Prom 9: Strauss, Brahms & Broström - 25.07.19

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Thursday 25 July 2019
Royal Albert Hall

Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche
Tobias Broström Nigredo: Dark Night of the Soul (concerto for two trumpets and orchestra) (BBC co-commission with Malmö Symphony Orchestra: UK première)
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No 1 in C minor

Jeroen Berwaerts trumpet
Håkan Hardenberger trumpet
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Markus Stenz conductor

The mischievous escapades of the irrepressible Till Eulenspiegel – Germany’s beloved folk-hero – introduce a concert that celebrates the dramatic power of the orchestra.
Markus Stenz conducts the BBC NOW in its first concert of the season, pairing Strauss’s lively tone-poem with Brahms’s turbulent Symphony No. 1 – the work that announced him as the ‘heir to Beethoven’.
Trumpeters Håkan Hardenberger and Jeroen Berwaerts are rival soloists in a rhythmically charged new double concerto by Swedish composer Tobias Broström.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJtKnGTvWmE

[richardfinegold]

19:30 Thursday 25 July 2019
Royal Albert Hall

Richard Strauss: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche
Tobias Broström Nigredo: Dark Night of the Soul (concerto for two trumpets and orchestra) (BBC co-commission with Malmö Symphony Orchestra: UK première)
Johannes Brahms: Symphony No 1 in C minor

Jeroen Berwaerts trumpet
Håkan Hardenberger trumpet
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Markus Stenz conductor

The mischievous escapades of the irrepressible Till Eulenspiegel – Germany’s beloved folk-hero – introduce a concert that celebrates the dramatic power of the orchestra.
Markus Stenz conducts the BBC NOW in its first concert of the season, pairing Strauss’s lively tone-poem with Brahms’s turbulent Symphony No. 1 – the work that announced him as the ‘heir to Beethoven’.
Trumpeters Håkan Hardenberger and Jeroen Berwaerts are rival soloists in a rhythmically charged new double concerto by Swedish composer Tobias Broström.

Is BBC NOW= BBC Wales?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Is BBC NOW= BBC Wales?

- BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

[jayne lee wilson]

Let's have some recognition for Brahms' formal innovations in the finale here.... and you might bring in the psychodrama of facing up to Beethoven....(D Minor Piano Concerto etc)....
LvB, Who had been fairly innovative in his 9th Symphony, especially the finale, himself....

The BBC NOW ORCHESTRA!...SHould be a dedicated contemporary music ensemble....one can dream...

[jayne lee wilson]

1900 hrs start...! Look out people!

Both RT and the Proms guide have this down as the early start, so watch out....
Another new concerto....great. I think I'll take it the way I did the Eötvös, minimal prep, try to ignore intro, quasi-innocent ear...

[teamsaint]

A pity that Daniel Bjarnason’s VC hasn’t had a Proms performance. It went down a storm at the RFH, and would be perfect for those Passionate Minds.

Oh look, a performance has made it to youtube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2yb_wY8STd0

[bluestateprommer]

Tobias Broström's two-trumpet concerto just finished. For a concerto with the subtitle "Dark Night of the Soul", the work itself is quite optimistic in tone, with little in the way or darkness or angst. Some popular or rock rhythms seemed to kick in as an upbeat to the final section. It's very audience-friendly in idiom, nothing greatly profound about it, but pleasant enough. The Richard Strauss opener was OK, with a near-blip in the solo horn at the start. Since the BBC NOW is looking for a principal conductor now, one wonders how much of a test audition this concert is for Markus Stenz.

For some reason, RAH interval noise is audible in the background of the interval talk. Someone at the BBC sound booth may be asleep at the wheel.

[jayne lee wilson]

Wow!! Like to sum that one up in a few words anyone?

Tobias Broström ...Nigredo.....From the Innocent-Ear notes....

Begins like a quest....shifting fluid lines....climactic continuous soaring trumpets.... VERY loud especially HH.....calmer episode....piano & pitched perc. undulating....continuous flow of molten ideas against percussion pulses and string textures....
dying away again....near-silence.... quieter less purposeful "centre".... slow/static, floating dreamlike textures....trumpets flaring up..."chattering" episode for perc./trumpets....brief climax in the calm.....then percussion more aggressive & rhythmical, dominant in a sense of finale-release, crescendoing into a battering-ram surge to the end....

Big demanding impressive work, mysterious & intense with dynamic extremes & often deafeningly loud....sometimes sempre tutti......I'll look at the background to the piece later and listen again...

[Ein Heldenleben]

Tobias Broström's two-trumpet concerto just finished. For a concerto with the subtitle "Dark Night of the Soul", the work itself is quite optimistic in tone, with little in the way or darkness or angst. Some popular or rock rhythms seemed to kick in as an upbeat to the final section. It's very audience-friendly in idiom, nothing greatly profound about it, but pleasant enough. The Richard Strauss opener was OK, with a near-blip in the solo horn at the start. Since the BBC NOW is looking for a principal conductor now, one wonders how much of a test audition this concert is for Markus Stenz.

For some reason, RAH interval noise is audible in the background of the interval talk. Someone at the BBC sound booth may be asleep at the wheel.

I think the interval feature is live and being done in a box....Another high quality Proms interval feature with , if I may say so “ passionate minds “ well to the fore . Although much of the content would be familiar to forumites I think it was pitched at the right level for an interested listener .
,

[jayne lee wilson]

That was some first movement in the Brahms 1.... the shade of Willem Mengelberg is at Stenz's shoulder...

[teamsaint]

That was some first movement in the Brahms 1.... the shade of Willem Mengelberg is at Stenz's shoulder...

Could you do in play commentary please ?it would save you all that tedious note taking in any case.

[ also enjoying this a lot).

[maestro267]

The transition between the third movt. and finale was seamless. I've always thought the 3rd movt. of Brahms 1 ended abruptly, so it took a few seconds to realise we were right into the finale.

[jayne lee wilson]

What an amazing Brahms 1st! As thrilling, volatile and alive a Brahms performance as I've ever heard from this venue or many others....

Took all the risks, rubato-rich, dared to live dangerously but triumphed in a roof-raising blaze!
Marvellous...and what a stunning concert.......

More from me later I hope....

[Ein Heldenleben]

Don’t think I’ve ever heard so much woodwind detail in a Brahms symphony . A great night for the reeds with some wonderful oboe playing...great to hear the rasping Kontra faggot throughout - you hardly ever hear it in the concert hall.
Thought Stenz was so spot on with the tempi in the final movement. Got the big tune exactly right - so often it’s not quite ma non troppo enough. One tiny point - I would have loved more of a pp in the Adagio and perhaps the doubling horn slightly drowned the violin solo . But all in all an absolutely lovely performance