Prom 54: 26.08.16 - Collegium Vocale Gent and the Budapest Festival Orchestra

[Bryn]

I watched this in the delayed, edited BBC4 transmission this evening. So it's available now on iPlayer....

I agree with the praise from other boarders here.

Petroc interviewed Ivan Fischer after the concerto; he explained his thinking in placing the singers among the orchestra.



The encore by Ákos Ács was identified (and named) by Petroc as Klezmer by a rabbi - but I can't recall the name, (and don't know if Ian Skelly gave that information, as I didn't hear the R3 broadcast). And he mentioned that the orchestra give concerts in abandoned Synagogues in Hungary.

The encore was Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman! by Béla Kovác.

[kernelbogey]

The encore was Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman! by Béla Kovác.

Thank you. I've been editing for about 20 minutes!

[Cockney Sparrow]

Totally agree with this. Lucy Crowe (local - very local - girl by the way) absolutely outstanding, floating that wonderful soprano line as I've heard only Margaret Price achieve in the Schreier recording. Could kick myself for failing to archive this safely to disc. An early BBC4 repeat please!

You should watch the closing moments of Newsnight BBC2 for, IIRC, Wednesday. She sang (and not faded out - to conclusion) a folk song "she moved through the fair" - unaccompanied. How to describe her - she's been "one to watch" and surely "rising star" - is she now "well established talented artist" - anyway, a true artist and wonderful singer and we can look forward to hearing a lot more from her (eat your hearts out Katherine Jenkins et al...). At 40 mins 40 secs here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07qcf5x/newsnight-24082016

[oddoneout]

The subtitles in English for the Requiem were in a rather odd mixture of the demotic and the poetic; and clearly someone had made a decision not to give the Latin names of the movements. Given the BBC mantra of reaching out to new audiences I was struck by the fact that Petroc never mentioned that it was being sung in Latin. Since hardly anyone has any Latin now, I wonder what 'naive' viewers would have made of that disjuncture.

I too felt that it would have been preferable to give the Latin and the English(and yes a bit of consistency might have been nice for the English). The Beeb's attitude to subtitles/translations for such televised vocal items seems tiresomely erratic, as is giving the titles of items in competitions etc. I would have thought it a good opportunity to provide a bit of 'eddicayshun' (and inclusion) to those folks they are allegedly trying to tempt into pastures new.
I was unable to listen to the radio broadcast as I'd originally intended and only caught the last few movements of the TV(as-live according to the RT- whatever that's supposed to mean - delayed transmission I suppose) broadcast of the Requiem. The sound is not good on my set since the digital takeover and I got a bit distracted by the dominance of topline, especially one soprano, and it took a while to work out the unconventional choir placings.
Possibly as a result of the poor sound I was more than usually distracted by watching what was going on - including the timpanist having issues with his bow tie, and a trumpeter upending his instrument which looked as if he was downing a yard of ale...
I will need to listen to the radio broadcast when it's repeated as I wasn't as captivated or convinced as others on here, and I think I may be missing something - not least the earlier parts of the concert.

[BBMmk2]

I'll give this another go then. I be watching the televised version.

[gurnemanz]

I recorded it from Freeview HD onto a hard drive and watched it when I got home (a great evening for a few sets of tennis). The sound was very good played though the amp and we really enjoyed the concert. (I'm afraid I annoyed my wife by occasionally singing along with the Requiem.)

[Ferretfancy]

It was a lovely evening in the Arena, in spite of the humidity. From where I stood, the arrangement of the performers was fascinating, and it created a superb balance. I can say nothing about the performance, it was quite simply superb.

The discussion before the Prom with Nicholas Kenyon and a gentleman whose name I've forgotten was one of the most interesting I have attended.

We learned a great deal about the rich legends surrounding the requiem's history, putting to rest quite a bit of mythology, but making the point that the tales surrounding this composition are of value in their own way. Well worth catching up with if you were making coffee during the interval.

[Stanley Stewart]

Last night's two Mozartian Proms was, for me, an evening of towering musicality. During the afternoon, I took to the garden with a copy of HC Robbins Landon's, Mozart's 1791 Last Year,(1988-Thames & Hudson); an absorbing account of a year of musical miracles. My faded notes still attached to the inner covers refer to the Requiem as a work in which human desolation was to reach new depths of governed form.

Time came to a standstill during the 2hrs 45mins duration of the Proms and, learning how to cope with a new Panasonic HD recorder, a euphoric state impelled me to do an overnight transfer from title to DVD master copy and I was much relieved to check a pristine DVD this morning as I doubt whether this fine 2016 season of Proms will equal the potency of last night's programme. Much thanks to all concerned for transporting me to the physicality of the occasion - a revelation in so many aspects.

[kernelbogey]

I too felt that it would have been preferable to give the Latin and the English(and yes a bit of consistency might have been nice for the English). The Beeb's attitude to subtitles/translations for such televised vocal items seems tiresomely erratic, as is giving the titles of items in competitions etc. I would have thought it a good opportunity to provide a bit of 'eddicayshun' (and inclusion) to those folks they are allegedly trying to tempt into pastures new.
I was unable to listen to the radio broadcast as I'd originally intended and only caught the last few movements of the TV(as-live according to the RT- whatever that's supposed to mean - delayed transmission I suppose) broadcast of the Requiem. The sound is not good on my set since the digital takeover and I got a bit distracted by the dominance of topline, especially one soprano, and it took a while to work out the unconventional choir placings.
Possibly as a result of the poor sound I was more than usually distracted by watching what was going on - including the timpanist having issues with his bow tie, and a trumpeter upending his instrument which looked as if he was downing a yard of ale...
I will need to listen to the radio broadcast when it's repeated as I wasn't as captivated or convinced as others on here, and I think I may be missing something - not least the earlier parts of the concert.

Hi Oddoneout

We seem to have had a remarkably similar experience! I chose to watch on BBC4 - partly because the Requiem Prom was immediately preceded by the Aurora 'Jupiter' Prom. (Happily I managed to tune in just as the presenter finished his shtick .)

I agree with your comments about the subtitles - I kept thinking 'Why leave out the movement titles?' And that there would have been room for the sung text as well as the English translation - especially as the subtitles appeared only for a short while at the beginning of each movement. Education indeed.....

I also found myself distracted by the pictures and less able to concentrate on the music and the performance: a new observation of myself.
Conversely I would have liked a better picture of the soloist in the Clarinet Concerto, since I have played the clarinet and was unable to see his fingering of the Basset Clarinet since the closeups almost invariably cut off the instrument round about the level of a Bb instrument!

I shall listen to the R3 broadcast over the weekend to savour the qualities that earlier postings have highiighted.

I have a huge admiration for Ivan Fischer, who has very interesting ideas about how to perform with this orchestra. His meditative silence before each movement is most striking.

BW, kb

[Petrushka]

You should watch the closing moments of Newsnight BBC2 for, IIRC, Wednesday. She sang (and not faded out - to conclusion) a folk song "she moved through the fair" - unaccompanied. How to describe her - she's been "one to watch" and surely "rising star" - is she now "well established talented artist" - anyway, a true artist and wonderful singer and we can look forward to hearing a lot more from her (eat your hearts out Katherine Jenkins et al...). At 40 mins 40 secs here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...night-24082016

Many thanks for this clip. This is the most spell-bindingly beautiful soprano voice I've ever heard, utterly bewitching. Lucy comes from here and went to school just a few yards from my home. The family are known to us as well. A very big future in prospect I would think.

[Nick Armstrong]

Many thanks for this clip. This is the most spell-bindingly beautiful soprano voice I've ever heard, utterly bewitching. Lucy comes from here and went to school just a few yards from my home. The family are known to us as well. A very big future in prospect I would think.

One of my single favourite recordings of anything is her duet with Mark Padmore in As Steals the Morn from "L'Allegro &c" on his Hyperion Handel collection

As good as it gets

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Many thanks for this clip. This is the most spell-bindingly beautiful soprano voice I've ever heard, utterly bewitching.

(I'd add "one of" after "this" - but I was utterly enchanted by the sound she made.)

[french frank]

You should watch the closing moments of Newsnight BBC2 for, IIRC, Wednesday. She sang (and not faded out - to conclusion) a folk song "she moved through the fair" - unaccompanied.

Good to see that. It was like a welcome way of trailing the Proms, and cleverly chosen as being a highly accomplished folk song performance, rather than a straight operatic aria. And as for the voice, it has that flexibility which shows what Jenkins lacks. Spinechilling.

[Barbirollians]

One of my single favourite recordings of anything is her duet with Mark Padmore in As Steals the Morn from "L'Allegro &c" on his Hyperion Handel collection

As good as it gets

Agreed it would be a desert island disc for me.

[alycidon]

Totally agree with this. Lucy Crowe (local - very local - girl by the way) absolutely outstanding, floating that wonderful soprano line as I've heard only Margaret Price achieve in the Schreier recording. Could kick myself for failing to archive this safely to disc. An early BBC4 repeat please!

I am far from being a connoisseur of vocal music, but I am listening at the moment and have drawn the same conclusion re Lucy Crowe before reading your post.