Prom 39 (4.09.21) - John Wilson Conducts the Sinfonia of London

[jayne lee wilson]

Are you familiar with the Korngold Sinfonietta? An early and lighter work as the name suggests - but more in spirit than scale. It is a full length symphony for large orchestra in all but name. Rather heavier on the memorable tunes and also if you're wanting your swash buckled it gives more freely. It was another of those "Why do we never hear this?" things for me when the BBC Phil (again) gave it an airing a few years ago - this time with Storgards.

I rather enjoy this version by the (now rather lamented) Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cUikaZsx1w

Listening to the Sinfonietta earlier, with the Helsinki PO/Storgards (Ondine 24/96) it sounds to me a highly precocious take on the Straussian/Brahmsian inheritance, but essentially derivative with nothing like the late symphony’s distinctively-voiced appeal.I feel rather the same about Zemlinsky’s earliest orchestral Brahmsian scores, preferring by far the mid-30s Sinfonietta - I like Vienna mid-century and bittersweet. Coffee without the schlag.

I don't really do opera either, so my take on Korngold is always going to be highly selective. I adore the Violin Concerto, which with the Symphony seems quintessentially a “late” masterpiece, the compositorial wisdom to pare back (in Korngoldian terms at least…), to be very direct in what you have to say and how you say it. (I have the Chandos Cello Concerto & Serenade(**) lined up for later, with the earlier left-hand Piano Concerto).

So I was upset that anyone would call the Symphony sprawling. I don’t think it wastes a note, and I love the crispness and almost neoclassical shape and drive to the finale, balancing the earlier defiance, anger and impassioned lament. It seems to me a serious statement, Korngold wanting to leave something substantial as a better self-representation; not rejecting his starry cinematic history, but embracing it in a more devotedly personal, artistically concentrated context.
Even more remarkable given the work’s history, resurrected from a score and parts by Kempe. Almost another Tale from Hollywood…The Outlier…

But if the Wilson album doesn't convince you, nothing will. Truly spectacular!

(**)
I recall hearing this live at the RLPO with Pesek in the 1990s, with the Brahms 4th in Part Two, from four rows back, in a half-empty hall….waves of sound swirled and crashed around me; or sang me sweetly to a temporary rest.
Waiting for my Taxi home, Pesek appeared in a tweed overcoat, looking even more beautiful than he did in his photos: the cheekbones of the classic rugged slav. I thanked him for the concert, especially the rarely heard Korngold.

“Very difficult to get those pizzicatos together in the intermezzo” he said.
“The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, they could do it”

[Barbirollians]

Interesting review in the Times where Rebecca Franks whilst giving five stars raises concerns about how the composition of the orchestra is overwhelmingly of white men.

[oddoneout]

Interesting review in the Times where Rebecca Franks whilst giving five stars raises concerns about how the composition of the orchestra is overwhelmingly of white men.

Well the oft-repeated advert on R3 said "hand-picked", so if that was the case rather than unfortunate BBC marketing hype then perhaps there is a question to be asked?

[mikealdren]

I suppose with UK orchestras having such a large number of female players nowadays you could argue that white males are becoming a minority. Is it a counterpoint to the Chineke! Orchestra?

[Prommer]

Interesting review in the Times where Rebecca Franks whilst giving five stars raises concerns about how the composition of the orchestra is overwhelmingly of white men.

Who cares, really? Unless you are saying they are not good enough. Or that overall, women still get a bad deal now, and especially from this orchestra? John Wilson will - based on his experience of players - have said "I want you, you and you." And if he got them, and they are as good as this, surely no problem.

[Prommer]

Interesting review in the Times where Rebecca Franks whilst giving five stars raises concerns about how the composition of the orchestra is overwhelmingly of white men.

Would she have given the concert 5 'and a little bit over', if there had been more women?

[Barbirollians]

Some depressingly sexist and utterly unaware of discrimination responses on this thread - she compared it to the VPO’s old days . Some people seem to think it is OK to discriminate so long as the white men are good at what they do.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Don’t most orchestras do “blind “ auditions these days ? It strikes me that orchestral auditions are the one form of selection where it is possible to be completely unbiased. I have done many interviews , on both sides if the table , and the ‘are you any good or are you likely to be good at the job ‘criterion seems to be the very one that you can’t nail down.

[oddoneout]

Don’t most orchestras do “blind “ auditions these days ? It strikes me that orchestral auditions are the one form of selection where it is possible to be completely unbiased. I have done many interviews , on both sides if the table , and the ‘are you any good or are you likely to be good at the job ‘criterion seems to be the very one that you can’t nail down.

Did they/would they have to audition though if they were "hand picked"?

[jayne lee wilson]

Part-photo of the Sinfonia Prom here, showing at least 3 women in the violins.....

https://www.classicalsource.com/prom/john-wilson-conducts-the-sinfonia-of-london-in-strausss-die-fledermaus-overture-korngolds-symphony-and-francesca-chiejina-joins-them-for-bergs-seven-songs/

...and an oddly carping review....!

This, off the Sinfonia site, at least suggests the personnel may be subject to change ...

"The players
The musicians of Sinfonia of London come together several times a year for specific concerts and recording projects. They include a large number of principals and leaders from numerous UK and international orchestras, alongside notable soloists and members of distinguished chamber groups".

[mikealdren]

Some depressingly sexist and utterly unaware of discrimination responses on this thread - she compared it to the VPO’s old days . Some people seem to think it is OK to discriminate so long as the white men are good at what they do.

I have no intention of paying to read the Times article, I was simply replying to the comment in this thread and my reply was meant to be mildly humorous (hence the smiley face) and also to prompt discussion.

I personally think that UK orchestras are close to achieving gender parity and it’s about time we stopped counting the membership and reviewing everything with a woke agenda.

UK orchestra membership is largely determined by the gender (and racial) mix at music colleges where the proportion of females has been increasing steadily over recent years and this is now reflected in almost all UK orchestras.

Does it really matter nowadays if a particular UK orchestra happens to have more ‘white men’ and will we soon start to complain soon that there are not enough ‘white men’ in orchestras?

[Barbirollians]

There is nothing woke about being concerned about serious gender and race imbalances in an orchestra - woke seems to be the new reactionary insult of choice replacing PC.

[mikealdren]

The origins of Woke are in the black community, hardly reactionary, rather the opposite and the term was coined to refer to racial abuse. Now, according to the OED it means 'alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice'. Since many self-identify as Woke have values that were previously described as PC, yes there is an overlap.

Having said this, my points are about gender balance. Racial imbalance is still a significant and intransigent problem in the classical music industry and I believe that it can only be solved by instrumental teaching for more children from ethnic minorities. We then face the difficulty of diluting their culture. Tony Blair's 'Multicultural Britain' really didn't begin to address the issues.

We're way off topic - sorry.

[cloughie]

The orchestra’s name goes back in time to when it was used for contractual reasons with record companies and then as now had a fluid membership - I wonder how many of those who played at the John Wilson prom were also in Mark Wigglesworth’s orchestra last night?

[Cockney Sparrow]

We're way off topic - sorry.

Is that a problem - there could still be a number of pages of puns to come........

The origins of Woke are in the black community, hardly reactionary, rather the opposite and the term was coined to refer to racial abuse. Now, according to the OED it means 'alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice'. Since many self-identify as Woke have values that were previously described as PC, yes there is an overlap.

Having said this, my points are about gender balance. Racial imbalance is still a significant and intransigent problem in the classical music industry and I believe that it can only be solved by instrumental teaching for more children from ethnic minorities. We then face the difficulty of diluting their culture. Tony Blair's 'Multicultural Britain' really didn't begin to address the issues...........

Mrs CS strove mightily to influence parents to allow their children to carry on with string instrument rental and tuition at the end of the wider opportunities year (primary Year 4). Not sure how widespread it is but she found it very hard to get the parents from the Bangladeshi community to agree - although they were always polite, and many seemed as though they would like to agree. The mothers (largely it was mothers who would be sought out at children's collection time) would say they would have to ask their husband, and so it went on. It seemed the view the parents took, or received in their community, was that music was Haram - generally forbidden. One or two parents gave permission, but few children lasted the course. In general, children from the minority communities didn't get involved in after school activities and families tended not to come to school plays, music performances etc. This is all a general impression, I'm sure there is more that could be said - the end result, though, was as described.

I very much agree, music participation and instrumental skills need to be promoted to minority communities, to gain their acceptance and help them agree and support their children. Then we might see more minority group musicians coming through. Its rather simplistic, in the UK, to point to the profile of orchestral players. Is there data on the likely number of ethnic minority players with professional player skills as a proportion of that workforce? Data from double blind recruitment to orchestras might help.

Two further thoughts - organisations receiving arts council/government funds, also lottery funding will surely have to fulfil requirements on avoiding discrimination, with maintenance of records to inspect. Sinfonia of London probably doesn't set out to get bound up in the burden of such applications? Also, in looking at the issue of school education, the point needs to be made (as for education in general) that there are communities of the majority ethnicity who aren't aware of the benefits of instrumental playing, or do not approve or value it at all. Those communities are deprived of awareness, aspiration and financial resources with similar outcomes.

With music and instrumental tuition far from a curriculum requirement at primary level, headteachers with their jobs (hire/fire) on the line to achieve literacy and numeracy targets and now budgets burdened with the extra staff and equipment costs of the Pandemic, even an enlightened head will have made hard choices.

In fact, having worked hard to build up a thriving string playing school (which also helped children into their secondary years) a change of headteacher, and unconcerned governors, meant that music was sidelined - without being brave enough to state that the provision would be ending. After 18 months of campaigning every which way to maintain the music education ecology in the school, rather than preside over the intended and implemented decline into mediocrity (so it could eventually be abandoned) Mrs CS activated her well earned retirement. This shows the importance of inclusion of music and instrumental playing opportunities into the core curriculum. I suppose there are players who started playing instruments and engagement with playing at age 11, but surely many, many players made a start at a younger age?

Michael Gove is to thank for "giving the power to headteachers to decide what is taught in their schools" aside from the present core subjects. Not quite as disastrous or evident as Chris Grayling, but in his own way Gove left his own trail of negative outcomes.