Prom 52: Edward Gardner & Bergen Philharmonic – 21.08.18

[DracoM]

But ''Wow, the Wallin Violin Concerto "" - absolutely!!

[Alison]

A really likeable orchestra!

[bluestateprommer]

Just caught the 'desserts' of this Prom, as other duties prevented hearing the main courses. Very fine selections to send out the Proms audience fully satisfied, the two Grieg encores [archived in the Forum Calendar {natch)]. Will definitely return for the entrees later.

[jayne lee wilson]

Well, sorry, I was a bit taken aback by.........well...mistakes, tuning at times?
Must listen again to check my ears.

Yes, one or two - utterly, utterly forgivable given the magnificence of sound (!), shape and conception...

[edashtav]

Just caught the 'desserts' of this Prom, as other duties prevented hearing the main courses. Fun treats to send out the Proms audience happy, the two Grieg encores (archived in the Forum Calendar {natch)]. Will definitely return for the entrees later.

Bsp: the cherry-picker, they’ll never let him out of the EU!

I never thought that I’d enjoy Sibelius’s 2nd again, so I got rid if one of my scores a few years ago. Another one turned up trumps tonight as Ed brought out the clever, inventive structure that make the work such a classic. i’ve banged a drum about long tunes disrupting symphonic flow e.g. in RVW. What does JS do? He chops them up, and reveals them a bit at a time, leaving one guessing.. will that will-‘o-the-wisp become the 2nd subject? (And what a surprise when Jean finishes the 3rd movement with a hint of the 4th!) JS is astonishingly good at building a climax through elongation, adding differentiated ostinati,... sudden hushes... etc. I thought Ed kept a firm control over balance and never allowed his band to peak too soon. I loved his woodwind, liked his brass, and tolerated his neat but underwhelming strings. Most enjoyable!

[jayne lee wilson]

Surprised at that Ed... the strings here were as full, rich and powerful a group as I've heard all season with a real cutting edge, brass overwhelming in the best sense (the way you always hope, but often miss), winds colourful and foregrounded..it was this very full, outspoken sonority, as well as Gardner's sculpting of the air it moves within, that truly made this performance for me...
.. ah well...awaiting other reports.....

Hope to revisit the whirling Wallin later... its cascading rush of sounds flew around, past and over my head and ears the first time...

[edashtav]

Surprised at that Ed... the strings here were as full, rich and powerful a group as I've heard all season with a real cutting edge, brass overwhelming in the best sense (the way you always hope, but often miss), winds colourful and foregrounded..it was this very full, outspoken sonority, as well as Gardner's sculpting of the air it moves within, that truly made this performance for me...
.. ah well...awaiting other reports.....

Hope to revisit the whirling Wallin later... its cascading rush of sounds flew around, past and over my head and ears the first time...

Well, that’s good to hear, I must admit the fiddles played the strings only encore to the manor born. I suppose I must remember that I was listening on DAB but using small speakers. What may have prejudiced me was hearing that trio theme on oboe with its 9 repeated opening Bb notes, you’ll know the one that spawned a 1000 dull-as-ditch-water themes with repetitious opening notes across British music: the Bergen oboe played beautifully, then a solo cello had a bash at a truncated figure (no flies on Jean!) and, to me it sounded tidy but a tad thin, gruel rather than sauce.
I must write a 100 times “Ed, remember your kit turns blooming fiddles into topless scrubbers.”

[LMcD]

I was very impressed by this expansive interpretation of one of my favourite symphonies. Some of the slower passages were taken daringly slowly, but I think EG got away with it. And that first hint in the 3rd movement of the much-delayed, magnificent 'big tune' that is on its way..... The odd instance of wobbly intonation in no way affected my overall enjoyment of the performance.

[BBMmk2]

I thoroughly enjoyed this Prom. The time just seem to pass by rather quickly!

[BBMmk2]

Well, that’s good to hear, I must admit the fiddles played the strings only encore to the manor born. I suppose I must remember that I was listening on DAB but using small speakers. What may have prejudiced me was hearing that trio theme on oboe with its 9 repeated opening Bb notes, you’ll know the one that spawned a 1000 dull-as-ditch-water themes with repetitious opening notes across British music: the Bergen oboe played beautifully, then a solo cello had a bash at a truncated figure (no flies on Jean!) and, to me it sounded tidy but a tad thin, gruel rather than sauce.
I must write a 100 times “Ed, remember your kit turns blooming fiddles into topless scrubbers.”

Quite agree with you Jayne.

[jonfan]

The sound of the Sibelius 2 was from the bottom up with superb rich, full tone. A wonderful expansive reading with everything taking time to reach the end climax. I hope Chandos are noting how fantastic this partnership is in Sibelius for future projects.

[Roslynmuse]

Just caught up with this. I thought the Wagner was wonderfully exciting, and there was a sense of the long game being played in the Sibelius - unlike other listeners here I found some of the tempos a bit agitato (or maybe, more accurately, some phrases; although I liked the breathing space given to the first movement woodwind melodies) - but then I often find performances of the second movement rather hectored - I must have grown up with a more spacious reading (haven't heard it for years - an old mfp LP of the BBC SO and Sargent). But those final pages were magnificent! A real sense of all the loose ends being tied together, which is rare in this piece. A friend once commented that in a sense everything after the link into the finale is redundant - Sibelius has said all he needs to say - but for once I could see why there is that extra 12 minutes or so! I suppose that what he does here (especially in the central development-like portion of the movement) he does with greater skill and tension in the 5th Symphony, and I often feel listening to this finale - much as I have great affection for it - that it is just a bit underwritten, like parts of the last mt of Mahler 1. Just a personal view of course, but I feel at these moments that there isn't enough going on, and the musical tension and temperature both drop.

No sense of not enough going on in the Wallin - but only listening again will tell me how much music there is in it. Stunning performance, on first acquaintance, but despite an ear-catching opening, there didn't seem much to engage me thereafter.

Wonderful, characterful orchestral playing, not least in the Grieg that we were treated to after the Sibelius.

[edashtav]

Roslynmuse wrote”Sibelius has said all he needs to say - but for once I could see why there is that extra 12 minutes or so! I suppose that what he does here (especially in the central development-like portion of the movement) he does with greater skill and tension in the 5th Symphony, and I often feel listening to this finale - much as I have great affection for it - that it is just a bit underwritten, like parts of the last mt of Mahler 1. […]

That’s very perceptive...
Thank you.