Prom 57: 28.08.16 - Thomas Larcher, Wagner and Richard Strauss

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Sunday 28 Aug 2016
Royal Albert Hall

Thomas Larcher: Symphony No 2 (UK premiere)
Richard Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder
Richard Strauss: An Alpine Symphony

Elisabeth Kulman mezzo-soprano
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov conductor

An Alpine Symphony combines the tunefulness, richness of orchestration and sheer unadulterated beauty of Richard Strauss's character-based tonepoems with what is probably his most impressive piece of musical architecture. Whether depicting a bracing mountain climb or the slow formation of the mountain range itself, the work has a magnificence all of its own, particularly when resounding through the Royal Albert Hall. The BBC Symphony Orchestra under Semyon Bychkov scales its heights here, after Wagner's unalloyed love songs for Mathilde Wesendonck, sung by distinguished Austrian mezzo Elisabeth Kulman, and the UK premiere of Symphony No. 2 "Cenotaph" by another Austrian - composer Thomas Larcher.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07qblwh

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'd like to be there, but it just isn't possible.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Maybe worth a glance?

http://www.thomaslarcher.com/en/2016/05/15/symphony-no-2-kenotaph-2015-2016/

Otherwise, I'm pretending not to be too excited about this concert.

[mlb7171]

I'm looking forward to the Bychkov Strauss. But I'm wondering why Mr Bychkov has to give us so much Strauss - 2011, 2012 and 2014 - AND he did the Alpine in 2010 at the Proms. I was there, it was magnificent. But just strikes me as a little dull to have it all over again with the same conductor only a few years later.

[Prommer]

This, to me, is good programming.

The Bych and the BeebSo are a good team!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm looking forward to the Bychkov Strauss. But I'm wondering why Mr Bychkov has to give us so much Strauss - 2011, 2012 and 2014 - AND he did the Alpine in 2010 at the Proms. I was there, it was magnificent. But just strikes me as a little dull to have it all over again with the same conductor only a few years later.

As is was magnificent last time, why should it be dull this time?

[mlb7171]

As is was magnificent last time, why should it be dull this time?

I have no reason to suppose it will be dull, on the contrary. I just wish we could have something else just as exciting from Mr Bychkov at the Proms.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Listening to Proms Extra during the concert interval, when the Alpine Symphony was “amazing”, written by Strauss when “at the height of his powers”, one might be forgiven for forgetting that 50 years ago, it was a mortal sin to even like the work. Then it was overblown, inflated, excessively pictorial and based on feeble material. Today, it’s right out of the top drawer, with a strong philosophical basis.

Such is fashion - something best ignored.

Bychkov’s second Proms performance in 6 years began with a hint of uncertainty of intonation, but with a powerful sense of mystery, superbly controlled in the progression to the sunrise. Less convincing was the Beethovenian “climbing” theme, which seemed laboured, as did the off-stage band. But we moved into a whole new dimension of depth and subtlety in “Der Eintritt in den Wald”. On so many recordings, the solo strings are zoomed-in by engineers with twitchy fingers. Not so here, where textures were well-balanced by the conductor and players, without intervention.

I felt there was some significant dynamic range compression on FM, so I switched to Freesat, but it was no better there. Quieter sections, such as the woodwind interplay (Auf der Alm) were quite superb, but the menacing passages that followed were dampened considerably by the compression.

Therefore, at the Summit, the oboe solo was beautifully evocative, but the great climax following this lacked the impact that must surely have been experienced in the hall, even though it was shaped magnificently by Bychkov.

One of the most difficult sections to balance in the “Vision” that follows the summit music, even with the help of skilled engineers. A cor anglais counter-melody can become lost, but tonight, left to the conductor, all was as good as it could be, and the following dark sections of the work were as good as in any performance or recording I can recall, with Mahlerian clarity.

The Radio 3 dynamic compression did little to inspire optimism for the thunderstorm, and predictions did indeed turn out to be accurate. It was still possible to appreciate the excitement of the performance, albeit in aural handcuffs. Clearly, one needed to be in the RAH to fully appreciate it.

A few conductors rush the “setting sun” section; unfortunately Bychkov is one of them - the only shadow in an otherwise very fine performance. The Ausklang wasn’t slow either, but here the quicker than average pace was successfully tempered by appropriate rubato. The ending was breathtaking.

A pity the audience couldn’t have held back a little before applauding.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I really wish Petroc would shut up.

[Ferretfancy]

I've got to know the Alpine pretty well over the years, including a performance by Cumbrian schools orchestras in a large social centre in Kendal.
It was only a few minutes after the work began that it dawned on me why there was a row of empty seats behind my head. The offstage brass proved to be far from offstage for me!

Last night's performance was first class, and Bychkov managed to disguise the repetitiousness splendidly.

For me, the evening in the hall was made by Elizabeth Kulman's beautiful voice in the Wesendonck-Lieder.This was something really special.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It was only a few minutes after the work began that it dawned on me why there was a row of empty seats behind my head. The offstage brass proved to be far from offstage for me!

I thought it sounded closer than off-stage. The RAH is a venue where off-stage groups are possible (and frequently done). Would the off-stage voices in Neptune be placed in the hall?

[Petrushka]

I made it into the Arena for this by a whisker and am glad I did as it was a very fine Prom.

Rather disappointed not to see to see any word from bsp or edashtav on the Thomas Larcher symphony. This is a substantial work, premiered last June by the Vienna Philharmonic, which went down very well in the hall. I'm not up to any sort of critical analysis such as edashtav or JLW might give so I'll just say I enjoyed it. One general criticism I would mention is the tiresome excessive use of percussion. Now, I like to hear the percussion but sometimes less is more and I do wish that some modern composers would go easy on the batterings.

[BBMmk2]

I know what you mean, Pet, re percussion! Ah well! :)

The Richard Strauss was unvbelievably fine! I have never heard such a stonker in all my life!!!

[PhilipT]

I thought it sounded closer than off-stage. The RAH is a venue where off-stage groups are possible (and frequently done). Would the off-stage voices in Neptune be placed in the hall?

Where I was, it seemed they were certainly off-stage, but in greater numbers than any other off-stage band I've ever heard. The off-stage voices in Neptune are always, in my experience, in a roped-off area of the Gallery.

The best off-stage band story I recall was the case of the Mahler 2 some years back (the memory says BPO/Abbado/1996, but it plays tricks nowadays, and I don't trust it) when the orchestra failed to come on on time. After over 10 minutes delay, and some encouraging shouts from the Arena, they came on and performed. The story afterwards was that an RAH Fire Officer (and you don't argue with THEM, believe me) had objected to the off-stage band blocking a fire exit.

[Petrushka]

Where I was, it seemed they were certainly off-stage, but in greater numbers than any other off-stage band I've ever heard. The off-stage voices in Neptune are always, in my experience, in a roped-off area of the Gallery.

The best off-stage band story I recall was the case of the Mahler 2 some years back (the memory says BPO/Abbado/1996, but it plays tricks nowadays, and I don't trust it) when the orchestra failed to come on on time. After over 10 minutes delay, and some encouraging shouts from the Arena, they came on and performed. The story afterwards was that an RAH Fire Officer (and you don't argue with THEM, believe me) had objected to the off-stage band blocking a fire exit.

According to the programme the off stage band consisted of 12 horns, 2 trumpets and 2 trombones and while they certainly sounded off stage from my place a few rows back in the Arena, they were by no means distant, hardly surprising with that number of layers! In any case, there are differing meanings of 'off stage' according to whatever is played and the composer's instructions in the score.

Yes, it was the Abbado Mahler 2 in 1996. I wasn't there (failed to get a ticket) but this was the celebrated occasion when the Prommers shouted to the chorus: 'Do you know the a capella version?' We don't get wit like that anymore.