Prom 72: Britten's War Requiem – 6.09.18

[Pulcinella]

I came across the Wallfisch/Bedford/ECO recording on Chandos of the 'Cello Symphony yesterday and and listening to it now. It's not a work that, for me anyway, has immediate appeal but I'm going to try to listen to it a few times and see if I can enter its secrets.

Try its coupling, music from Death in Venice arranged into a suite, too.

[jayne lee wilson]

Very surprised to see no comments at all on this wonderful Britten War Requiem. Wasn't anyone from here in the hall?
So I had to return and comment....

Yes, I listen to the work rarely, but I simply couldn't fault the orchestral, choral or soloistic standards in this performance - which had poetry and precision in abundance - and came away more convinced than ever of the work's greatness (well, as if anyone should need to be).
The final It seemed that out of battle sequence was profoundly moving. So poignantly articulated by Allan Clayton and Russell Braun. It is great poetry, and a spare musical setting of such bleak beauty; the Let us Sleep now both beatific and cathartic.
This Prom performance was equal to all that it asks.

There was a spring water-limpidity to all this masterpiece's poetical and musical layers and levels, a creation of conductor, performers and sound-balancing for the Home Concert Hall.
The HDs relay was a marvel of 3D clarity, precision and power.

(Glad to see that BBM Mk2 has at least acknowledged its quality on the Listening thread.....)

[Simon B]

Very surprised to see no comments at all on this wonderful Britten War Requiem. Wasn't anyone from here in the hall?

I was - this being my personal Last Night of attendance at 16 Proms this year.

This Prom performance was equal to all that it asks.

...is a neat summary.

Allan Clayton reaffirmed his "If he's in it, it's probably worth hearing" status. All the other vocal elements were impressive - particularly the notably cohesive contributions from the RSNO Junior Chorus.

In a season of many distinguished performances, the RSNO added to the tally. In accord with comment above, the RSNO brass were particularly impressive. The orchestra appears to have made several excellent big-shoes-to-fill appointments recently. Notably, Christopher Hart taking over from John Gracie after his 30+ years as principal trumpet and timpanist Paul Philbert moving from Opera North to replace Martin Gibson, again after 30+ years. Overall the RSNO delivered impressive crispness, clarity and power when required.

Finally, it was a relief to be largely spared the bronchitic and disruptive element present among the audience for most of the Boston and Berlin concerts over the weekend. That said, I did appreciate overhearing a hissed "Shhhhh! You're at a war requiem, not a bloody finger buffet..." to the one disruptive moment of some dolt upending the contents of a bag of M&Ms onto the stalls floor at one of the more sombre moments. It was ever thus at the Proms...

[Ein Heldenleben]

I could not agree more with Jayne and Simon B . An absolutely magnificent performance . It would be hard to imagine a better sung performance. Mention has been made of the RNSO brass section . They covered themselves in glory in those brass flourishes that always remind me of Monteverdi. The balance between choirs , orch and soloists in the profoundly moving "let us sleep now ... " was breathtaking . Really this Prom season has been so full of glories and this capped it all.

[BBMmk2]

One of the most moving prom concerts of the year, imo. The whole drama was sublime. I hope Chandos will record this!

Was the orchestra providing the chamber orchestra as well? I thought usually there was a separate chamber group for the solos etc?

[PhilipT]

Was the orchestra providing the chamber orchestra as well? I thought usually there was a separate chamber group for the solos etc?

There was a separate chamber group at the front of the platform, 'cello side. I *think*, from memory, 'cello, double bass, bassoon, oboe and clarinet, but could be wrong there. I don't have the programme to hand to see whether they were listed separately - I'll see if I can dig it out.

[Simon B]

There was a separate chamber group at the front of the platform, 'cello side. I *think*, from memory, 'cello, double bass, bassoon, oboe and clarinet, but could be wrong there. I don't have the programme to hand to see whether they were listed separately - I'll see if I can dig it out.

There were these plus flute/picc, horn, harp, perc/timps, 2 violins, viola - as per the score which is very clear about the requirements for the chamber group IIRC. Essentially it is one representative of every section of a full orchestra minus heavy brass.

The chamber group mainly comprised RSNO section principals, though I think I spotted Cormac Henry (RLPO fl 1) in there - don't have a programme...

[PhilipT]

I've dug out the programme. Simon B is quite right - Cormac Henry is listed Guest Principal under Flute/Piccolo in the Chamber Orchestra.

[pastoralguy]

I've dug out the programme. Simon B is quite right - Cormac Henry is listed Guest Principal under Flute/Piccolo in the Chamber Orchestra.

Katherine Bryan, the RSNO's first Flute, is currently on maternity leave.

Isn't there a story that Britten paid a Chamber ensemble from London himself at the first performance since he was NOT enamoured of the Orchestra's leading lights playing the Chamber parts?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Isn't there a story that Britten paid a Chamber ensemble from London himself at the first performance since he was NOT enamoured of the Orchestra's leading lights playing the Chamber parts?

There might be, pasto - but it ain't entirely (or at all) accurate; in February 1961 (fifteen months before the Premiere), Britten got Coventry Festival director John Lowe to engage the Melos Ensemble in order to play the Chamber Ensemble parts, which he wrote with their specific talents in mind. This was before he even started writing the work. He may have had reservations about the CBSO "leading lights" at the time - but he certainly wasn't going to pay for the performers himself! And he kept the Melos ensemble for subsequent recording with [perhaps significantly] the LSO, about whose "leading lights" he had no reservations - but there might have been some overlap of personnel with the London Orchestra. (And, at the premiere itself, the CBSO acquitted itself very well, as can be heard in the recording of the event.)

[Lordgeous]

There might be, pasto - but it ain't entirely (or at all) accurate; in February 1961 (fifteen months before the Premiere), Britten got Coventry Festival director John Lowe to engage the Melos Ensemble in order to play the Chamber Ensemble parts, which he wrote with their specific talents in mind. This was before he even started writing the work. He may have had reservations about the CBSO "leading lights" at the time - but he certainly wasn't going to pay for the performers himself! And he kept the Melos ensemble for subsequent recording with [perhaps significantly] the LSO, about whose "leading lights" he had no reservations - but there might have been some overlap of personnel with the London Orchestra. (And, at the premiere itself, the CBSO acquitted itself very well, as can be heard in the recording of the event.)

Unlike the chorus, as I recall...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Unlike the chorus, as I recall...

Ah, well ... And I think that there was a late incorporation of the (professional) Ambrosian Singers to help sort out the Festival Chorus' problems with the new Music - but newspaper reviews from the time say that they were on much better form than they had been for Bliss' Beatitudes the week before!

And Britten wasn't always so enthusiastic about the Melos Ensemble - at a rehearsal for a performance at Aldeburgh in 1968 (?the last performance of the work in which he was involved?) he was outraged that one of the players spent the rehearsals with a newspaper to read whenever he wasn't actually playing.

[pastoralguy]

Many thanks for that clarification, ferney.