Prom 23: Swan Lake - 5.08.19

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Monday 5 August 2019
Royal Albert Hall

Malcolm Arnold: Overture ‘Peterloo’
Sergey Rachmaninov: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake – excerpts


Alexander Gavrylyuk piano
BBC Philharmonic
Ben Gernon conductor

The BBC Philharmonic and their Principal Guest Conductor Ben Gernon open with Malcolm Arnold's Dramatic 'Peterloo Overture' in the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre at St Peter's Fields in Manchester. Excerpts from 'Swan Lake' the first of Tchaikovsky's great ballet scores, include the colourful sequence of national dances and the heart-breaking final scene in which Odette and her beloved Siegfried are united for ever in death, breaking the spell of the sorcerer Rothbart. Russian virtuoso Alxander Gavrylyuk returns, following his Proms debut in 2017, as soloist in Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini', with its famous lyrical 18th Variation.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's a pity the misleading concert title wasn't taken more literally. The complete ballet is a superb score and well worthy of a concert to itself.

[pastoralguy]

It's a pity the misleading concert title wasn't taken more literally. The complete ballet is a superb score and well worthy of a concert to itself.

Absolutely! Mind you, 5 times a week is pretty exhausting...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Absolutely! Mind you, 5 times a week is pretty exhausting...

Have you done that?

[pastoralguy]

Have you done that?

Yes! On tour with Scottish Ballet. I had a girlfriend who was in the corps de ballet whose feet bleed after each performance. 'OMG!', I commented. 'Are you not in pain?'

'I've been in constant pain since I was 12', she replied!

I thought it best not to mention my aching left hand! (I was advised by a colleague to 'pace myself' but the end of Swan Lake left me in bits EVERY night!)

[alywin]

It's a pity the misleading concert title wasn't taken more literally. The complete ballet is a superb score and well worthy of a concert to itself.

It had one, a few years back, surely? Or was that just The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty (Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella ...)?

[Darkbloom]

It had one, a few years back, surely? Or was that just The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty (Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella ...)?

I think Gergiev did the complete Sleeping Beauty a few years ago, although it might be longer than that. Complete ballet scores are a bit of a rarity at the Proms, as far as I can recall.

[cloughie]

I think Gergiev did the complete Sleeping Beauty a few years ago, although it might be longer than that. Complete ballet scores are a bit of a rarity at the Proms, as far as I can recall.

Was it complete?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think Gergiev did the complete Sleeping Beauty a few years ago, although it might be longer than that. Complete ballet scores are a bit of a rarity at the Proms, as far as I can recall.

2011.

I agree with Alpie - the complete score is well worth hearing in a single Prom.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Was it complete?

Yup - all 118 minutes of it; and blurbed with

the symphonic proportions and sheer depth of feeling Tchaikovsky brings to the tale, qualities brought into fuller focus when all of this glorious score is heard.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yup - all 118 minutes of it

Aktcherlee - that sounds a bit short; most recordings take another half-hour. But it was Gergiev, who managed to get the complete Nutcracker on one single solitary CD, so ...

[alywin]

Perhaps it depends on what you include, or leave out: the full Panorama (I thought he included that, though), the court dances in the hunting scene, the "Awakening" pas de deux (actually, is that a genuine part of the score? Perhaps not), Cinderella, Hop o' My Thumb ... ?

[bluestateprommer]

I think Gergiev did the complete Sleeping Beauty a few years ago....

Yes, in 2008. That happened to be my 2nd-ever Prom, and my first Gallery Prom.

Fine reading of the Peterloo Overture just now from the BBC Phil and Ben Gernon. I've never heard this overture in any format before, either Memorex or live. It's interesting to think of the juxtaposition of Peterloo with DSCH 11 from yesterday, the 2nd movement of DSCH 11 in particular. Subtle links between concerts, ya know .

Charmingly enthusiastic comments from pianist Juan Pérez Floristán just now (his name is now in the Forum Calendar in place of Alexander Gavrylyuk).

PS: JPF did a good job with the Rachmaninov just now. I wouldn't call it a "great" performance, but it was good, and that's OK. I wonder how long ago he got the emergency call, since I didn't know about the change of pianist until Sarah Walker mentioned his name at the very start. Additional charming 'speech' from him before his encore.

[Constantbee]

If you didn’t catch it live you can look forward to a meticulous encore from Florestán: Ginastera’s ‘Dance of the Outlaw Cowboy’ (Danza de gaucho matrero from the Danzas Argentinas, 3 dances for solo piano 1937). Only know it because a friend has been rehearsing this lately and played me a few bars a couple of weeks ago. Ginastera could do with flagging up on the composers thread imho. The (1956) harp concerto comes highly recommended, too.

So far so good for Prom 23. Pity the Peterloo Overture doesn't get more outings.

[jonfan]

It’s the Swan Lake suite and nothing more because it was a Henry Wood Novelty in 1901. Sounds to be lovingly performed.