Prom 32: An Alpine Symphony - 11.08.19

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

For those of us whose problem is more frequently getting back home after a concert in London, there is no difference: whether the concert starts at 11:00 am or 7:30, we still have to book accommodation overnight. The opportunity to hear Joyce DiDonato singing Les Nuits d'Eté would be the deciding factor, not the time of the concert. (Although if it were held on a Sunday afternoon many of us could get there and back on the same day without the need for accommodation.)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

For those of us whose problem is more frequently getting back home after a concert in London, there is no difference: whether the concert starts at 11:00 am or 7:30, we still have to book accommodation overnight. The opportunity to hear Joyce DiDonato singing Les Nuits d'Eté would be the deciding factor, not the time of the concert. (Although if it were held on a Sunday afternoon many of us could get there and back on the same day without the need for accommodation.)

Precisely. The BBC has rebadged the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts as the BBC Proms, and the BBC is a national organisation. Proms outside London are like needles in haystacks (apart from those copycat Last Nights that crop up everywhere).

[Darkbloom]

There really ought to be at least two weeks of Proms outside London. I know there are logistical difficulties but it's shameful that so many people are denied the Proms experience, or something similar.

[Petrushka]

There really ought to be at least two weeks of Proms outside London. I know there are logistical difficulties but it's shameful that so many people are denied the Proms experience, or something similar.

I'm not too sure about this. The Proms has a very strong identification with the Royal Albert Hall, and rightly so, and too many Proms outside of it risk diluting the experience and the image. We should be glad that the BBC not only promote the Proms but broadcast all of them live therefore making them available to a worldwide audience.

I doubt if I would bother with any Proms outside of London, even one on my doorstep. It wouldn't be the same at all.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

In anticipation of the question about the Alpine Symphony performance, I'm a bit wary of saying too much. It was after all a youth orchestra, and they played it with efficiency and warmth for much of the time, but there were some horrible gaffs too, and it would be wrong to suggest this orchestra comes even close to the standard of playing in the 2004 NYOGB recording with Andrew Litton. It's a great piece for a youth orchestra, in that it gives so many players the opportunity to participate, and there are not many other purely orchestra works for an orchestra of this magnitude.

Pappano's interpretation? It was a bit rushed in some of the places where a broader tempo might have allowed for greater spaciousness. It was almost as though the summit was rather boring and he wanted to get it out of the way. More so in the Vision section that followed. "What vision?" one might ask. Ditto for the sun setting - no sense of awe; just a mad rush. The same applied to the Epilogue which few conductors judge to perfection. A few (Karajan, Ozawa for starters) get right to the heart of this music. Not Pappano - perhaps he knew he was going play lots of encores (even though this performance didn't merit even one - but perhaps I'm being harsh, as it was a youth orchestra) and didn't want the entire concert to seem over long.

Who remembers the 70 minute Maazel performance that was broadcast a few years ago? This was the antithesis of that very long and drawn-out performance, being similar in length to Oskar Fried's world premiere recording of the work in 1925. The composer's own recordings were more measured.

Sorry to be so harsh, but if you perform at the Proms, expect to be judged.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I don’t think what sounded the close miking of woodwind and brass helped . Sometimes just a simple balance covers a multitude....

[gradus]

Oh dear, I have to confess to enjoying it enormously (not possessing Alpie's knowledge of the work) and I thought the sound was quite awe-inspiring in the big climaxes and the Storm.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oh dear, I have to confess to enjoying it enormously (not possessing Alpie's knowledge of the work) and I thought the sound was quite awe-inspiring in the big climaxes and the Storm.

Well, that's a good thing, isn't it? My opinion is just that. I don't claim to be a know-all about the work. And the storm was good.

[DracoM]

I do wish posters would put the BBC online page reference up when posting a concert.

[Pulcinella]

I do wish posters would put the BBC online page reference up when posting a concert.

??
Alpie prepares his Proms concerts thread WAY before the online schedule is released, I imagine.

And it's also a bit rich, Draco, considering how many times jean had to ask you to provide the link to your Choral Evensong posts!

[DracoM]

Sigh.

[Ian_of_glos]

Oh dear, I have to confess to enjoying it enormously (not possessing Alpie's knowledge of the work) and I thought the sound was quite awe-inspiring in the big climaxes and the Storm.

So would you say it is worth listening to the repeat? I was not allowed to listen to the Alpine Symphony when it was broadcast live yesterday but I think it is repeated next Sunday afternoon - am I correct?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

So would you say it is worth listening to the repeat? I was not allowed to listen to the Alpine Symphony when it was broadcast live yesterday but I think it is repeated next Sunday afternoon - am I correct?

Yes - the whole Prom starting at 4 o'clock.

Or you can listen to it any time now on the i-Player:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007k4y

[LMcD]

So would you say it is worth listening to the repeat? I was not allowed to listen to the Alpine Symphony when it was broadcast live yesterday but I think it is repeated next Sunday afternoon - am I correct?

You are - 4.00 p.m - or anytime you like on iPlayer ('Sounds'), of course.

[Ian_of_glos]

Yes - the whole Prom starting at 4 o'clock.

Or you can listen to it any time now on the i-Player:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0007k4y

It will take me until next Sunday to work out how to use an iplayer!