Prom 63 - 31.08.17: Taneyev, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Thursday 31 August 2017
Royal Albert Hall

Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev: Overture 'The Oresteia'
Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Manfred

Kirill Gerstein piano
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Semyon Bychkov conductor

Continuing his season-long Tchaikovsky Project, which included performances earlier this summer with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Semyon Bychkov conducts an all-Russian programme that climaxes with the composer's vividly programmatic symphony Manfred. Translating the struggles of Byron's hero (who celebrates his 200th anniversary this year) into music proved a challenging task for the composer but the result is a glorious musical epic, full of drama and colour.

Kirill Gerstein is the soloist for Rachmaninov's youthful Piano Concerto No. 1, concluding our cycle of the composer's piano concertos with a work whose stormy beauty is a natural companion for Taneyev's brooding Oresteia overture.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The question is, "Is it a symphony or not?"

R-K's Scheherazade isn't described as such.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The question is, "Is it a symphony or not?"
R-K's Scheherazade isn't described as such.

No - but the composer repeatedly referred to the work as a "symphony" both when he was writing it and afterwards (when he was in one of his "my latest work is a load of rubbish" moods, he wrote to Grand Duke Constantine that he was thinking of "making a Symphonic Poem out of a large and impossibly long Symphony"*). So, mebbe R-K's Antar is closer to Tchaikovsky's attitude(s) than his Scheherazade?

Worrevva - I think it's Tchaikovsky's best work.

* = http://en.tchaikovsky-research.net/pages/Manfred

[pastoralguy]

This Taneyev is pretty groovy!

[Alison]

This Taneyev is pretty groovy!

A bit of substance to it

[Petrushka]

Looking forward to Tchaikovsky's Manfred coming up soon. It's also Tchaikovsky's best symphony for me, too, and one of his very finest achievements. It'll also give me a clue as to whether Bychkov's just released recording is worth buying.

[bluestateprommer]

Good first half to this Prom, solid work, but just for myself, not quite OTT to the level of "great" (whatever that means). I vaguely recall listening to the DG LP pressing of Taneyev's The Orestia in a past century. KG did a solid, good job in Rach 1, but again, it didn't quite scale the heights for me. Maybe I'm just Russian-ed out from this week of listening.

Very nice interval feature on Byron's Manfred; have read Byron's Don Juan once upon a time, but have never read Manfred. May have to dig it up. Taking up fhg's comment, I don't know that I would myself consider the Manfred Symphony to be Pyotr Ilyich's 'greatest work', but it is by far my own personal favorite of Tchaikovsky's works. I've always had a soft spot for the Manfred Symphony, but then I have the luxury simply of listening to it, and have never had to play it.

PS: After hearing SB's take on Manfred, my reaction was kind of the same as the first half the concert. Everything scrupulous, well prepared and well done, but only really taking off at relatively few moments. He did underplay the "redemption" scene at the end, avoiding the temptation to blast the roof off the RAH via the RAH organ, which seems to be keeping with something I've read somewhere (can't recall where) about Bychkov's take on that moment in the work, namely that he tries not to overdo it. Will be interesting to read others' takes on it.

[boilinthebag]

Hi all, I'm a newbie on this board. Enjoyed the Taneyev, new discovery for me. Not overly familiar with Rach pc 1 but enjoyed that too. Semyon Bychkov is one of my favourite conductors. Thought his reading of Manfred very good. One thing that puzzles me in this Russian year is the lack of Glazunov. Once again this much underrated composer is overlooked.

[Maclintick]

Worrevva - I think it's Tchaikovsky's best work.

Certainly one of his best, though many, including Yevgeny Svetlanov, no less, have found the last movt problematic ( I think I read somewhere that YS actually concocted a version in which he re-composed the last movement along the lines he thought Tchaikovsky would have done if he'd had better taste ! )
Whatever, I'd agree with those who thought last night's performance failed to ignite sufficiently, compared to the same team's outing at the Barbican in 2016, & esp. in comparison to an incandescent RLPO/Petrenko at the RAH a few seasons ago...Loved the Taneyev & Rach PC1.

[BBMmk2]

Hi all, I'm a newbie on this board. Enjoyed the Taneyev, new discovery for me. Not overly familiar with Rach pc 1 but enjoyed that too. Semyon Bychkov is one of my favourite conductors. Thought his reading of Manfred very good. One thing that puzzles me in this Russian year is the lack of Glazunov. Once again this much underrated composer is overlooked.

Hiya Boilinthebag! I must admit that Glazunov, I think is one of those composers you either like or not like. I do not , I'm afraid. The concert though, was very good. Typical SB style.

[boilinthebag]

Saw SB at RLPO about 20 years ago conducting Tchaik 4. There were a few split notes, but the performance he elicited was absolutely electric. The atmosphere in the hall was palpable. The following season Walter Weller conducted the same piece - not a note out of place - but it seemed too clinical. SB wrested every bit of excitement and emotion out of it. Maybe it takes a Russian?