Prom 75: VPO/Rattle - Elgar Dream of Gerontius (11.09.15)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30
Royal Albert Hall


Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op 38

Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano)
Toby Spence (tenor)
Roderick Williams (baritone)
BBC Proms Youth Choir
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the second of two performances by the Vienna Philharmonic, completing a Proms triptych of Elgar's great oratorios, spread across recent seasons, with arguably the greatest of them all: The Dream of Gerontius. This is spiritual inquiry at its most musically intoxicating and ecstatic - a work that reaches after the same mystic transcendence as Wagner's Parsifal. The BBC Proms Youth Choir returns for its fourth festival appearance, joining soloists Toby Spence and Roderick Williams, with Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená as the Angel.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This was the first Prom to sell out, on the day bookings began. (Sorry MrGG.) It was also the Prom I had wanted to attend more than any. Fortunately, I shall be at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on Tuesday 8th September to hear the same performers in the same work.

It has been a lifetime's ambition to hear the VPO playing Elgar live.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm greatly looking forward to the Birmingham prequel. As I leave tomorrow morning for this stunning experience, I'll be off-line for a couple of days.

Be good, and have fun. (The two are compatible.)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Be good, and have fun.

You, too, Alpie.

[Barbirollians]

This was the first Prom to sell out, on the day bookings began. (Sorry MrGG.) It was also the Prom I had wanted to attend more than any. Fortunately, I shall be at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on Tuesday 8th September to hear the same performers in the same work.

It has been a lifetime's ambition to hear the VPO playing Elgar live.

Shame it wasn't in 1968 with Barbirolli though.

[Nick Armstrong]

This was the first Prom to sell out, on the day bookings began. (Sorry MrGG.) It was also the Prom I had wanted to attend more than any. Fortunately, I shall be at Symphony Hall, Birmingham on Tuesday 8th September to hear the same performers in the same work.

It has been a lifetime's ambition to hear the VPO playing Elgar live.

Crumbs... looking forward to your report later in the week.

Musical friends texted out of the blue a few weeks ago with an invitation to take their 4th ticket for this concert so I am feeling very lucky and grateful and shall join them on Friday evening

[EdgeleyRob]

You lucky lucky people !
I'm very envious.

[Alison]

Hope Sir Simon doesn't fuss to excess and ruin it.

[Petrushka]

I'm in the hall for this one (in the Grand Tier - not my favoured option) and am greatly looking forward to it.

[Alison]

Did you get the Andrew Davis version, Pet? That is one heck of a performance.

[Nick Armstrong]

Hope Sir Simon doesn't fuss to excess and ruin it.

Alison, you speak my fear aloud!

[Petrushka]

Did you get the Andrew Davis version, Pet? That is one heck of a performance.

it's still sitting on my wish list, Alison. I'll get round to it eventually and your recommendation spurs me on to pushing further to the top,

[EdgeleyRob]

it's still sitting on my wish list, Alison. I'll get round to it eventually and your recommendation spurs me on to pushing further to the top,

I agree with Alison,it's a super recording.

[Alison]

Alison, you speak my fear aloud!

As Sir Jonathan Swain once put it

'Just let them play!'

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I always think it's the soloists who count in this work. I've never known a conductor harming it. Only 2 recorded Angels hack it for me: Janet Baker and Yvonne Minton, though Alice Coote isn't bad. The rest are too wobbly, especially Felicity Palmer and Helen Watts.