Prom 17 (14.08.21) - Prokofiev, Bach, Mozart & Shostakovich

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Saturday 14 August 2021 ON TV
Royal Albert Hall

Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No 1 in D major, 'Classical'
Johann Sebastian Bach: Keyboard Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto No 24 in C minor, K 491
Dmitry Shostakovich: Symphony No 9 in E flat major

Víkingur Ólafsson piano
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali conductor

Award-winning Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson makes his much-anticipated Proms debut, as soloist in both Bach’s Keyboard Concerto in F minor, whose energised outer movements frame a ravishing central Adagio, and Mozart’s pioneering Piano Concerto K491, a rare minor-key work whose stormy, richly orchestrated music climaxes in a relentless dance. The Philharmonia Orchestra and Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi frame the concert with two symphonies: Prokofiev’s playful ‘Classical’ Symphony, with its clever juxtaposition of traditional forms and contemporary colours, and the more loaded irony of Shostakovich’s compact Symphony No. 9.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Interesting to frame two keyboard concertos with two neo-classical symphonies.

[Petrushka]

Another unfortunate cancellation casualty: Santtu-Matias Rouvali has had to withdraw from this Prom and his place has been taken by Paavo Järvi.

[jayne lee wilson]

Another unfortunate cancellation casualty: Santtu-Matias Rouvali has had to withdraw from this Prom and his place has been taken by Paavo Järvi.

Thanks, Pet. Give the excellence and freshness of his Nielsen (a favourite symphony cycle of mine), Sibelius (Live, in Paris...)., Bruckner and much else, that isn't too bad a substitute!

[ucanseetheend]

A substantial concert. Punters getting their moneys worth ! Not always true these days

[jayne lee wilson]

I'm tempted to call this The Last Night of the Symphonic Proms, as, after a wonderful two weeks of one memorable symphonic performance after another, the festival takes off on all sorts of adventures and experiments from Sunday on...oh, I'll have a go at anything (apart perhaps, from a evening of arias....too much of the gala about it, and the old ears wouldn't be comfortable...) - who knows what will happen? The Manchester Collective (17/08) looks especially intriguing...

But no more symphonies until Rattle comes with the LSO and Stravinsky.
Really looking forward to hearing Olafsson in Bach and Mozart; and following the stormy C Minor with the DSCH 9th is a challenge full of shadows...

[jayne lee wilson]

Just a shade underwhelmed here, I'm afraid..... I found the Bach a bit ponderous, lacking life and spark...

Odd too, having the two main works in the same (second) half.... lets see how that works out...

[bluestateprommer]

Enjoyable first half of this Saturday night Prom. Paavo J. indulged in a mannered stretching out of the end of the 3rd movement of the Prokofiev, but that was the only indulgence to my ears, in a work that's always fun to hear, IMHO. The JSB had a somewhat 'heavy' feel to it, perhaps a subconscious reaction to the use of modern instruments, even though Ian Skelly noted a reduced orchestra from the Prokofiev on stage. The band will obviously expand for the 2nd half.

Last year, I was totally unaware of the joint presentations by Iceland Radio with the BBC of Víkingur Ólafsson's lockdown concerts. Clearly my loss.

On JLW's point, query: does the Chevalier de St. Georges work, his Symphony No. 2, next Friday not fully count as a symphony? Granted, it is more of a 'sinfonia' in structure, and is a modest 12 minutes or so.

[Bryn]

Just a shade underwhelmed here, I'm afraid..... I found the Bach a bit ponderous, lacking life and spark...

Odd too, having the two main works in the same (second) half.... lets see how that works out...

Well, at least I am not alone in finding that Bach performance about as unidiomatic as I have heard. I think "ponderous" might be a bit of an understatement.

[jayne lee wilson]

Enjoyable first half of this Saturday night Prom. Paavo J. indulged in a mannered stretching out of the end of the 3rd movement of the Prokofiev, but that was the only indulgence to my ears, in a work that's always fun to hear, IMHO. The JSB had a somewhat 'heavy' feel to it, perhaps a subconscious reaction to the use of modern instruments, even though Ian Skelly noted a reduced orchestra from the Prokofiev on stage. The band will obviously expand for the 2nd half.

Last year, I was totally unaware of the joint presentations by Iceland Radio with the BBC of Víkingur Ólafsson's lockdown concerts. Clearly my loss.

On JLW's point, query: does the Chevalier de St. Georges work, his Symphony No. 2, next Friday not fully count as a symphony?

Is that the 20/08 "Mystery Prom"? The R3 schedule has it as the Mozart Requiem k626.....
...ah - just noticed the Part One sequence......but it turns out that the "D Major Symphony" is the (rebadged) overture to the opera L’AMANT ANONYME....

[jayne lee wilson]

Not quite the Mozart C Minor performance to keep you awake nights, is it?

I've had enough; pinned down by the rain all day & stir-crazy, I'm off for dusk walk. I'll catch up with the DSCH 9 later.... P-Jarvi & this great orchestra will have to wake for up that at least...won't they?

[ucanseetheend]

Oh dear. An encore ? For petes sake had enough of this pianist give us the Shostakovich

[Ein Heldenleben]

This Olaffsson pianist has a lot to learn about Bach keyboard ..truly uninspiring

I thought the Bach Organ transcription worked better than the Mozart Ave Verum Corpus . Those wonderful sustained vocal lines just don’t work for me on the piano - sounds a bit too much like a musical box.

[gedsmk]

This Olaffsson pianist has a lot to learn about Bach keyboard ..truly uninspiring

TWO poor encores, the second bearable but meaningless after the travesty of the first one, which was a grotesquerie. Didn’t think much of the Bach or the Mozart concertos either. The P symphony was entertaining in parts. I pity the orchestra. Let’s hope they pull things round in the S9!

[oddoneout]

I realise I'm not an expert in these matters but this pianist didn't even come close to living up to the hype as far as I'm concerned, and I can't see how he was Gramophone's Artist of the Year 2019 - what were the others in the running like?