Prom 69 (8.09.20) American Dreams

[cloughie]

Perhaps my timescale wasn't long enough. The last time I heard the orchestra in the flesh at a Prom in the RAH, it's Eroica Symphony was distinctly lacklustre.

...and of course going back further a certain M Jansons served part of his conducting apprenticeship there before moving on the Oslo and the world - may even have been there when BBCWSO became BBCNOW but I’m sure that someone on the forum wiser than me will correct me if I’m wrong!

[Quarky]

California-born Ryan Bancroft makes his debut as Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and at the Proms, with this programme which has a focus on America and its music. Martinů’s Jazz Suite perfectly complements John Adams’s Chamber Symphony; the sound-world of which arose for the composer when he viewed his study of Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony through the lens of cartoon music coming from the next room. An exciting new commission by British composer Gavin Higgins entitled Rough Voices follows, before two American classics: Barber’s nostalgic evocation of a balmy Tennessee night and Copland’s exhilarating ballet suite inspired by early-19th-century pioneer settlers in Pennsylvania, in its less-heard original chamber version.

Martinů: Jazz Suite
Adams: Chamber Symphony
Higgins: Rough Voices
Barber: Knoxville - Summer of 1915
Copland: Appalachian Spring

Ryan Bancroft (conductor)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Natalya Romaniw (soprano)

A very good concert. Well balanced between the well-known and the not-so -well-known. I found the Martinu somewhat disjointed (where's he going?) in contrast to the well- thought out Adams. Schoenberg - well, what music isn't derivative to some extent?

A little talk from the Composer Gavin Higgins about his aims and objects in his composition would have been appreciated. This is what we usually get with a piece of New Music.

The soprano - a little sharpness in her tone, which I didn't appreciate.

[bluestateprommer]

To be fair to the artists involved (not that they would have noticed), I gave this Prom a listen again from the start, after being interrupted at work (don't tell my boss) during the initial live go-around, as the Adams was about to start. To affirm comments from others here, this was indeed a very nicely assembled concert. Like with the Martinu, I thought that I heard some carefully paced / slightly tentatively paced passages in the Copland, but overall, no matter. Natalia Romaniw did take a moment to settle into the Barber, IMHO, but once she did, she did OK. She did take care to "Americanize" her pronunciation of certain words. Overall, this marks an auspicious start to Ryan B.'s tenure as BBC NOW principal conductor, if under far-from-ideal circumstances w/o a live audience.

For ed, this may be the BBC NOW Prom with the 'meh' 'Eroica' that you heard back in the day:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e6dzc8