Prom 46 - 19.08.17: Schoenberg – Gurrelieder

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Saturday 19 August 2017 ON TV
Royal Albert Hall

Arnold Schoenberg: Gurrelieder

Eva-Maria Westbroek Tove
Simon O'Neill Waldemar
Karen Cargill Wood-Dove
Peter Hoare Klaus the Fool
Christopher Purves Peasant
Thomas Quasthoff Speaker
CBSO Chorus
Orfeó Català
London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle conductor

Gurrelieder is Schoenberg's Tristan and Isolde, an opulent, late-Romantic giant. The LSO and Sir Simon Rattle are joined by an outstanding line-up of soloists, including soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek and tenor Simon O'Neill as lovers Tove and Waldemar.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I confess that I only know this work through Sir Simon's Berlin recording. It sounds great to me, but with no comparisons, perhaps . . .

[BBMmk2]

Been looking forward to this Prom, ever since the prospectus came out! May be the best one of the season? I have his recording on Warner Classics. So hearing this live will be very special.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I know the blurbs are not written by Alpie, but Moses & Aron is Arnie's Tristan & Isolde. Gurrelieder is his Flying Dutchman.

[Pulcinella]

I know the blurbs are not written by Alpie, but Moses & Aron is Arnie's Tristan & Isolde. Gurrelieder is his Flying Dutchman.

There are probably some (I'm not one!) who wish that, like the Flying Dutchman, this would only make an appearance every seven years!

[Darkbloom]

There are probably some (I'm not one!) who wish that, like the Flying Dutchman, this would only make an appearance every seven years!

Given the forces involved, I don't think audiences will ever get the chance to be bored by 'yet another' Gurrelieder. I think Runnicles did it the last time, and that must have been at least a decade ago.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Given the forces involved, I don't think audiences will ever get the chance to be bored by 'yet another' Gurrelieder. I think Runnicles did it the last time, and that must have been at least a decade ago.

Fifteen - in 2002; but Belohlavek in 2012 since then.

[Pulcinella]

Given the forces involved, I don't think audiences will ever get the chance to be bored by 'yet another' Gurrelieder. I think Runnicles did it the last time, and that must have been at least a decade ago.

Last done in 2012 in fact; some confusion in the archive over who the conductor was!
Runnicles was in 2002!
I'm pretty sure that R3 has broadcast a performance since 2012, but I might just be getting confused by the recent BaL.
:Old-age/fading-memory emoticon:

PS: ferney got there first!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Runnicles had further funnicles with Gurrelieder at last year's Edinburgh Festivle, which was broadcast on R3 28th August last year.

[Darkbloom]

Last done in 2012 in fact; some confusion in the archive over who the conductor was!
Runnicles was in 2002!
I'm pretty sure that R3 has broadcast a performance since 2012, but I might just be getting confused by the recent BaL.
:Old-age/fading-memory emoticon:

PS: ferney got there first!

Oh! I stand corrected. That performance has passed me by completely. The last time I saw it was with Salonen at the RFH. Probably the last performance before the Runnicles at the Proms was the one with Hans Hotter as the Speaker.

[Darkbloom]

I know the blurbs are not written by Alpie, but Moses & Aron is Arnie's Tristan & Isolde. Gurrelieder is his Flying Dutchman.

I've always felt it was more like his Rienzi. Both were successful with the public, but that success became a millstone, given that they had left their whole previous style behind them.

[Promgoer]

Juka-Peka Saraste methinks. I remember going to see NYOGB with Boulez in 1987!!!!

[Simon B]

Fifteen - in 2002; but Belohlavek in 2012 since then.

A pedant writes: Actually Jukka-Pekka Saraste in 2012 (rather cold and objective for my tastes but that's by-the-by). I have a feeling it was due to be Jiří Bělohlávek, but illness intervened.

Gurrelieders have been relatively sparse at the Proms. In my era, I recall BBCSO/A Davis ('94), BBCSO/Runnicles ('02) BBCSO/Saraste ('12) and that's it. '94 did indeed have Hans Hotter as the Speaker - making his Proms debut no less. That's what you call casting... Along those lines I recall a RFH A Davis/BBCSO Gurrelieder in cca '96 with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as the Speaker. That's what you call etc...

Absolutely no offence to the BBCSO intended (now a very strong combination with Oramo - anticipating attending the Mahler 2 on Friday) but it will make a change to hear Gurrelieder not performed by the BBCSO. My money would have been on Mahler 2 as the work with which Rattle/LSO would make an opening statement at the Proms. Given, that is, that it's sort-of Rattle's signature work and that it can't really be done properly at the Barbican. No complaints at being proved wrong however. As always, good luck to the many piccolos in the section before the Speaker begins. It always comes over as a "however much the fee is, it's not enough" moment...

Edit: Promgoer beat me to it re Saraste - at least that confirms I didn't imagine it...

[Promgoer]

I suspect they'll be using tin whistles. But the fee still isn't enough...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Juka-Peka Saraste methinks.

Ah - JB is "still" credited as the conductor on the Proms Archive website.

I remember going to see NYOGB with Boulez in 1987!!!!

So do I. (My own going, that is - not yours. Unless you were wearing a very seventies floral shirt, in which case I do remember you - you were sat in front of me. I remember seeing a pair of youngish chaps on the other side of the Hall following the performance with an enormous score. Must have driven their neighbours mad!)