Prom 51 - 22.08.17: Sibelius, Saint-Saens and Elgar–Payne

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Tuesday 22 August 2017
Royal Albert Hall

Jean Sibelius: Scènes historiques – Suite No. 1
Camille Saint‐Saëns: Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor
Edward Elgar /Anthony Payne: Symphony No 3 (elab. Payne)

Javier Perianes piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo conductor

This year's Elgar cycle concludes with the originally unfinished Third Symphony. The concert also features the vivid, descriptive miniatures of Sibelius's Scènes historiques and Saint-Saëns's brilliantly youthful Second Piano Concerto.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

There are those who regret the completion of Elgar 3, but I love it, especially the slow movement.

[mrbouffant]

There are those who regret the completion of Elgar 3, but I love it, especially the slow movement.

As a work, I love it. I care not much for which bits are Elgar and which are Payne.

I shall qualify the adoration by stating I think the ending is a bit of a cop out. Then again, what was Payne to do? There was absolutely nothing in the sketches.

[Hornspieler]

As a work, I love it. I care not much for which bits are Elgar and which are Payne.

I shall qualify the adoration by stating I think the ending is a bit of a cop out. Then again, what was Payne to do? There was absolutely nothing in the sketches.

Leave it alone and write his own symphony (the same goes for Mahler's 10th in my opinion)

HS

( I'm thinking of writing a play by Shakespeare, based on extracts from some of his unfinished sonnets)

[BBMmk2]

Sir Andrew Davis's recording of the completed Payne edition, really done it for me. O am looking forward to this because Oramo did a fantastic job with the Mahler.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think that it's a very good work (and I prefer to hear it than some of Elgar's "legit" pieces). It's quite right to refer to it as "Elgar/Payne" - AP's work making the Symphony "available" deserves credit alongside Elgar's: and I find the final Tam-tam stroke very effective.

(An entirely different situation, of course, from the Cooke/Mahler #10, which is complete - not a bar missing - but unfinished [as in "lacking finish"].)

[Bryn]

I think that it's a very good work (and I prefer to hear it than some of Elgar's "legit" pieces). It's quite right to refer to it as "Elgar/Payne" - AP's work making the Symphony "available" deserves credit alongside Elgar's: and I find the final Tam-tam stroke very effective.

(An entirely different situation, of course, from the Cooke/Mahler #10, which is complete - not a bar missing - but unfinished [as in "lacking finish"].)

Well put sir. Appreciation of what Payne did is enhanced, I feel, by the content of this BBCMM cover disc:



Sadly, I no longer have the accompanying issue of the magazine itself.

[Nick Armstrong]

I think that it's a very good work (and I prefer to hear it than some of Elgar's "legit" pieces). It's quite right to refer to it as "Elgar/Payne" - AP's work making the Symphony "available" deserves credit alongside Elgar's: and I find the final Tam-tam stroke very effective.

(An entirely different situation, of course, from the Cooke/Mahler #10, which is complete - not a bar missing - but unfinished [as in "lacking finish"].)

Going to be at this one, and looking forward very much! Will be fascinating to hear it live for the first time. And I have a huge regard for Oramo's way with Elgar.

[PJPJ]

Going to be at this one, and looking forward very much! Will be fascinating to hear it live for the first time. And I have a huge regard for Oramo's way with Elgar.

So do I; I think his two BIS recordings are superb in all respects. And this one is excellent, too:

Favourite English Strings

[edashtav]

[...] And I have a huge regard for Oramo's way with Elgar.

I'm yet another admirer of his perceptive conducting of Elgar.

[pastoralguy]

Having gone through an obsession with the Elgar/Payne 3rd Symphony, (including playing in the Scottish Premiere!), I've not listened to it for years now but I'm enjoying this performance. I still think the first movement is the strongest although the others have interesting things too.

[Petrushka]

Having gone through an obsession with the Elgar/Payne 3rd Symphony, (including playing in the Scottish Premiere!), I've not listened to it for years now but I'm enjoying this performance. I still think the first movement is the strongest although the others have interesting things too.

I had a similar obsession and bought all of the available recordings as soon as they came out. I also went to the Proms premiere in 1998 and met Anthony Payne at the pre-Prom talk. His book (published by Faber & Faber) about the reconstruction makes fascinating reading. I've listened to the work many times and consider it a masterpiece and Oramo's performance did it full justice. I love the two outer movements more than the two inner and love the hauntingly beautiful second subject of the first movement above all.

[edashtav]

[re Elgar...] I've listened to the work many times and consider it a masterpiece and Oramo's performance did it full justice. I love the two outer movements more than the two inner and love the hauntingly beautiful second subject of the first movement above all.

I'm in full agreement, Petrushka... yes, that second subject is a wonderful earworm.

A thought occurred to me thanks to having works by Sibelius and Elgar in the same concert. One similarity between the two composers is that many of their works celebrate nation building.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm in full agreement, Petrushka... yes, that second subject is a wonderful earworm.

A thought occurred to me thanks to having works by Sibelius and Elgar in the same concert. One similarity between the two composers is that many of their works celebrate nation building.

Err - in the case of Sibelius, yes; in Elgar's, can't quite see how?

[edashtav]

Err - in the case of Sibelius, yes; in Elgar's, can't quite see how?

Elgar and Nation Building:
Banner of St George
Caractacus
Cockaigne
Crown of India
Pomp and Circumstance Marches including Land of Hope and Glory
Falstaff
Empire March
Coronation Ode