respond because you wouldn't want a "full-on" gesture from her, would you? I loved her Chamber Concerto - a piece I thought that I knew well! A great talent - I branched out & tried her with Shostakovitch - 'cos it's vital to be able to project both a cold stillness yet maintain forward momentum in those stretches from Russia's icy wastes,- once again she passed with 50 shades of grey.

You've whetted my appetite for tonight's Prom!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

{some repetition of tracks?}

- this ryddu computer, once it's copied something, it doesn't see why I'd want to copy anything else!

OK - Beethoven #9 (brief clip):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddwqjpA6wtY

DSCH Vln Conc #1 (excrpt):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rruLC-3haRU

[edashtav]

Yes, thanks, that was the DSCH that I tried, fhg, and I was sufficiently impressed to think that I may stay the course for the Holst this evening - I've a sense that she may be ferocious in Mars, old & lonely in Saturn and chilly & Plutoesque in Neptune.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Have I got this wrong? Didn't we have Notations 2 on Saturday afternoon?

Not that a second hearing would be unacceptable.

[Serial_Apologist]

Have I got this wrong? Didn't we have Notations 2 on Saturday afternoon?

Not that a second hearing would be unacceptable.

No Alpie - those were original Notations from 1945, re-scored by someone else but notewise pretty much faithful to Boulez's first thoughts; these are from his (Boulez's) more recent re-visitings/amendments, which if memory serves me he started work on around 1990.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

No Alpie - those were original Notations from 1945, re-scored by someone else

Yes - Johannes Schollhorn, who arranged them for chamber forces rather than Boulez' own expansions of the Piano miniatures for large orchestra. (And only Notations 2, 10 & 11 were played on Saturday, rather than 1, 2, 3, 4 & 7 tonight.)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

No Alpie - those were original Notations from 1945, re-scored by someone else but notewise pretty much faithful to Boulez's first thoughts; these are from his (Boulez's) more recent re-visitings/amendments, which if memory serves me he started work on around 1990.

Thank you for that. We can learn so much from one another on this forum.

[edashtav]

Susanna Mälkki ‘s conducting and the BBC SO’s response to her in a selection of the pieces from Boulez’s expanded Notations were nothing less than sensational. Beautiful, pellucid playing and insightful direction made these tight pieces so expressive and physically attractive that I whether dare I mention the word: ‘romantic’. Structure and continuity were to the fore. This was the best playing that I’ve heard from the BBC SO this Prom Season.

Francesconi’s recent Violin Concerto: “Duende” played by the intrepid Leila Josefowicz followed the Boulez. Sub-titled “The Dark Notes”, the work commenced with Messiaenic bird-song,. For a moment I recalled the recent death of Gunter Schuller for I found it evoked the sound world of his Twittering Machine. Did I notice a distant influence or two from Xenakis? Colour, high registers and repetitions of patterns dominated the exposition with the orchestration darkening as heavy brass came into focus and tried to plunge the score without immediate success into darker, almost subterranean regions. The twittering slowed and became increasingly lyrical and somnolent. “Gliding tones” as Percy Grainger would have called them, introduced us to a world of wondrous dreams interrupted by snorts from brass and the occasional scrubbing phrase from Leila & the upper strings but still the birds on the “Trees so High” maintained their chatter and counterpoint. The scene animated with music that showed the influence of Jazz. Bass lines became more pronounced, giving the music forward momentum. For me the scene moved towards a jungle world with smaller birds showing some terror in the face of marauding big beasts. The score was very Latin: lyrical and never rancid or snarling. Whilst I can’t define its structure, the music had direction and coherence. Once again , the work of the BBC SO under Susanna was astonishingly confidence, and “beautiful” for a first British Performance. I’ve hardly mentioned Leila, I think that is because she was so integrated within the whole. She played her part, possibly to perfection, but her contribution complemented but did not dominate the orchestra. One or two feats of orchestration were brilliant and ravishing. Occasionally, the lyricism and cunning use of low brass reminded me of the concerti of HK Gruber. Perhaps, I’ve mentioned too many “voices off”; in reality I was absorbed by a sound world that had an individual personality, that I presume of Luca Francesconi. I was glad that there was an astonishing high-flown cadenza – Leila’s self-denial deserved to be rewarded with a walk in the limelight and she took it with great panache, virtuosity and a touch of humour. Back the music returned to a review of the basic material, now illumined by twilight.

I suppose the whole amounted to about half an hour of continuous music but I found that time passed quickly. I do hope that we get the chance to hear more performances of this gorgeous piece, soon.

I had planned to give Holst's Planets a miss but the quality of Susanna's conducting and her effect on the BBC SO mean that I'm "gagging" for more. Now, where are my M.S. and a bright light?

[bluestateprommer]

My overall impression at a 1st hearing of the new Luca Francesconi work is of a rather tremendous amount of notes, where I'm not completely sure of the effect of them collectively. I would have to give it another airing to give it a fair chance. No doubts, though, about Leila Josefowicz's musicianship. Anyone actually in the RAH can confirm whether or not LJ played the concerto from memory, which she has always done from the times I've seen her live, including contemporary concertos. Likewise, very strong support from the BBC SO and Susanna Mälkki. I'll admit that from my last time seeing her conduct live, in a contemporary concert at the Juilliard School in NYC, her gestures seemed a bit limited in vocabulary. But she seemed very much in her element here with both LF's work and the Boulez at the start. In fact, the glittering percussion sounds in the Boulez made for a nice connection with what we're about to hear at the end of the second half (though nothing harmonically like Holst, of course).

BTW, side notes:
1. People may remember that the Francesconi work was scheduled for last season, but was changed, because of LJ's pregnancy.
2. From listening to the interval feature on The Planets and its influence on film music, I remembered an old line from the "Horoscope" section of The Onion:

"Gustav Holst will appear to you in a dream and refuse to leave until you agree that John Williams has been ripping him off for years."

So far, with "Mars":
(a) Pretty brisk tempo (not as fast as Jurowski last year, though, in a good way)
(b) No audience applause (whew).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

(b) No audience applause (whew).

There was none after Jupiter at first . . . and then after a pause, the idiots started their mindless clapping. Such half-heartedness could hardly be termed instinctive response.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Somehow, the child in the audience diminished the etheriality of Neptune.

But what a cracking performance.

[bluestateprommer]

There was none after Jupiter at first . . . and then after a pause, the idiots started their mindless clapping. Such half-heartedness could hardly be termed instinctive response.

Actually, this is one of those occasions where I'm inclined to forgive the audience, given the slam-bang ending of "Jupiter", as a reasonably spontaneous response. Unfortunately, what was a lot more intrusive was the kid at the end during the fadeout of "Neptune", who intruded with his cries with impeccably bad timing (though I'm sure it wasn't intentional), which Christopher Cook alluded to gently at the end. Otherwise, the audience was quite well behaved between the rest of the movements, and gave a good long wait at the end of "Neptune", before their very energetic applause. I wonder if the ladies in the choir heard the kid's wails, and decided really to keep going with the repeat as long as they could.

Overall, a pretty straightfoward interpretation of The Planets, brisk in the faster movements, but reasonably spacious in "Venus", "Saturn" and "Neptune", with the odd tempo nudge here and there (and the rare brass smudge in the heat of the moment, but never mind). Maybe not necessarily one for the ages, but it went just fine overall. I suspect that Mälkki made a lot of new friends in the audience today, who might not have heard her work before.

[edashtav]

Oh dear, the small boy who screamed at the end of Neptune, I took to be my wife , downstairs, screaming for help having suffered some accident whilst preparing our washing-up. I tore off my headphones, missed the end of, and shocked my wife who was immersed in Radio 5! I returned to hear Christopher Cook telling me what actually happened in the RAH. Thus was the end was ruined!

What did I like: tight rhythms in Mars (with a good, quick pace), excellent tenor tuba playing throughout the work. a reflective Venus, a well-played Jupiter, a fleet and light-footed Mercury and a tragic Saturn. Susanna's interpretation of Uranus was very dramatic, quick and with well-observed rests between the staccato chording in its main theme. Neptune started a little too loud for my liking but it grew in mystery until the "Just William" incident.

A fine piece of work by orchestra and conductor ending another excellent Prom. This year is bringing a superabundance of fine Proms, one after another. Long may this form continue!

[Petrushka]

'Children under 5 are not allowed in the auditorium out of consideration for both audience and artists... Proms Guide page 166.

It's about time that the Albert Hall stewards enforced this sensible ruling for precisely the reasons stated.

[pilamenon]

That was a damn fine Prom! A proper helping of new(ish) music (for a change), and I was very taken with the sound world of the Francesconi piece. What I heard of The Planets (from Jupiter onwards) confirmed for me that, so long as I avoid it for most the rest of the year, it makes a great second half of a Prom. It must presumably be the most regularly programmed British work, apart from the Last Night warhorses. On my radio, the child's outburst sounded like an old man crying out in anguish - almost adding to the eerieness of that moment in Neptune. And to cap it, exemplary comments from presenter Christopher Cook afterwards, whereas the gushing radio and TV presentation for the Andsnes cycle (sorry "Beethoven journey") were a painful intrusion.