Prom 17: Parry, Vaughan Williams & Holst – 27.07.18

[Ein Heldenleben]

I have a look out positioned on the south west coast who rang during the last movt with a sit rep- nothing apart from a red cloudy glow...

[LMcD]

A very fine concert IMVHO - and such a well-behaved audience!
Lost our TV signal after the Lark (thunderstorm) and discovered that the online concert was running a few minutes behind BBC4.
I though the Parry came off very well - I was amazed to learn that it had its Proms premiere only in 2010. \i was also impressed with the performance of the 'Pastoral'.
Top marks to Petroc.

[edashtav]

Extraordinary VW 3, I can't recall hearing it played with greater intensity than that, superbly controlled too..
It came across with vivid presence and immediacy via HDs here.

But then Brabbins, unstarry and unshowy as he is, is a remarkable artist. I admire almost everything I've heard from him.

(Still peering out, hoping for a break in the cloud...)

I wonder if Holst is still peeringbout, hoping for a break in the cloud? I’ve always found his score wonderfully luminous and whenever the clouds of death envelope the scene, Holst will find a shaft of light in a stanza of Whitman's words and suddenly the harmony will brighten as hope and consolation will flood his score. The work was one of the first that I recorded off-air from a BBC performance led by Boult over 60 years ago and it remains a firm favourite of mine. I loved Brabbins’ interpretation and admired the Choral singing.

Vaughan Williams Pastoral Symphony is another kettle of fish. I approach it in much the same spirit as I do Holst’s Egdon Heath or Haydn’s Seven Last Words, full of respect for the emotional rawness and commitment, but feeling, myself, insecure and challenged. Moments haunt me, but, overall, I worry, about issues to do with structure and balance. I feel it’s a testament, but that’s not to say it’s a great work of art. I think that Jayne has probably caught the flavour of the performance but I can’t be sure for my mind was disturbed and elsewhere.

[gradus]

Bravo Mr Brabbins and orchestra for a moving performance of the Pastoral work - shame that the wretched coughers forgot their mutes. The more I hear VW3 the greater it seems.

[bluestateprommer]

A very fine concert IMVHO....

In terms of programming, this is certainly one of the most imaginative of this season's Proms. Certainly value for money in terms of running time, and eminently justifying the 7 PM starting time.

#26 (Tony): I've had the privilege of seeing Tai Murray live once, and I agree that she is an excellent violinist and well worth seeing live in concert. Even if her Lark seemed a tad over-stretched for my ears, I totally acknowledge that her interpretation was just that, hers, and her choice to go her own way with it. The greatest musical works can stand a myriad of interpretations, and it says much for the strength of the Lark is that it can take this interpretation also.

# 27 (edashtav): it didn't hit me until your comment about a "surfeit of slow movements" that this Prom may have fit, perhaps unintentionally, the "slow radio" philosophy that Alan Davey enunciated after he took over Radio 3. It is kind of a nice contrast to the current live-fast cultural ethos in that way.

In the 2nd half, fine work all around with the Parry and Holst. In RVW 3, there was that unfortunate object-hitting-the-floor sound towards the close of the Pastoral that shocked me in my chair. That aside, I noticed that Brabbins took an attacca approach in RVW 3, perhaps to forestall the risk of applause between the movements. It also only hit me in the 2nd half of the concert that until RVW 3, all the earlier works were single-movement in structure, or in the case of the Parry, a multi-movement work in a single sweep. I wondered how Brabbins would deal with that possibility, and if that was indeed the case, then he took a reasonably sensible route.

In general, it would be interesting to know how full the hall was, for those who were there, or saw this on TV, as I obviously can't see the TV relay from this side of the pond. Per LMcD (#32), I noticed on the BBC Proms' Twitter feed a picture of Brabbins and Petroc, posted in anticipation of the TV broadcast.

[edashtav]

Bravo Mr Brabbins and orchestra for a moving performance of the Pastoral work - shame that the wretched coughers forgot their mutes. The more I hear VW3 the greater it seems.

Is not coughing a reaction to , and maybe, a contribution to, the concert, gradus? Research suggests that the wretched coughers cough more frequently in than out of Concerts. The research suggests that coughers contribute more in quiet, boring stretches, and during music they find difficult. When the music is lifting their spirits, their coughing decreases.

So.. coughing is real-time criticism. [ Brabbins to Orchestra, “ Too much coughing: omit the lento movement, go straight to the scherzo.]

I did find tonight’s concert too full of soft, slow music... unbalanced if you like. Maybe, the coughers agreed with me

FInal thought... can you imagine a successful performance of Cage’s 4’ 33” in the absence of ‘noises off’?

[mrbouffant]

Very enjoyable Prom despite the uncomfortable conditions in the hall.

Thought the Lark was overly mannered and was disappointed with some of the organning in Hear my words. Too much bombast and not enough delicacy.

The use of a soprano with a vibrato as wide as the Atlantic was also regrettable.

All IMO of course.

[LMcD]

In terms of programming, this is certainly one of the most imaginative of this season's Proms. Certainly value for money in terms of running time, and eminently justifying the 7 PM starting time.

#26 (Tony): I've had the privilege of seeing Tai Murray live once, and I agree that she is an excellent violinist and well worth seeing live in concert. Even if her Lark seemed a tad over-stretched for my ears, I totally acknowledge that her interpretation was just that, hers, and her choice to go her own way with it. The greatest musical works can stand a myriad of interpretations, and it says much for the strength of the Lark is that it can take this interpretation also.

# 27 (edashtav): it didn't hit me until your comment about a "surfeit of slow movements" that this Prom may have fit, perhaps unintentionally, the "slow radio" philosophy that Alan Davey enunciated after he took over Radio 3. It is kind of a nice contrast to the current live-fast cultural ethos in that way.

In the 2nd half, fine work all around with the Parry and Holst. In RVW 3, there was that unfortunate object-hitting-the-floor sound towards the close of the Pastoral that shocked me in my chair. That aside, I noticed that Brabbins took an attacca approach in RVW 3, perhaps to forestall the risk of applause between the movements. It also only hit me in the 2nd half of the concert that until RVW 3, all the earlier works were single-movement in structure, or in the case of the Parry, a multi-movement work in a single sweep. I wondered how Brabbins would deal with that possibility, and if that was indeed the case, then he took a reasonably sensible route.

In general, it would be interesting to know how full the hall was, for those who were there, or saw this on TV, as I obviously can't see the TV relay from this side of the pond. Per LMcD (#32), I noticed on the BBC Proms' Twitter feed a picture of Brabbins and Petroc, posted in anticipation of the TV broadcast.

It looked pretty full to me, with none of the gaping spaces that one sometimes sees at concerts by the BBC's 'regional' orchestras.

[BBMmk2]

Quite agree with you JLW! Yes, that was a sublime performance of No.3. When I get time I will play this Prom again because the whole concert was very moving. My paternal grandfather fought at the Somme.

Yes the Hall was very full, which is good to see.

[cloughie]

FInal thought... can you imagine a successful performance of Cage’s 4’ 33” in the absence of ‘noises off’?

The silence would be deafening!

[jonfan]

It looked pretty full to me, with none of the gaping spaces that one sometimes sees at concerts by the BBC's 'regional' orchestras.

I couldn’t see any gaps either. Surprising if the antediluvian view still persists nowadays in London that any orchestra from north or west of Watford means second class performance.
Great programme last night superbly performed and conducted. Brabbins is carrying on the British music programming promoted by Handley and Hickox. Just wonder why he bothers with running ENO, a thankless task which must be energy sapping.

[Suffolkcoastal]

This was the first of my two proms, the hall was indeed very full. The Parry 5 was nicely done, & Martyn Brabbins kept good control of the structure in a work that seems to be quite tricky to conduct. The performance of 'The Lark' I didn't take to, too sluggish as if the Lark had been hit by the heatwave. The 2nd Parry work was interesting to hear & the brass were aptly resonant. The organ though wasn't particularly clear in the hall, with an overall rather 'mushy' sound, so it was difficult to hear exactly what was being played. The performance of the Holst Ode to Death was superb, I particularly loved the way Martyn Brabbins gave Holst's wonderful harmonies room to resonate and the chorus were exceptionally fine in their response.
RVW's Pastoral was also given an excellent performance, I particularly liked the coolness of the opening 'Molto Moderato', the anxious edge he gave to the 3rd movement & the emotional release & subsequent uneasy acceptance of the last movement. The orchestra responded to create an exceptionally moving experience. The only slight quibbles, were that the solo horn at the end of the 2nd movement was too loud & the solo soprano too rich in tone with too much vibrato.
The coughing brigade weren't too obtrusive in the hall, though I'm still convinced that some of these 'coughs' are deliberately timed, so those guilty can identify their individual 'coughs' to their friends when listening to the performance again.

[LMcD]

Always good to play The Innocent Ear - which is what I'll bring to Parry's 5th....a personal première....

Boult's wonderful EMI recording of the 5th and other Parry works is available but pricey. Perhaps last night's performance, which I thought made a very good case for the work, may lead to its being reissued at a more reasonable price. I think the only other recording currently available is as part of a set of the 5 symphonies.

[Petrushka]

Boult's wonderful EMI recording of the 5th and other Parry works is available but pricey. Perhaps last night's performance, which I thought made a very good case for the work, may lead to its being reissued at a more reasonable price. I think the only other recording currently available is as part of a set of the 5 symphonies.

The Parry disc by Boult is included in the boxed set ' The Complete Conductor' from Warner. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Co...lete+conductor

I also have the 5th Symphony with the LPO and Matthias Bamert on Chandos. Last night's performance would make a nice BBC MM disc coupled with the anthem and the Holst though I hope they are able to eliminate the disgraceful amount of 'noises off' first.

[mercia]

Tai Murray violin
Francesca Chiejina soprano
Ashley Riches bass-baritone
BBC National Chorus of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Martyn Brabbins conductor

quite a big part for the organist but I can't find any mention of him anywhere