Prom 43: Sibelius – Symphonies 5, 6 & 7 (17.08.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op 82
Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 in D minor
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C major

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä conductor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

From the point of view of concert planning, I would have put aside questions of chronology and put the shorter works (6 & 7) in part 1, and leaving no. 5 with part 2 to itself.

[Beef Oven!]

I no little or nothing about concert planning, but it feels right to run 6 & 7 together as the final instalment. But that is purely based

I no little or nothing about concert planning, but it feels right to run 6 & 7 together as the final instalment. But that is purely based

I don't currently have editing facilities, what I meant to say is

"I know little or nothing about concert planning, but it feels right to run 6 & 7 together as the final instalment with five as a marvellous opener. But that is purely based on my subjective view."

[Bryn]

From the point of view of concert planning, I would have put aside questions of chronology and put the shorter works (6 & 7) in part 1, and leaving no. 5 with part 2 to itself.

That flight of swans does not transform it into his swansong. I am glad you did not get the job of planning this concert.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

That flight of swans does not transform it into his swansong. I am glad you did not get the job of planning this concert.

A good first half today.

[DracoM]

Not sure I agree.
The sweet tone of the BBCSO strings was in marked contrast to the tense, bleached stone hard tone of the BBCSSO on Saturday and for me the latter brought more menace, more doubt, more questioning into the performance.

Vanska's approach seemed to be to ingratiate, to shape phrases into tiny jewels, while the SSO's approach was less rhetorical and more edged, sombre, darker. Phrases as uncompromising as limestone and ice. How I like my Sibelius, I'm afraid.

And the second half was little better. Tempi just too fast, too determined to dance.

Sorry, not for me. Would love to have heard the BBCSSO's continuance. Pity they weren't entrusted with the whole cycle.

As as for SM-P's non-stop gush after it .......blimey.

[Bryn]

A good first half today.

Listening via FM, with strange 'pumping' of the ambient level, I found myself wondering why so many of the players seemed so tentative in their playing. Not, I feel, their and Vanska's finest 31 minutes. His fine Lahti and 'live' Minnesota recordings may have spoiled my ears for tonight's performance, I suppose. The current 6th is sounding much more 'together' though.

Having now Listened Again to the 5th, this time via the iPlayer HD Sound option, I find what seemed tentative earlier to now seem much less so without the shifting misty ambient imposed via FM (my Yagi's reflector came adrift some months ago and I am no longer agile enough to get up onto the roof to replace it). I do still feel that some of the players might have been having trouble adjusting to Vanska's approach to some of the phrasing.

[DracoM]

Bits of rhythmical disunity at various points early on. Odd?

[edashtav]

So far I've managed only to hear symphonies 6 & 7.
I've always enjoyed Sibelius's sixth because I've regarded it as his most "baroque" symphony. Osmo Vänskä brought out those objective, dancing sections which trip along as if based on refracted dance patterns. I liked the sonic-stage with the various bands of the BBC SO distinct and discrete, competing and contrasting to build momentum, tension and release. Only the RAH can endow a wind band with that magical, cold, distant, loneliness and there was a moment in the finale when time stood still, space opened to reveal wind instruments singing their cool refrain from a detached upper tier of the platform. Well done, BBC engineers, I felt I was in the RAH and not overhearing a marvellous digital reconstruction of a real experience. Like so many baroque works , the 6th symphony ends neither in triumph nor tragedy, Sibelius comes to the end of what he has to say, draws double bar lines and stops. I have nothing but praise to offer the conductor, BBC SO and the clever gnomes twiddling knobs in their white vans. I'll try to comment on the rest of the concert, later.

[Nick Armstrong]

Sibelius's sixth... Only the RAH can endow a wind band with that magical, cold, distant, loneliness and there was a moment in the finale when time stood still, space opened to reveal wind instruments singing their cool refrain from a detached upper tier of the platform.

I've only been able to hear the last movement of the 6th but found it completely captivating in a way I've not been aware of before, and very much see what you mean, ed.

[kernelbogey]

I enjoyed the fifth; the sixth was a revelation - I'm not at all sure that I've ever heard it before, or at least with concentration.

It all came abruptly to an end, while I was enjoying the much-looked-forward to seventh, with a telephone call which took me away from the remainder of the concert.

But I'm left with a clear desire to acquire a complete set of Sibelius symphonies, as I own only the second.

Recommendations for a box set, please?

[Nick Armstrong]

I'm left with a clear desire to acquire a complete set of Sibelius symphonies, as I own only the second.

Recommendations for a box set, please?

May I refer m'learned friend to this thread from the earlier part of this year. I remember it being very comprehensive.

[Beef Oven!]

I think I'm with DracoM on this one.

For me, this performance did not take off. I was, to use a cliche, underwhelmed. Maybe I've listened to too much Sibelius this year and perhaps the astounding performances of Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia that I attended earlier this year just set the bar to high for Vänskä and the BBC SO. I preferred Rattle even earlier this year, on the radio, albeit.

The second part of the concert was a small improvement, but I'm not sure whether it was because it contained better music, rather than being a better performance. I also couldn't help thinking that the seventh should follow on directly (with no applause) from the sixth. Seems to me that Berglund and Rattle had a very strong point.

However, I must single out the woodwind they were really stellar tonight!

I had the pleasure of the company teamsaint and his daughter and fiancee, who may have seen/heard it differently!

[Daniel]

This is the first of this year's Proms I've had the chance to listen to complete, , but I'm extremely glad I did.
I found the performances tonight revelatory, and the sum of the parts wondrous. I felt both conductor and music burned with an inner fire.

I've always enjoyed Sibelius's sixth because I've regarded it as his most "baroque" symphony. Osmo Vänskä brought out those objective, dancing sections which trip along as if based on refracted dance patterns.

An interesting thought.

I ... feel that some of the players might have been having trouble adjusting to Vanska's approach to some of the phrasing.

I felt that too. Awkwardness can sometimes be a symptom of something good going on, and I certainly felt that here. I must get to know Vanska better.

[teamsaint]

Listening via FM, with strange 'pumping' of the ambient level, I found myself wondering why so many of the players seemed so tentative in their playing. Not, I feel, their and Vanska's finest 31 minutes. His fine Lahti and 'live' Minnesota recordings may have spoiled my ears for tonight's performance, I suppose. The current 6th is sounding much more 'together' though.

Having now Listened Again to the 5th, this time via the iPlayer HD Sound option, I find what seemed tentative earlier to now seem much less so without the shifting misty ambient imposed via FM (my Yagi's reflector came adrift some months ago and I am no longer agile enough to get up onto the roof to replace it). I do still feel that some of the players might have been having trouble adjusting to Vanska's approach to some of the phrasing.

I was in the arena tonight. The thought that I had about the opening movement of the fifth was that I had the strong feeling of ( some of) the players having to be led through the movement, but " tentative" would do at least as well. I felt the second movement was done justice to, and I really enjoyed the third movement, which seemed to me to have a lovely flow.

I learned a lot about the 6th from hearing it close up and personal.
The 7th was excellent. It must be a difficult piece to conduct, and Vanska seemed to have kept his most intense efforts for it.
i might think of more to say in the morning,but got to be up early for work.