Prom 41: Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Lyadov & Glazunov - 17.08.19

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Saturday 17 August 2019
Royal Albert Hall

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov : Mlada – suite
Sergey Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor (original version, 1891)
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov: Baba-Yaga
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov: Kikimora
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov: From the Apocalypse
Alexander Glazunov: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major

Alexander Ghindin piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski conductor

Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto is the centrepiece of an all-Russian programme by Vladimir Jurowski and the LPO, which also includes the dance-filled suite from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mlada and Glazunov’s big-hearted Fifth Symphony.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I didn't know about an "original version" of Rachmaninov PC1. It should be interesting to compare.

[jayne lee wilson]

Listening to the Glazunov 5th this morning (Svetlanov, Poyansky),... showstopping finale, yes, but anyone's favourite? I find the 7th ("Pastoral') more consistently inspired (lovely first movement, once heard etc), but the 4th seems to be the usual chart-topper...

Unusually shaped program.... hope it works as a more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts thing...

[Pulcinella]

Listening to the Glazunov 5th this morning (Svetlanov, Poyansky),... showstopping finale, yes, but anyone's favourite? I find the 7th ("Pastoral') more consistently inspired, but the 4th seems to be the usual chart-topper...

Unusually shaped program.... hope it works as a more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts thing...

I think I'd only heard the fifth (on a BBC MM CD: BBC PO/Sinaisky) before teamsaint's recent advocation (and my subsequent purchase) of the Brilliant box (of originally Chandos recordings).
Haven't listened to them enough to have a favourite yet.

[Dave2002]

I think I'd only heard the fifth (on a BBC MM CD: BBC PO/Sinaisky) before teamsaint's recent advocation (and my subsequent purchase) of the Brilliant box (of originally Chandos recordings).
Haven't listened to them enough to have a favourite yet.

The opening of 4 is lovely, as is the scherzo. The scherzo in the 5th is also similar. I really like the first movement of 6, though arguably things go downhill after that. 7 is fine, and then 8 - I always thought it a bit lugubrious, but then I was drawn to it more and more. 1 and 2 are similar - very pleasant and by a very young composer. 3 is also pleasant, but I don't think there's too much really serious before number 4.

I'm on my way to hear 5 at the Proms right now.

[jayne lee wilson]

Interesting how often the Glazunov scherzos sound Mendelssohnian... so there's a backward link....

[edashtav]

I think I'd only heard the fifth (on a BBC MM CD: BBC PO/Sinaisky) before teamsaint's recent advocation (and my subsequent purchase) of the Brilliant box (of originally Chandos recordings).
Haven't listened to them enough to have a favourite yet.

I hold a candle for his 6th but I wonder whether that's because I acquired a full score of it for a song and its polychrome frontispiece is lovely?

[Alain Maréchal]

Whenever I hear the finale of Glazunov's 5th symphony (and it is my favourite Jayne) it suggests to me the direction Rachmaninov might have taken had the failure of his 1st Symphony not led to a breakdown. I recommend Ivanov and the USSRSO.

[jayne lee wilson]

That's a big bold colourful sound delivered with a virtuoso's panache.... top band in the house tonight...

[bluestateprommer]

Crisp, no-nonsense start to the LPO/VJ all-Russian Prom now, with the Mlada suite. To be honest, the final 'Procession of the Nobles' is the only part of the work that really hits the spot for me, maybe in part because I played this work in the high school orchestra a long while back :) .

PS: Hmm, this performance of the original version of Rachmaninov's 1st Piano Concerto struck me as more than a little...safe. IMHO, the work itself has rather less verve compared to the revised version. It would be interesting if AG made a return to The Proms with the original version of the 4th Concerto. Nice job with the encore, and it should be noted that his pre-concert comments to Penny Gore are very charmingly enthusiastic, in equally charming fractured English.

[jayne lee wilson]

Very grandly advocated, worth a hearing (well, for me....just...) but the Original Rachmaninov 1st Concerto seems not to offer the adventurous excitements of the Original 4th.....

[edashtav]

Crisp, no-nonsense start to the LPO/VJ all-Russian Prom now, with the Mlada suite. To be honest, the final 'Procession of the Nobles' is the only part of the work that really hits the spot for me, maybe in part because I played this work in the high school orchestra a long while back :) .

PS: Hmm, this performance of the original version of Rachmaninov's 1st Piano Concerto struck me as more than a little...safe. IMHO, the work itself has rather less verve compared to the revised version. It would be interesting if AG made a return to The Proms with the original version of the 4th Concerto. Nice job with the encore, and it should be noted that his pre-concert comments to Penny Gore are very charmingly enthusiastic, in equally charming fractured English.

Yes, bsp, your summary of the virtues and vices of the first half of this concert receives my enthusiastic support.

[bluestateprommer]

Good, solid second half to this Prom, where the "happy clappers" got to strut their stuff in the Liadov sort-of suite and in Glazunov 5. However, this didn't bother me so much this time, since the Liadov works are each stand-alone works anyway, and in the case of the Glazunov, the work didn't really do it for me, except for the scherzo and parts of the finale.

Also, since we should probably praise presenters when merited, rather than just slam them when we're unhappy with them, Penny Gore generally does well, with sharing knowledge in advance (and afterwards) and not editorializing about the performances. She kept in that vein here also.

[Petrushka]

Good, solid second half to this Prom, where the "happy clappers" got to strut their stuff in the Liadov sort-of suite and in Glazunov 5. However, this didn't bother me so much this time, since the Liadov works are each stand-alone works anyway, and in the case of the Glazunov, the work didn't really do it for me, except for the scherzo and parts of the finale.

Also, since we should probably praise presenters when merited, rather than just slam them when we're unhappy with them, Penny Gore generally does well, with sharing knowledge in advance (and afterwards) and not editorializing about the performances. She kept in that vein here also.

The Glazunov didn't do much for me either but must enthusiastically second your comments re Penny Gore. Always unobtrusive, knowledgeable and the consummate professional, she showed exactly how presenting a Prom should be done. A thoroughly excellent job. Service, Dereham etc, listen and learn.

[Simon B]

Playing of the kind of big-boned classy distinction that has come to be expected of an on-form LPO throughout tonight.

The Liadov works made quite an impression through being listened to on a surprisingly good car radio - somewhere miles from anywhere on the fell tops between Alston and Middleton-in-Teesdale in the midst of some seriously moody weather. Dark black clouds pierced by the boiling rage of a setting sun, blistering wind, pelting rain, 11 Celsius. British summer at its finest.

"From the Apocalypse" - I had to pull over, switch off and listen. Having first locked the doors to try to stave off any supernatural abduction action.

Made a change from being infuriated by people gubbering about with their mobile phones or that bloke toward the front of the arena who fidgets constantly for the entire duration of every Prom since 1978 or whatever...