Prom 11: 23.07.16 - Wagner and Tippett

[maestro267]

Wonderful performance of the Tippett, a work as relevant and poignant as ever 75 years on from its creation.

Also worth pointing out that last night's performance of the final scene of Die Walküre came 3 years to the night since Barenboim's complete performance of the opera at this very festival.

[edashtav]

That way 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.

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Fair comment, Pulcinella, re relative dynamics in the score; very necessary when 35 confident choral girls take on a lone soloist. I can accept that the chorus is subsidiary but neither recessed nor negligible. MW and his attentive forces probably got in right in the Hall but the BBC engineers ( or the Beeb's hirelings) took that choral "pp" marking literally. As Einstein never said, it's all about relativity.
Fff: I endorse your final comment wholeheartedly

[Petrushka]

We've perhaps got used to criticising the broadcast sound over the past few years but so far this season I've found sound quality to be very fine indeed. Listening via Freeview 703 there is a startling realism and an excellent bass response that I've not associated with the RAH relays in the past. I was in the hall last Sunday for the Faure Requiem and noticed how much care was taken with the microphone placement for the harp and solo violin as the engineer kept on trying slightly different placements in the lead up to the performance until he was satisfied.

The Tippett was very, very good indeed and would make a desirable BBC Music Mag CD. I've not heard the work for many years (CBSO/Rattle and a starry line up of soloists in 1995) and it is just as relevant now as in the 1940s.

The orchestral contribution in the Wagner and MW's way with the score made me want to hear more of Die Walküre from this combination.

[Bert Coules]

It will be interesting to see the Wagner. For such an acclaimed artist, I was surprised by Cresswell's blandness: he seemed to put hardly anything into the text. The back announcement mentioned that the two singers had stood facing straight out front and not interacted with each other at all: a curious approach to such supremely theatrical material and one which might have influenced his performance, I suppose. His Brünnhilde, though, evidently suffered no such interpretative inhibitions.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We've perhaps got used to criticising the broadcast sound over the past few years but so far this season I've found sound quality to be very fine indeed.

Yes indeed. Much credit deserved here.

[Bert Coules]

Just a few minutes into the red-button Wagner and it sounds fine, but I really don't care for the staging. To have the two characters rigidly looking out front and acknowledging each other's existence solely in the words is more than a tad perverse, particularly given that Brünnhilde has just implored her father to look her in the eyes and the subsequent dialogue, not to mention the music, strongly suggests that he's done exactly that. This is late nineteenth century ultra-romantic theatre, not super-stylised Noh drama.

You could argue that it's not actually staged at all, but neither is it a conventional concert performance, which would permit far more interaction and even a degree of bodily movement.

On the credit side though, Mr Cresswell is definitely more into it than he sounded on the live broadcast: it's just not really there in his voice. Both performers (working without scores) are actually acting in a very committed way, which makes the decision not to have them move about, even just a little, positively bizarre: it simply looks so odd.

[Nick Armstrong]

Just a few minutes into the red-button Wagner

.... it's on the RB this afternoon too, stumbled upon it - and out again quite quickly: I agree with your comment Bert, it's uninvolving and odd.

[Darkbloom]

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.

He's certainly a good singer, but although he sings bass roles he didn't sound all that dark to me (this was the first time I have heard him), if anything I thought he sounded a bit too baritonal. I don't know what his range is like, so perhaps he can pull out a few low notes while having a a basic sound that is rather light, a bit like Ezio Pinza, but I'd need to hear him in a few other things to be sure.

I thought it was odd programming all round. I don't think you should be surprised to hear a tepid performance of the last part of Walkure if you programme it for the first half. It was all very matter of fact, as though they were still at a rehearsal, and Cresswell sounded tight and uncertain - although most people would struggle to make an impression under those circumstances, so one shouldn't be too critical.

[Bert Coules]

Interpretation or the lack thereof aside, I found it impossible to imagine him as Pogner on that showing. He sounded way too light-voiced. But then he's also been cast as Sarastro and Rocco, so maybe his Wotan really wasn't at all typical.

[Darkbloom]

Interpretation or the lack thereof aside, I found it impossible to imagine him as Pogner on that showing. He sounded way too light-voiced. But then he's also been cast as Sarastro and Rocco, so maybe his Wotan really wasn't at all typical.

I don't think it really matters what sort of voice you have to sing a role these days. I expect Domingo has Sarastro in his diary for Salzburg 2025.

[Prommer]

I don't think it really matters what sort of voice you have to sing a role these days. I expect Domingo has Sarastro in his diary for Salzburg 2025.

He is taking on Amfortas soon, and maybe Mandryka. I am not kidding.

[Prommer]

Interpretation or the lack thereof aside, I found it impossible to imagine him as Pogner on that showing. He sounded way too light-voiced. But then he's also been cast as Sarastro and Rocco, so maybe his Wotan really wasn't at all typical.

Believe me, his Pogner was fabulous at ENO. Didn't sound light-voiced at all.

[bluestateprommer]

On the credit side though, Mr Cresswell is definitely more into it than he sounded on the live broadcast: it's just not really there in his voice. Both performers (working without scores) are actually acting in a very committed way, which makes the decision not to have them move about, even just a little, positively bizarre: it simply looks so odd.

Apparently, according to Donald Macleod, for the Wagner, it was Wilson's and Creswell's choice not to sing to each other. So part of the responsibility falls on their for that staging choice. That aside, I'm with the general consensus that Creswell's voice, a Wotan does not make. Mentally comparing with either Iain Paterson, Bryn Terfel, or Terje Stensvold from the Barenboim Proms Ring 3 years ago, Creswell regrettably just didn't make the cut. It certainly wasn't for lack of trying, as BC alluded to, but in the end, it just didn't work. Cute touch, in fairness, to start the Wagner with "Ride of the Valkyries" and then segue into the final scene of Act III.

Interestingly, in the Tippett, although JC's voice wasn't that much more ingratiating, he sounded much more involved and committed, and I liked him much more in the Tippett. The Tippett definitely fared much more strongly overall, again IMHO (FWIW), from all forces involved.

(Curious sociological comment, as a bit of an aside: you may want to compare the hugely different number of thread views between the Gospel Prom and Prom 11, as of the time of this post:

Gospel Prom: no comments, 34 views
Prom 11: 27 comments (soon to be 28), 1121 views

The perhaps needlessly obvious subtext is that actual gospel music attracts no interest or discussion, but the classical work that incorporates ("white-ifies"?) gospel gets 2 orders of magnitude more attention and interest. Something to think about. [Full disclosure: I didn't listen to the Gospel Prom myself.])