Prom 72: Nielsen & Ives (9.09.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Nielsen: Springtime on Funen
Nielsen: Violin Concerto
Webster: In the Sweet By and By
Zeuner: Ye Christian Heralds
Marsh: Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Mason: Nearer, My God, to Thee
Ives: Symphony No. 4

Henning Kraggerud (violin)
Malin Christensson (soprano)
Ben Johnson (tenor)
Neal Davies (bass-baritone)
William Wolfram (piano)
Tiffin Boys' Choir
Tiffin Girls' Choir
BBC Singers
Crouch End Festival Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Litton (conductor)
Fergus Macleod (sub-conductor)

Ives's thrilling Fourth Symphony demands massive orchestral and choral forces, and it quotes from his own earlier works as well as from traditional American hymns. Completing this year's Nielsen concerto cycle at the BBC Proms is the Violin Concerto - a work that wears its technical demands with great delicacy. Nielsen also provides the concert opener, the folk-inspired choral cantata Springtime on Funen - Funen (Fyn) being the Danish island where the composer was born and grew up.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Don't let's forget this one. . .

[bluestateprommer]

Well, once past Gordon Jacob's arrangement of the National Anthem (for E II R, natch - rather a more extrovert version than the Britten arrangement now ensconced at the Last Night), a generally good rendition of CN's Springtime in Funen, although I was kind of wondering about some of the soprano's tones and timbre, kind of an acquired taste. HK just started the Violin Concerto, where I guarantee that the audience will applaud after the first movement. Nielsen clearly wrote it that way, though, so it's his fault :) .

HK dispatched the many, many notes of the Violin Concerto admirably, with terrific support from Andrew Litton and the BBC SO. HK also delivered his own compositional encore well (it would have been scary if he hadn't).

[Bryn]

Severe lack of hashtags in the titles tonight.

[peterkin]

It is good that Springtime in Funen has had an airing,although this performance was a bit too "operatic" for my taste.My allegiance to the Odense SO/Veto is unshaken.

[Bryn]

Interesting interval feature. When I hear "In the Sweet By-and-By" in the comedy movement, I can't help hearing Joe Hill's The Preacher and the Slave. Since Ives composed much of that movement as late as 1924, he must surely have been at least aware of that Wobbly version, though it seems unlikely that he was intentionally alluding to it ...

A bit strange that the discussion of the fugue did not mention that it came from the 1st String Quartet.

[Colonel Danby]

I've always loved Charles Ives, particularly the Fourth Symphony, which I have on disc with Ozawa and the Boston SO (coupled with MTT and the Three Places in New England). Litton gave a good account of the 4th though and it was a pleasure to hear it live. Now I'm off to hear again 'Central Park in the Dark' surely his masterpiece...

[Alison]

Really enjoyable concert. Litters never gets mentioned in all the music director speculation though he is a capable and often inspiring conductor I suggest.

[Bryn]

I've always loved Charles Ives, particularly the Fourth Symphony, which I have on disc with Ozawa and the Boston SO (coupled with MTT and the Three Places in New England). Litton gave a good account of the 4th though and it was a pleasure to hear it live. Now I'm off to hear again 'Central Park in the Dark' surely his masterpiece...

I too much enjoyed tonight's performance, even if not quite up there with that given by the BBCSO under the principal direction of Sir Andrew Davis during the Radio 3 Ives Weekend back in 1996 (replete with Theremin in the last movement).

[Alison]

I too much enjoyed tonight's performance, even if not quite up there with that given by the BBCSO under the principal direction of Sir Andrew Davis during the Radio 3 Ives Weekend back in 1996 (replete with Theremin in the last movement).

[Ferretfancy]

According to the experts at the Proms Extra talk, the inclusion of a theremin was a mistake due to a misreading of the composer's original requirements. Ives had met Theremin and was fascinated by the instrument, but did not use it.

When Stokowski forst performed Ives 4 at the Proms back in 1965,with Serebrier as assistant conductor, there was only a very imperfect version of the score available. Today's performance have a much more readable edition. I was at that Prom fifty years ago, ( that brought me up short ! ) and I was probably very baffled at the time! Last night's performance sounded amazing in the Arena, although there frankly no real need for a separate group of violinists at the top of the left side stairs, as they were completely drowned by the racket.
It's a fascinating novelty, but I think that Ives used his kaleidoscopic approach more effectively in his Holidays Symphony and the Three Places in New England, still it was good to hear the forthright singing of the Three Hymns as a lead in to the Symphony.

Springtime in Funen was delightful, but the highlight for me was the Violin Concerto, which I know well but had not been to a live performance until last night.Henning Kraggerud was a superb exponent of the concerto. Andrew Litton was at his best all evening, and provided a very watchful and supportive accompaniment,

Why isn't the Nielsen Violin Concerto played more often? Well, maybe it's a little long, but that doesn't worry me. The technical difficulty possibly deters some performers.

A very fine Prom.

[Serial_Apologist]

I was at that Prom fifty years ago, ( that brought me up short ! )

As was I, Ferret!

I remember the downstairs arena being full up, so they put the overflow including me up on one of the balconies - 2nd floor, iirc. I'll never forget the second movement getting underway - people getting up off the floor to lean over the balustrades, trying to figure out what the so-and-so was going on, or if orchestra and conductor had been seized by some sort of collective madness. I was new to Ives, back then.

[seabright]

As was I, Ferret!

I remember the downstairs arena being full up, so they put the overflow including me up on one of the balconies - 2nd floor, iirc. I'll never forget the second movement getting underway - people getting up off the floor to lean over the balustrades, trying to figure out what the so-and-so was going on, or if orchestra and conductor had been seized by some sort of collective madness. I was new to Ives, back then.

Oh dear, well I suppose after 50 years a bit of memory lapse can be forgiven! Stokowski did indeed conduct Ives 4 in 1965 but not at the Proms. He gave the work its World Premiere in New York in that year and it was captured for TV and is readily viewable on You Tube ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXv55ARtsM

The first Proms Ives 4 was given the following year, according to the BBC archive, and Gunther Schuller was the conductor, Sargent having conducted "The Planets" in the first half.

[seabright]

PS: I forgot to add that Jose Serebrier, who assisted Stokowski in the Ives 4 premiere, went on to record the work himself in 1974 with the LPO and John Alldis Choir. In fact, Serebrier has yet to make his long overdue Proms appearance, though I see he'll be conducting a programme of Great Hollywood Movie Composers at the RAH in November (Herrmann, Waxman, Steiner, Korngold, Tiomkin and so on) so he should get a good crowd in for that.

[Serial_Apologist]

Oh dear, well I suppose after 50 years a bit of memory lapse can be forgiven! Stokowski did indeed conduct Ives 4 in 1965 but not at the Proms. He gave the work its World Premiere in New York in that year and it was captured for TV and is readily viewable on You Tube ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xXv55ARtsM

The first Proms Ives 4 was given the following year, according to the BBC archive, and Gunther Schuller was the conductor, Sargent having conducted "The Planets" in the first half.

Yes I remembered it as being Schuller, a work of whose was performed during the first half.