Prom 11: 23.07.16 - Wagner and Tippett

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Saturday 23 Jul 2016 ON TV
Royal Albert Hall

Richard Wagner: Die Walküre – final scene
Michael Tippett: A Child of Our Time

Tamara Wilson (soprano)
Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano)
Peter Hoare (tenor)
James Creswell (bass)
BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales
Mark Wigglesworth conductor

As Europe slipped towards Fascism, Michael Tippett felt solidarity with the downtrodden. Then, in 1938,a young Polish Jew, whose parents had been deported by the Nazis, shot a German diplomat in Paris. Tippett had the central figure for his 'oratorio of contemplation', A Child of Our Time - inspired by Bach's Passions, Handel's Messiah and American spirituals.
Mark Wigglesworth also explores the theme of parent-child relationships in the final scene of Wagner's opera Die Walküre, culminating in Wotan's poignant farewell to his daughter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07lf1zl

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07lfrc0

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This subject is never out of date.

[Alison]

Looking forward to this one. A fresh programme and good to see Mark W back at the Proms.

[Sydney Grew]

Downtrodden, well yes, but . . .

Things were not as straightforward as Mr. Alpensinfonie and the Corporation appear to imagine. The "young Polish Jew, whose parents had been deported" and the "German diplomat" were already in a relationship, which somehow went wrong. A mixure of jealousy and money, very probably. Tippett would almost certainly have realized that much. There is a book about the whole thing: The German Officer's Boy, by Harlan Greene. Some say Grynszpan returned to Paris after 1945 and became a garage mechanic, but that is uncertain.

What worries me is that all this is suppressed by the Corporation's scribes. Knowingly or not?

[Bryn]

Things were not as straightforward as Mr. Alpensinfonie and the Corporation appear to imagine. The "young Polish Jew, whose parents had been deported" and the "German diplomat" were already in a relationship, which somehow went wrong. A mixure of jealousy and money, very probably. Tippett would almost certainly have realized that much. There is a book about the whole thing: The German Officer's Boy, by Harlan Greene. Some say Grynszpan returned to Paris after 1945 and became a garage mechanic, but that is uncertain.

What worries me is that all this is suppressed by the Corporation's scribes. Knowingly or not?

Richard Brown's observation re. the Harlen Greens novel should be born in mind:

"This isn't history, it's an interpretation of it, dramatically told; one shouldn't confuse the two. As a piece of fiction, it is of a high order. Behind historical events there are always individual stories and tragedies and it's for the novelist to make use of that. Harlan Greene does that supremely well."

[BBMmk2]

Rather interesting programme and the conductor was a few years below me at the same Prep school! :)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Would one also accuse the BBC (and Mr. Alpensinfonie ) of suppressing the extreme incest in the first half of the concert?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... the extreme incest in the first half of the concert?

This subject is never out of date.

Incidentally - is "extreme incest" like "extreme ironing", but without the laundry?

[Prommer]

Am listening now... but is this all being shown on BBC4 tomorrow? Or just the Tippett? 7pm start on the box but something about the red button from 8.15?

Does this mean the Wagner will be shown on the red button at 8.15pm after the Tippett (i.e. reversing tonight's actual running order)? Or the whole lot from 8.15pm but in the original order?

Help!

[Petrushka]

Am listening now... but is this all being shown on BBC4 tomorrow? Or just the Tippett? 7pm start on the box but something about the red button from 8.15?

Does this mean the Wagner will be shown on the red button at 8.15pm after the Tippett (i.e. reversing tonight's actual running order)? Or the whole lot from 8.15pm but in the original order?

Help!

According to Radio Times the Wagner follows the Tippett and is on the red button (presumably channel 601) at 8.15 so your first statement is correct.

[johnn10]

To my ears the Wagner was rather penny plain in comparison to the twopence coloured performance by Opera North which was broadcast recently from Gateshead.

[Prommer]

Cresswell is a huge talent, and a major new Wagnerian on the scene. His Pogner at ENO was outstanding, as were his Fasolt and Hunding for Opera North recently.

This first foray in to Wotan? Hmm. Some good things here, but he may be too much of a bass for the role. I shall listen again. Possibly the opposite of the Terfel problem. He had a vocal wobble on the higher lying notes at one point, which is worrying.

He is ace though.

[gedsmk]

Cresswell is a huge talent, and a major new Wagnerian on the scene. His Pogner at ENO was outstanding, as were his Fasolt and Hunding for Opera North recently.

... He had a vocal wobble on the higher lying notes at one point, which is worrying.

He is ace though.

Yes, better I think in the Tippett. Sounded in the hall, compared to his sound in the RFH, like he has a cold.
Enjoyed concert enormously, esp the Tippett. Very powerful in every respect.

[edashtav]

Yes, better I think in the Tippett. Sounded in the hall, compared to his sound in the RFH, like he has a cold.
Enjoyed concert enormously, esp the Tippett. Very powerful in every respect.

I, too, enjoyed the Tippett. I'd like to pursue the matter of sound quality, particularly balance, just a little. I listened on R.3 and questioned the relationship between soli and chorus in the spirituals. I accept that despite being in a numeric 1: many relationship, the soloist(s) need to lead but I found the broadcast balance to be akin to 3:1 in favour of the soloists, making the chorus seem like a distant background rather than party to a joint polyphonic discussion. Unnatural and unnecessary, I felt. Do Boarders agree?

[Pulcinella]

I, too, enjoyed the Tippett. I'd like to pursue the matter of sound quality, particularly balance, just a little. I listened on R.3 and questioned the relationship between soli and chorus in the spirituals. I accept that despite being in a numeric 1: many relationship, the soloist(s) need to lead but I found the broadcast balance to be akin to 3:1 in favour of the soloists, making the chorus seem like a distant background rather than party to a joint polyphonic discussion. Unnatural and unnecessary, I felt. Do Boarders agree?

That was my reaction too, but just checking the score, there is an awful lot of pp writing for the chorus in the spirituals, so perhaps the criticism is a little harsh; but the soloists did seem to dominate a little too much, at least over the radio.
A very moving performance though.