Prom 7 - 19.07.17: Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Wednesday 19 July 2017
Royal Albert Hall

Jean‐Féry Rebel: Les élémens – Le cahos
Pascal Dusapin: Outscape BBC co-commission with the Casa da Música Foundation (Porto), Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Opéra de Paris and Stuttgart Opera: UK première
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Alisa Weilerstein cello
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Joshua Weilerstein conductor


Visions of chaos give way to a diabolical scene in a musical thrill-ride that takes us from creation itself to the wild dances of a Witches' Sabbath. Jean-Féry Rebel's suite The Elements is one of Baroque music's most unusual works, opening with a vivid portrait of Chaos. The same audacity surfaces a century later in Berlioz's quasi-autobiographical Symphonie fantastique, whose large orchestral forces and colourful textures make it a perfect fit for the Royal Albert Hall.

Star cellist Alisa Weilerstein is soloist for the UK premiere of Pascal Dusapin's nature-inspired concerto Outscape - a work written for her - while her brother, rising young star Joshua Weilerstein, conducts.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Personally, I find nepotism in music quite uncomfortable. Sometimes it works (and I hope this is such an occasion) but I can think of many instances where it's more than a little embarrassing.

[teamsaint]

Personally, I find nepotism in music quite uncomfortable. Sometimes it works (and I hope this is such an occasion) but I can think of many instances where it's more than a little embarrassing.

Yep, worse than embarassing. But I might go anyway.
interested to know what people think of Dusapin's music.

[Pulcinella]

Personally, I find nepotism in music quite uncomfortable. Sometimes it works (and I hope this is such an occasion) but I can think of many instances where it's more than a little embarrassing.

That could be an interesting and diverting thread topic, Alpie.

[doversoul1]

Starting in 20 minutes. A very good choice to begin any concert.
Jean‐Féry Rebel: Les élémens – Le cahos

[Bryn]

Starting in 20 minutes. A very good choice to begin any concert.
Jean‐Féry Rebel: Les élémens – Le cahos

Indeed. Get it over and done with, and out the way.

[Barbirollians]

Nepotism surely has a pejorative meaning namely that a person has been promoted or given opportunities on the basis of family connections and not merit .

Hardly , something one could level at tonight's soloist and conductor any more than at Yehudi and Hepzibah Menuhin.

[Alison]

Nepotism surely has a pejorative meaning namely that a person has been promoted or given opportunities on the basis of family connections and not merit .

Hardly , something one could level at tonight's soloist and conductor any more than at Yehudi and Hepzibah Menuhin.

[Beef Oven!]

Nepotism surely has a pejorative meaning namely that a person has been promoted or given opportunities on the basis of family connections and not merit .

Hardly , something one could level at tonight's soloist and conductor any more than at Yehudi and Hepzibah Menuhin.

No, thats not 'namely' the criticism of nepotism (that it's not based on merit). Throughout history many capable and deserving people have been given roles through nepotism that they performed excellently. The criticism of nepotism is subtly, but crucially different from what you have asserted.

[bluestateprommer]

Starting in 20 minutes. A very good choice to begin any concert.
Jean‐Féry Rebel: Les élémens – Le cahos

The all-French almost-Bastille Day Prom is now launched, where I admit to being pleasantly surprised by the J-F Rebel work, at the sounds at the start, way ahead of its time. The BBC SO with JW did a great job of adopting a baroque ensemble sound. On to the Dusapin....

[pastoralguy]

Just realised this was on! Very keen to hear the wonderful Alicia Weilerstein!

[bluestateprommer]

interested to know what people think of Dusapin's music.

For this new work, I noticed that PD used a rather mellifluous harmonic style, avoiding the usual stereotype of "modern music". The work struck me as quite elegaic in mood, on the more melancholy side for the most part. On the whole, and I don't mean this in a perjorative way, this struck me as relatively "audience friendly" contemporary music. Must give it another listen later. The encore by Bartok actually complemented the PD rather well.

[teamsaint]

Listened to the Dusapin in binaural. I'd thought about going to this concert, but decided against after some long days at work.

Anyway, first impressions of the Dusapin. I found myself quite quickly feeling a little bit uninspired really, without quite being able, ( and this is only a first listen , so not always completely reliable) to put my finger on why. And even by the end, despite quite a lot of things I enjoyed, the same underlying feeling of slight dissatisfaction.
And I think actually that the main reason was that I had heard Birtwistle's Deep Time earlier in the day, which seemed to me to have an integration, and to create direction, tension, and excitement on a different level altogether.

But the Dusapin may have sounded a lot more inspiring in the arena, or may do on second listen. Hope so.

[bluestateprommer]

HB's SF just finished. It was OK, pretty straight up and no nonsense in the pacing. Far from the most deeply inspired reading ever (if there is such a thing), but then, JW is but 29. He did take the first movement exposition repeat, but not the 4th (modest disappointment there, but whatever); also no added cornet in 'Un bal'. Audience applause after the 1st, 2nd & 3rd movements, but interestingly, not after the 4th, so I wonder how JW got the audience to hold back. Interesting to hear that Christine Pendrill from the LSO took the cor anglais part.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Listened to the Dusapin in binaural. I'd thought about going to this concert, but decided against after some long days at work.

Anyway, first impressions of the Dusapin. I found myself quite quickly feeling a little bit uninspired really, without quite being able, ( and this is only a first listen , so not always completely reliable) to put my finger on why. And even but the end, despite quite a lot of things I enjoyed, the same underlying feeling of slight dissatisfaction.
And I think actually that the main reason was that I had heard Birtwistle's Deep Time earlier in the day, which seemed to me to have an integration, and to create direction, tension, and excitement on a different level altogether.

But the Dusapin may have sounded a lot more inspiring in the arena, or may do on second listen. Hope so.

Pretty much my own impression, ts: the Music something between a watered-down Birtwistle and a slightly spiced-up Lindberg; an inoffensive enough soliloquy for solo 'cello & orchestra, with a few moments of interesting texture and instrumental writing, but lacking anything like the jaw-dropping attention-grabbing power of the Birtwistle - nor of Dusapin's earlier works, for that matter. There was other Music on the programme that was much more modern/new/fresh.