Prom 64 - 1.09.17: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Daniele Gatti

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

18:30 Friday 1 September 2017
Royal Albert Hall

Wolfgang Rihm: In-Schrift
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No 9 in D minor

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Daniele Gatti conductor

Amsterdam's mighty Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is regularly named as one of the world's finest orchestras. Here it returns to the Proms for the first time in almost a decade, under its new Chief Conductor Daniele Gatti. The main work on their programme is Bruckner's Ninth Symphony - the composer's great, unfinished farewell to the form, and his final testament of faith. Written in 1995 for St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Rihm's In-Schrift is an exploration of space and its sonic possibilities. With no high strings and additional low brass, Rihm creates a sound-world of striking darkness, illuminated only by the piercing brilliance of percussion.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We finish, Mahler; we finish Elgar.

But we don't finish Schubert and we don't finish Bruckner.

[Petrushka]

We finish, Mahler; we finish Elgar.

But we don't finish Schubert and we don't finish Bruckner.

That sums it up just nicely!

[Darkbloom]

We finish, Mahler; we finish Elgar.

But we don't finish Schubert and we don't finish Bruckner.

We do finish Bruckner, but it hasn't stuck so far. I think Harnoncourt recorded it, and he's probably not alone.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

We do finish Bruckner, but it hasn't stuck so far. I think Harnoncourt recorded it, and he's probably not alone.

Indeed, yes, and the same applies to Schubert, but the Proms programming is inconsistent, even though it's a theme of the season.

[pastoralguy]

We do finish Bruckner, but it hasn't stuck so far. I think Harnoncourt recorded it, and he's probably not alone.

Sir Simon did too but I failed to be convinced.

[Petrushka]

I did want to be at this one but work holiday problems intervened meaning it's going to be a mad dash from the railway station in order to catch the 6.30 start. The RCO in Bruckner isn't to be missed but not sure about Gatti's Bruckner credentials. However, I seem to recall an RPO Prom performance of the Bruckner a few years ago.

[Darkbloom]

I did want to be at this one but work holiday problems intervened meaning it's going to be a mad dash from the railway station in order to catch the 6.30 start. The RCO in Bruckner isn't to be missed but not sure about Gatti's Bruckner credentials. However, I seem to recall an RPO Prom performance of the Bruckner a few years ago.

I don't think Gatti's a stranger to Bruckner. If memory serves, he conducted the Ninth at the Proms about 15 years ago with the RPO. If it's any guide, he also conducted one of the slowest ever Parsifals at Bayreuth.

I'm never sure whether the RCO's sound is really all that fitted to the RAH; something gets lost. When I heard them under Jansons it often sounded quite routine, in contrast to his performances with the BRSO, which were usually outstanding.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Sir Simon did too but I failed to be convinced.

So did I - but I was failed to be convinced by Rattle's Bruckner #7 many years ago either.

Thomas Dausgaard and the BBCSSO, on the other hand, took my breath away with their broadcast performance of the completed Ninth last October. I tuned in during the slow movement, and was captivated by the swifter, drier performance and thought "they're getting a move on!" - and then thought (again, I didn't know anything about the performance) that this would be an ideal tempo if there were to be a Finale to follow; and there was! A really good performance, too. I listened to the whole performance on i-Player as soon as I could and found the whole concept magnificent. I hope the conductor (and orchestra) record it soon: it's a real performance of the whole Symphony, not a "traditional" performance of the first three movements with a completed Finale tacked on as an attachment.

[BBMmk2]

Sir Simon did too but I failed to be convinced.

Quite agree there PG. That one should have been left alone.

Looking forward to this prom, well the second half at any rate. Be good to have the composer's Te Deum I think.

[bluestateprommer]

The Rihm just finished; I'm not sure how to connect the work to St. Mark's in Venice, but the selected KCO band did it very well. Good catch by the front-desk flute player of DG's baton, according to Petroc.

I did want to be at this one but work holiday problems intervened meaning it's going to be a mad dash from the railway station in order to catch the 6.30 start. The RCO in Bruckner isn't to be missed but not sure about Gatti's Bruckner credentials. However, I seem to recall an RPO Prom performance of the Bruckner a few years ago.

For Petrushka and Darkbloom, DG and the RPO did indeed perform Bruckner 9, in 1999:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e8r5v2

On the whole thing of completion, it's a question of context, IMHO, and how much of what we have of a given work feels "complete" in of itself. The two movements of Schubert 8 and three movements of Bruckner 9 were complete in of themselves, and also by sheer luck, feel "complete". With Mahler 10, we have only the first movement fully completed by the man himself, in a fully orchestrated version, and a complete version of the whole five-movement work w/o full orchestration. So 'completion' is appropriate there. With the Elgar 3 fragments, that obviously had the least original material, and there was also the question of expiration of copyright.

[pastoralguy]

I'm not the biggest fan of Bruckner but I do love the Ninth Symphony. This should be an outstanding performance.

Followed by Brahms' First Violin Sonata.

[DracoM]

Huge admirer of both Gatti and Royal CB, and love Bruck 9, but - is it just me? - ensemble seemed a tad iffy at the start?

[Alison]

I'm finding the performance a shade uninspired and yes ensemble problems too. Not the normal sense of power in reserve. Stiffness in those string lines.

[pastoralguy]

I'm not sure it's a great broadcast. To me, it sounds a bit diffuse with no real 'oomph'.

I just noticed a little lack of coordination between sections and wonder if it's due to microphone placement.

Perhaps a bit 'dogged'?