Prom 52 - 23.08.17: Beyond the Score®: Dvořák’s New World Symphony

[Bryn]

My father's treasured multi-12" shellacs 'New World' conducted by Stokowski was one of my earliest introductions to 'classical music'. It is indeed a great work of which I doubt I will ever tire. I thought tonight's Beyond the Dots both entertaining and informative. Full marks.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Well, yes. The Americans wanted to patent DNA. There's a musical education chap from the same country who came across the pond to organise course for music teachers, promoting his "unique" copyrighted flashcards, which were the same as those that teachers had been making for themselves for many years.

I remember his name now: James Froseth.

[Ferretfancy]

Does anybody remember a musical called Summer Song? It told the story of Dvorak's visit to America and his stay with a small Bohemian community in New England. It used the music in much the same way as Borodin was used for Kismet, very mawkish I thought, but I cannot remember any of the performers.

[Bryn]

Does anybody remember a musical called Summer Song? It told the story of Dvorak's visit to America and his stay with a small Bohemian community in New England. It used the music in much the same way as Borodin was used for Kismet, very mawkish I thought, but I cannot remember any of the performers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Song_(musical)

How could you resist:

[richardfinegold]

19:30 Wednesday 23 August 2017
Royal Albert Hall

Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No 9 in E minor, 'From the New World'

Henry Goodman actor
Rodney Earl Clarke bass-baritone
Hallé Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder conductor
Gerard McBurney creative director
Mike Tutaj projection design

Have you ever wondered about the story behind Dvořák's haunting Symphony No. 9, with its yearning Largo and its ebullient, dancing Scherzo? Originally devised by Gerard McBurney and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this newly remounted Beyond the Score(R) performance combines actors, projections and live musical examples to explore the history of this enduringly popular orchestral classic. In the second half, Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé give a complete performance of the symphony. A fascinating, dramatic insight into one of the great works of the symphonic repertoire.

McBurney and Elder presented this with the CSO a few years ago and I wrote a review in the Forum at the time. It was fascinating, the best of their Beyond The Cores that I have attended. The multimedia presentation worked much better on a stage than on a TV screen, imo

[edashtav]

Moving on to last night's performance! The interpretation was fair to good but the performance was wrecked for me by tuning issues, initially, from some cold brass instruments but later, especially in the symphony's finale, by sour sounds from some woodwind players. I'm getting old and perhaps getting less tolerant so I shall be interested to hear whether flawed intonation irritated other Boarders.

[bluestateprommer]

Moving on to last night's performance! The interpretation was fair to good but the performance was wrecked for me by tuning issues, initially, from some cold brass instruments but later, especially in the symphony's finale, by sour sounds from some woodwind players. I'm getting old and perhaps getting less tolerant so I shall be interested to hear whether flawed intonation irritated other Boarders.

I would agree that SME's and the Halle's interpretation of Dvorak 9 at this Prom was far from the best ever, in so far as there is such a thing. I noticed some momentary flubs and odd balances. Yet I actually didn't mind the flaws too much, and this performance wasn't a train wreck at all, certainly not for those in the RAH for whom this was their first live experience of the work (or maybe ever). This perhaps reflects the (well, my) subliminal realization that the most important part of this Prom, again maybe to state the incredibly obvious, was not the second half, but the first half. The BtS presentation was, IMHO, the best kind of "Classical for Starters" presentation, which I hope served its purpose. The full performance of the symphony certainly didn't have the most polished orchestral sound, but in a strange way, I found the listening of it one of the more emotionally warm engagements that I've experienced with the symphony. Not that it's difficult not to become emotionally engaged with the work, through the sheer memorability of its tunes (this is Dvorak, after all), but having the first half in the back of one's mind allowed me to forgive any off moments in the playing.

It was also interesting to note one detail of the presentation that came off nicely, or cutely, over iPlayer w/o the visuals, namely how some of the American characters mispronounced Dvorak's name at the start, but that mispronunciation disappeared as the narrative went along. Perhaps there was just a bit of OTT in the acting, again presumably like with the Sir Henry Wood family Prom to project into the RAH from the stage, but eminently understandable under the circumstances. The American accents were pretty convincing and not too overdone, as I assume that there were no Americans among the actors. It will be interesting to hear from anyone who was in the RAH for this Prom.

[french frank]

It will be interesting to hear from anyone who was in the RAH for this Prom.

Yes, I agree. It may be that this particular Prom and the Proms-going forumistas weren't a very good match. The views from both sides would be interesting because, rather like the 'Patchwork Passion', it looks like a laudable attempt to bridge the gap between the knowledgeable and the newcomer by being genuinely 'educational' for both.

[BBMmk2]

Yes, you can't copyright a 'format' as such - and indeed it doesn't say ©. The trademark protection ® must just refer to the title. (The script of the lecture will be copyrighted automatically - you don't need to register copyright, just be the creator).

So this be illegal?

[french frank]

So this be illegal?

I imagine those who registered the title are permitted to use it, Bbm, as in this case.

[Ferretfancy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Song_(musical)

How could you resist:

Oh Dear! I think it may have been worse than I remember!