Prom 13 - 24.07.17: Malcolm Sargent's 500th Prom

[bluestateprommer]

Quite agree. I heard lots of, to me, unknown wind detail. Didn't notice the horn 'train wreck'!

Maybe "scrambled notes" would have been a better description. It's a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, so to speak, which may put things in perspective.

With the Schumann concerto, to be honest, BR, Sir AD and the BBC SO didn't particularly blow me away with this performance. It was OK, which I guess will suffice. Nice gesture of BR to perform a Schumann encore, the Liszt arrangement of 'Widmung' (duly archived in the Forum Calendar).

[kernelbogey]

Interesting interval programme on Sargent. Humprhey Burton struggled to get heard... why did SM-P bring him in so little? Odd....

[edashtav]

I thought that Elgar's Cockaigne Overture brought the best out of Sir Andrew Davis: bluff, good humour balanced by a sad, melancholic introspection. The brass were very good with loads of lovely incidental detail plus a touch of the earthy vulgarity of the British Brass Band. The best performance, so far, of this celebratory event. I was delighted when the organ joined in the final paean.

I'm unsure that the orchestral versions of Walton's Facade show its bitter-sweet nature to best effect. I was disappointed with the Waltz that had a surfeit of detail but failed to swing. I found Sir Andrew's approach was too gentkemanly and lacked a louche theatricality, but that be my fault for listening to too much Weill. Sir Andrew's humour was of a gentle rib-tickling nature. Occasionally, I felt , it had a touch of Jacques Ibert. There were wise virgins in the Prom's audience who enjoyed it without preconceptions.

Was the Perfect Fool a trombonist? In my youth, I loved the work and wore out my LP. These days, I encounter it infrequently. Gustav Holst scored beautifully and there are many passages that reflect moments in the Planets. I felt Sir Andrew handled the piece deftly, capturing both its bluff humour and its magical, reflective moments. An excellent performance full of drama, excitement and sensitivity.

Was Andrew Davis's vision of Delius's Cuckoo an engraving, whereas the composer created a watercolour? I longed for more smudge, more uncertainty and greater freedom to dream and create my own pastoral scene. The rhythmic clarity was alien to my vision of the piece. Where were the morning mists?

My word, Proms were long in 1966. I must exercise Mum's dog.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Was the Perfect Fool a trombonist?

Holst was of course a trombonist and in his usual unconfident style would probably have agreed he was the epitome of the Perfect Fool

[Serial_Apologist]

I see the work as feminine, conditioned as I am by early live performances by the diminutive Myra Hess dressed in sober black silk, fringed with lace.

Ooh - I got into a lot of trouble for suggesting there was such a thing as "feminine" and "masculine" music when I was new to the forum!

[Hornspieler]

Sir Andrew Davis is surely the natural successor to Sir Malcolm.

Hopefully not! (for his sake!)

HS

[Prommer]

Anyone know if the original 1966 concert would be in the BBC archives?

[BBMmk2]

A very enjoyable concert. Sir Andrew was the perfect conductor for this prom. I do like his sense of humour.

[Prommer]

Also: when did the National Anthem cease to be played before Promenade concerts?

[Prommer]

A very enjoyable concert. Sir Andrew was the perfect conductor for this prom. I do like his sense of humour.

A pea in a pod.

[Prommer]

Quite agree. I heard lots of, to me, unknown wind detail. Didn't notice the horn 'train wreck'!

Especially when rendered thus, lightly and woodwind-y, this overture is Berlioz's Till Eulenspiegel!

[Ferretfancy]

No mention so far of the splendid performance of the Young Person's Guide, which as seen and watched from the Arena made a great ending to an enjoyable evening.
I thought that the performance of the Schumann was decidedly odd. Beatrice Rana isn't short of technique, but there was precious little poetry in her performance. As for her encore, it seemed choppily played and charmless. It's worth having a listen to Kissin's Carnegie Hall performance if you want a fine performance from a very young artist.

[edashtav]

[...]
I thought that the performance of the Schumann was decidedly odd. Beatrice Rana isn't short of technique, but there was precious little poetry in her performance. As for her encore, it seemed choppily played and charmless. It's worth having a listen to Kissin's Carnegie Hall performance if you want a fine performance from a very young artist.

I agree with you, entirely, ff. Such a shame as Beatrice has shown great qualities across a wide range of repertoire. Tenderness and poetry seem absent from her strengths.

[cloughie]

Also: when did the National Anthem cease to be played before Promenade concerts?

Are they still played before Halle concerts?

[BBMmk2]

Are they still played before Halle concerts?

I thought The national Anthem was played at the end of LNOP?