Prom 6 - 18.07.17: Nicola Benedetti plays Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:00 Tuesday 18 July 2017
Royal Albert Hall

Dmitri Shostakovich: October
Dmitri Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor
Jean Sibelius : Symphony No 2 in D major

Nicola Benedetti violin
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Thomas Søndergård conductor

Violinist Nicola Benedetti joins Thomas Søndergård and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales as they continue their exploration of music by Shostakovich and Sibelius. Here they pair the latter's stirring Second Symphony - adopted as a potent symbol of nationalism and resistance by the people of Finland - with Shostakovich's symphonic poem October, a work whose subversive musical message sees the composer at his most pointedly political.

Shostakovich dedicated his First Violin Concerto to the celebrated violinist David Oistrakh, who praised its solo part as 'Shakespearean', and the concerto's demonic Scherzo gives its soloist plenty of opportunity for virtuosity.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I hope I am right in assuming "October" has nothing to do with the same composer's 2nd symphony?

[bluestateprommer]

I hope I am right in assuming "October" has nothing to do with the same composer's 2nd symphony?

You are correct; the two are totally separate beasts. DSCH's Symphony No. 2 requires a chorus, for one; no chorus needed for the symphonic poem.

[pastoralguy]

Fantastic playing from young Nicola. BRAVO!

[Petrushka]

Fantastic playing from young Nicola. BRAVO!

Wholeheartedly seconded!

[Alison]

She's improved a lot in my book, Pasty?

[bluestateprommer]

Quite a contrast of the two DSCH works here. October is definitely far from top-drawer DSCH, where he does seem to recycle his standard orchestral tics for a 'public consumption' work (the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution - well, duh). I had the same kind of reaction as with his Symphony No. 12, namely that this would be great music for Battleship Potemkin, written decades after the actual film. But then:

Fantastic playing from young Nicola. BRAVO!

NB did do very well in this fiendishly difficult concerto, but for me, somehow, in the finale, she really set the hall on fire, all the more remarkable given the massive solo cadenza just before (and indeed, everything before, and how physically and mentally demanding it must have been for her). It's almost as if she held back just a bit of energy in reserve, and then unleashed it all in the finale. Little wonder that she said that ideally, there shouldn't be an encore after DSCH VC 1. But she obliged, very nicely indeed (the arranger's name also archived in the Calendar).

[pastoralguy]

She's improved a lot in my book, Pasty?

Oh yes. I first heard her as a 14 year old playing the Mendelssohn. (I loaned her an A string when she broke one during the rehearsal!)

It's been great to see her rise and rise and develop as a violinist and an artist. Of course she's nearly 30 now so she's past the 'youngster' phase but I can still hear her playing getting better every time I hear her. (She plays a lot with the RSNO here in Scotland).

And, she's a genuinely lovely person with a passion for teaching. We in Scotland are extremely proud of her!

[edashtav]

She's improved a lot in my book, Pasty?

And in mine, I was pleasantly surprised although I must admit to being shocked.

[teamsaint]

It came over brilliantly in the car, if that is anything to go by.
Which it probably isn't.
But it did anyway.

[Goon525]

I managed to miss it, not realising it was a 19.00 start. I thought that only happened when there was a late evening concert - which there isn't tonight. I know it was my incompetence, but any idea why there was an early start tonight?

[Bryn]

Maybe so the BBCNOW musicians can get back to Cardiff tonight.

[Barbirollians]

A sound but not a thrilling Sibelius 2 so far for me .

[Bryn]

A sound but not a thrilling Sibelius 2 so far for me .

Well, for those familiar with the old RPO/Barbirolli, the bar is set so high.

[bluestateprommer]

A sound but not a thrilling Sibelius 2 so far for me .

My reaction is the same, now that it has just completed. Given that, as mentioned in the other BBC NOW/TS Prom thread, this is par for the course for my listening experiences of his work with them on iPlayer, I dialed my expectations accordingly. But if the newcomers in the audience enjoyed it (and if the RAH was indeed essentially packed out, there must have been some newbies), rather than the diehards among us, all to the good. Also, full marks again to tonight's audience, like last night's, for not applauding between the movements. (There may have been one or two desultory attempts, but perhaps those folks figured it out quickly.)

For Goon525, I've been caught out several times as a transatlantic listener for forgetting 7 PM start times (shame on me, especially as keeper of the Proms Forum calendar). One other reason for 7 PM starts could be also for people who need to take trains to the suburbs to get home at a reasonable hour.