Prom 16: Stravinsky, Debussy & Wagner – 26.07.18

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser – overture
Claude Debussy: La damoiselle élue
Igor Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale
Igor Stravinsky: Firebird – suite (1945 version)

Sabine Devieilhe soprano
Anna Stéphany mezzo soprano
Hallé Choir (female voices)
Hallé Youth Choir (female voices)
Hallé Orchestra
Mark Elder conductor


Sabine Devieilhe and Anna Stéphany are the soloists in centenary composer Claude Debussy's Wagner-infused, mythical-fantasy cantata La damoiselle élue.

Wagner's relationship with Paris soured over his opera Tannhäuser but Stravinsky was practically adopted by the city.

Tonight's second half features two of the latter's most colourful scores, whose striking resemblances result from the fact that Stravinsky broke off work on The Nightingale (the opera on which tonight's symphonic poem is based) in order to write his first ballet, The Firebird.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I can't help feeling sorry for Wagner over the Tannhauser incident. He gave the Parisians the expected ballet, but put it in the only place where it was dramatically relevant - not where (for some reason of tradition) they demanded it should be.

[cloughie]

19:30
Royal Albert Hall

Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser – overture
Claude Debussy: La damoiselle élue
Igor Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale
Igor Stravinsky: Firebird – suite (1945 version)

Sabine Devieilhe soprano
Anna Stéphany mezzo soprano
Hallé Choir (female voices)
Hallé Youth Choir (female voices)
Hallé Orchestra
Mark Elder conductor


Sabine Devieilhe and Anna Stéphany are the soloists in centenary composer Claude Debussy's Wagner-infused, mythical-fantasy cantata La damoiselle élue.

Wagner's relationship with Paris soured over his opera Tannhäuser but Stravinsky was practically adopted by the city.

Tonight's second half features two of the latter's most colourful scores, whose striking resemblances result from the fact that Stravinsky broke off work on The Nightingale (the opera on which tonight's symphonic poem is based) in order to write his first ballet, The Firebird.

Looks a really good programme - not to be missed!

[bluestateprommer]

Good start with the Tannhäuser overture just now. Tom Redmond just indicated a change of soprano, Sophie Bevan in place of Sabine Devieilhe (Forum Calendar updated for the archival record).

Follow-up: SME went for the full bore, lush Impressionist sound for the Debussy just now, emphasizing the languorous atmosphere. (That's not a criticism.) He managed to keep the pace and mood stately, but not static. Terrific choral work all around, from the chorus, SB and Anna Stephany.

2nd follow-up: two Russian folksongs will link the two Stravinsky works, just mentioned by Tom R. (but will have to check them out later).

[edashtav]

Good start with the Tannhäuser overture just now. Tom Redmond just indicated a change of soprano, Sophie Bevan in place of Sabine Devieilhe (Forum Calendar updated for the archival record).

Follow-up: SME went for the full bore, lush Impressionist sound for the Debussy just now, emphasizing the languorous atmosphere. (That's not a criticism.) He managed to keep the pace and mood stately, but not static. Terrific choral work all around, from the chorus, SB and Anna Stephany.

2nd follow-up: two Russian folksongs will link the two Stravinsky works, just mentioned by Tom R. (but will have to check them out later).

I won’t quibble with your assessment if the start of the Wagner overture, bsp, but I was disappointed later on: finding an inadequate weight of sound from the Hallé’s upper strings and a deadly, slow, portentous pace set by Sir Mark for the final and triumphant brass entries.

Debussy admitted being influenced by Chabrier when writing La damoiselle élue. Their link was Chabrier’s short cantata La sulamite, composed for soprano, women’s voices and orchestra in 1885. Echoes of Tristan are seen through the prism of perfumed Chabrier in Debussy’s piece. I’ve checked out La sulamite, and it is more exotically coloured than Debussy’s rather insipid, well-watered-Wagner cantata. Chabrier’s piece deserves an occasional airing and at a mere 15 minutes in length, it could act as a foil and a context for the Debussy and further justify the presence of a female Choir. However, I would separate the two either side of an Interval, perhaps with the Chabrier after the interval since the orientalism of Song of Songs is best taken after a glass or two of something fizzy and light.

What of tonight’s performance? Here I concur with bsp, especially over the confident, strong and well-projected contributions of the Hallé Ladies Choir. Thewhole piece was nicely balanced and the interpretation made a good case for its revival.

The Ladies did return, bsp, to usefully link the two Stravinsky Bird pieces with the folksongs that inspired Igor. Both pieces received carefully nuanced performances: neatly turned rather than barn-storming. Stravinsky as ‘Mr Cool’ and why not? (As Barry Norman might have quipped.)

[Dave2002]

For me the first half was something to sit through with only modest enjoyment. There was some lovely flute playing in the Debussy piece, but otherwise ....
It seems an extravagance to employ a large female choir as well as the orchestra - but Debussy had his own agenda to follow.
I've now heard it twice live in a period of over 50 years. I don't think I'll rush to hear it one more time.

The second half was good to brilliant. The Song of the Nightingale is less well known than some of Stravinsky's other works, and indeed some of the "ugly" sounds don't seem commensurate with the title. To understand that one has to know what the music is about, or read the programme notes - and then things become a lot clearer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ni...e_(fairy_tale)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nightingale_(opera)

I wondered why the choir was still on stage in the second half, which seemed a bit cruel to the performers on a hot evening, but this became clear with the two Russian folk songs, relevant to Stravinsky's music, which made a welcome addition to the programme. Nevertheless I did feel sorry that they had to stay for just two short pieces - I hope they enjoyed singing them.

The Firebird was superb - restored my faith in live performances.

One other comment - it wasn't impossibly hot in the RAH, though it was quite warm. This might help anyone who is thinking of going to the Proms at the current time, in this somewhat extended period of hot weather. I expect we'll all moan again when the rains come, and cold sets in again.

[DracoM]

Well, all I can say is that over t'radio, this was a wonderful concert.
Halle in top form and I liked the Debussy piece -Young Halle Ch sounded brimming with both musicality, good sounds and excellent diction.
And cracking Stravinsky too. One of my season highlights so far.

[jayne lee wilson]

I guess few people wish to spend much time with Rossetti's Blessed Damozel, let alone a French translation...(one of those "is there much more of this?" texts), but the Debussy setting sounded unexpectedly ravishing to my ears, as if an early Pelleas precursor, and the soloists, chorus and Halle's response to Elder was gorgeously sweet and refined in colour and dynamic. Despite my cat pleading with me to return to the garden for another mooch, I was held captive.

Exactly the same could be said for Song of the Nightingale**, a compressed distillation of Stravinsky's lovely opera, with which, while a synopsis is helpful, I don't think you need close narrative familiarity to enjoy the oriental metallic angularity, the nightingales' songs themselves, or the Fisherman's concluding, serene rhapsody. Again I was unexpectedly compelled by a work I'd overplayed, often taping it off-air, in the past. (Boulez was fond of it back in the day - it came up on Radio 3 fairly regularly....)
Such a delicate, precise colourful performance from Elder and this longterm partnership.

Yes, some of the most beautiful orchestral playing this year, and beautifully relayed on HDs too - true pps, warm, transparent colours.

Feeling that a Firebird Suite, like Tannhauser, was a familiar-bridge-too-far, I rejoined the kitty for dusk in the garden.

**Detailed synopsis here...
http://www.kennedy-center.org/artist/composition/4601

http://americansymphony.org/chant-du-rossignol-song-of-the-nightingale-1917/

[Darkbloom]

Looking at the programme, the Tannhauser overture looked like the sort of unimaginative makeweight that ordinary concerts are full of. But this time Elder had obviously given it a lot of attention in rehearsal. I don't remember hearing a better performance of this music. It felt more like a tone poem than a concert overture. The way the strings captured T's sense of sated exhaustion was remarkable. I'm so used to hearing pieces like this thrown off that the care and attention shown here really made me sit up and take notice.