Prom 24: 2.08.16 - Ginastera, Britten and Schubert

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Tuesday 2 Aug 2016
Royal Albert Hall

Alberto Ginastera: Ollantay (London premiere)
Benjamin Britten: Piano Concerto
Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major, 'Great'

Steven Osborne (piano)
BBC Philharmonic
Juanjo Mena (conductor)

In his bittersweet Piano Concerto, Britten set out to exploit the piano's 'enormous compass, percussive qualities and suitability for figuration'. The result is a true bravura piece whose razor-sharp edge conceals a gregarious smile. Alongside the first London performance of Alberto Ginastera's very Argentine view of the symphony orchestra comes the inexorable momentum of Schubert's most invigorating symphony, his 'Great' Ninth.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07m5g4j

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/272906/Alberto-Ginastera-Ollantay-A-Symphonic-Triptych-Op-17

[bluestateprommer]

This Guardian feature on Ginastera has this one-line summary about Ginastera's Ollantay:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/23/argentinian-composer-alberto-ginastera-spanish-connection

"Ginastera’s Ollantay, an orchestral triptych, is another story of impossible love, between the Inca warrior Ollantay and Cusi Coyllur, surrounded by the beauty, scents and magic of the Andes."

Ollantay just finished. Good, solid performance, if not the most earth-shaking rendition, given that AG can certainly be loud and brash in his orchestration when he wants to be. Mena isn't a conductor who really sets the music on fire in general, but the backhanded compliment is that he doesn't get in the way either. Plus, all of the praise that the BBC Phil has gotten recently, even with other conductors, has to be due to some degree to JM keeping the orchestra in fine shape. Very much looking forward to the Britten Piano Concerto, a personal favorite.

Update: the energy level seems rather to have kicked up a notch with the Britten Piano Concerto, no doubt mainly thanks to Steven Osborne. JM and the orchestra weren't quite the very cleanest in the very opening bar, as it sounded a bit rushed. Likewise, SO's brain and fingers got ahead of him at times, to be sure, in the 1st and 4th movements. His recording of the concerto on Hyperion with the BBC SSO also pushes the pace at times, if memory serves, certainly compared to the benchmark recording of Sviatoslav Richter and BB himself conducting the ECO. But since the work is a personal favorite, as mentioned, I can forgive a lot. Nice encore of Ravel's 'Oiseaux tristes' from SO.

[pastoralguy]

As always, terrific performance from Steven Osborne.

[edashtav]

This Guardian feature on Ginastera has this one-line summary about Ginastera's Ollantay:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/jul/23/argentinian-composer-alberto-ginastera-spanish-connection

Ollantay just finished. Good, solid performance, if not the most earth-shaking rendition, given that AG can certainly be loud and brash in his orchestration when he wants to be. Mena isn't a conductor who really sets the music on fire in general, but the backhanded compliment is that he doesn't get in the way either. Plus, all of the praise that the BBC Phil has gotten recently, even with other conductors, has to be due to some degree to JM keeping the orchestra in fine shape. V

An excellent report, bluestateprommer, with which I concur.

[gradus]

Anyone else find the Schubert sym too long and not very gripping? I've tried for donkey's years but failed to get on terms with it.
On a more positive note I couldn't agree more about Steven Osborne's terrific playing, earlier R3 had broadcast his recording of Miroirs, brilliant perhaps unrivalled.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Anyone else find the Schubert sym too long and not very gripping? I've tried for donkey's years but failed to get on terms with it.

Yes, but admitting it takes too much courage.

[Pulcinella]

Anyone else find the Schubert sym too long and not very gripping? I've tried for donkey's years but failed to get on terms with it.
On a more positive note I couldn't agree more about Steven Osborne's terrific playing, earlier R3 had broadcast his recording of Miroirs, brilliant perhaps unrivalled.

Well, we were gripped here, and didn't think it too long.
And it's not a piece we would ordinarily think of listening to; Proms discipline is very good for us!

On the other hand, I wish I liked the Britten PC more: give me Diversions any day instead.

[Pianorak]

I wish I liked the Britten PC. Never have and probably never will.

[Anastasius]

First time I've heard the Britten and thoroughly enjoyed it. Also the Ginastera was rather good. Another Prom I wish I'd been at. Definitely starting to get itchy feet. I need a 'fix'.

[bluestateprommer]

Anyone else find the Schubert sym too long and not very gripping?

The symphony itself isn't too long (but then, I would say that as a listener, not a player), but in this particular performance, I wasn't a huge fan of JM's interpretation. He seemed to skate over the surface and not try to plumb the depths, which is in keeping with my general evaluation of him as a conductor. He didn't do anything strange with the score, but then he didn't reveal anything special about it either. Tom Redmond said that JM conducted the Schubert from memory, if that means anything regarding his interpretation. The BBC Phil played very well, and again sounded in splendid technical shape. But in the case of the Schubert, technical skills aren't enough. Oh well.