Prom 6 (21.07.20) John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil - 7.30 p.m.

[Serial_Apologist]

Kate Molleson really is ubiquitous on R3 .

I shall never ever be Mollefied.

[bluestateprommer]

Did people enjoy the Keal?

Not sure if I would say that I 'enjoyed' the Minna Keal work, as her piece generally didn't do it for me. I got a sense of it starting and stopping several times during its course. But it's great that Oliver Knussen championed it, and gave MK her day in the sun at The Proms. I do wonder if Knussen's program order inadvertently set up The Protecting Veil for the rapturous reception that it got, because JT's work is so very sonically different from MK's, i.e. much less "crunchy". But if nothing else, this program as a whole again showcases the diversity of repertoire that Knussen planned in his "Olly Proms".

It was again a nice gesture to invite a featured performer from this Prom to reminisce, the obvious choice, Steven Isserlis. Kind of amusing to hear SI state something to the effect that this was his first experience of hearing the Minna Keal work, since he was clearly not able to hear it at the time during the actual concert.