Prom 45 (21.08.20) Danish National SO/Dausgaard

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

BBC Proms: In this Prom from the 2010 season, Thomas Dausgaard conducts his Danish forces in Tchaikovsky’s ever-captivating Violin Concerto – written for the composer’s young muse, the violinist Josef Kotek – and Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony, overwhelming in its nobly expansive final-movement ‘Swan Hymn’. Three short choral pieces by György Ligeti – including Lux aeterna, heard in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey – take us to ethereal heights, while Ligeti himself recognised the mesmeric, free-floating character of Rued Langgard’s 1918 Music of the Spheres as prefiguring his own style. Henning Kraggerud is the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, and previous winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Inger Dam-Jensen, sings in Langgaard’s kaleidoscopic masterpiece. Audiences at this landmark UK premiere left the hall with the sound of "heavenly" music, angel choirs and the sound of harps in their ears.


Ligeti: Night; Morning (Proms premiere)
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major
Ligeti: Lux aeterna
Langgaard: Music of the Spheres (UK premiere)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E flat major

Henning Kraggerud (violin)
Inger Dam-Jensen (soprano)
Danish Radio Vocal Ensemble and Concert Chorus
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard (conductor)

(From the BBC Proms 2010, 11 August)

[Ein Heldenleben]

BBC Proms: In this Prom from the 2010 season, Thomas Dausgaard conducts his Danish forces in Tchaikovsky’s ever-captivating Violin Concerto – written for the composer’s young muse, the violinist Josef Kotek – and Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony, overwhelming in its nobly expansive final-movement ‘Swan Hymn’. Three short choral pieces by György Ligeti – including Lux aeterna, heard in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey – take us to ethereal heights, while Ligeti himself recognised the mesmeric, free-floating character of Rued Langgard’s 1918 Music of the Spheres as prefiguring his own style. Henning Kraggerud is the soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, and previous winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, Inger Dam-Jensen, sings in Langgaard’s kaleidoscopic masterpiece. Audiences at this landmark UK premiere left the hall with the sound of "heavenly" music, angel choirs and the sound of harps in their ears.


Ligeti: Night; Morning (Proms premiere)
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major
Ligeti: Lux aeterna
Langgaard: Music of the Spheres (UK premiere)
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E flat major

Henning Kraggerud (violin)
Inger Dam-Jensen (soprano)
Danish Radio Vocal Ensemble and Concert Chorus
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard (conductor)

(From the BBC Proms 2010, 11 August)

Not many replies but really enjoying this very interesting and well constructed programme particularly this Langgaard: Music of the Spheres - captivating ...

[DracoM]

Am listening now. What a CRACKING Prom!!!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Am listening now. What a CRACKING Prom!!!

Yes agreed - for those that missed it definitely worth catchup on iplayer

[alywin]

Think I was there in the Hall for that one - I certainly remember an opener merging unexpectedly into the violin concerto. I missed the Sibelius, though - must go and put a recording of that on to make up for it.

[LMcD]

This was one of the (thankfully) rare occasions when I didn't particularly enjoy a performance of the Sibelius 5th. Perhaps I've reached the age when I like a more measured approach to favourite works, but the 1st movement in particular felt particularly rushed, with a corresponding loss of a sense of space and grandeur, and I've heard more impressive hammer-swinging in the finale! For me, the whole things proceeded at such a pace that I rarely felt that excitement which normally grabs me when listening to what is certainly one of more my 'Top 5' symphonies.

[richardfinegold]

Langaard was pretty prolific, but from what I’ve heard very uneven. I think the Spheres bit is his masterpiece. I’ve had a Chandon recording with Rhozdo leading this same orchestra .

[bluestateprommer]

Yes agreed - for those that missed it definitely worth catchup on iplayer

Did so last week, yet another just-before-the-deadline listen, as I don't recall hearing this on iPlayer back in 2010. With the knowledge of some of Dausgaard's BBC SSO programs since this 2010 Prom, this is a clear foretaste of what was to come, except that perhaps TD has done these offbeat types of programs with regularity. Very top-weighted towards the 1st half, though, where this nominally "3-part" concert had only the one interval. Still, eminently worth listening to, as others have noted.