Chamber Music Prom 6 (6.08.21) - Pauline Viardot and Her Circle

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

13:00 & 18.00 Monday 6 September 2021
Cadogan Hall

Pauline Viardot: Canzonetta de concert
Brahms: Fünf Lieder, Op. 94 – No.4: Sapphische Ode
Brahms: Sieben Lieder, Op. 48 – No. 1: Der Gang zum Liebchen
Clara Schumann: Volkslied
Clara Schumann: Lorelei
Liszt: Vergiftet sind meine Lieder
Liszt: Comment, disaient-ils
Pauline Viardot: Six chansons du XVe siècle – No. 1: ‘Aimez-moi’
María Malibrán: La voix qui dit: je t’aime
Manuel García: Es corredor
Meyerbeer: Le prophète – ‘Donnez pour une pauvre âme’
Pauline Viardot: Le dernier sorcier – ‘Coulez, gouttes fines’ (Chanson de la pluie)
Fauré: La chanson du pêcheur (Lamento)
Pauline Viardot: The Tit
Tchaikovsky: My genius, my angel, my friend
Pauline Viardot: On Georgian hills
Tchaikovsky: 12 Romances, Op. 60 – No. 10: ‘At the window, in the shadow ‘
Pauline Viardot: Zalotna (La coquette)

Ema Nikolovska, mezzo-soprano
Malcolm Martineau, piano

A household name across Europe during the late 19th century, Pauline Viardot was an international opera star by 18, studied the piano with Liszt, played duets with Chopin, charmed Saint-Saëns, Berlioz, Gounod and the writer Turgenev, and hosted the greatest musical salon of her day. She was also a fine composer, though one still heard too rarely today. BBC New Generation Artist Ema Nikolovska and pianist Malcolm Martineau invite you to step into Viardot’s drawing room for a lunchtime recital of music by Viardot, her friends and her contemporaries – including Gounod, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Chopin.

[bluestateprommer]

Another belated BBC Sounds catch-up with this last of the Cadogan Hall chamber music Proms. For those who remember Ema Nikolovska's Wigmore Hall appearances, the same whip-smart programming is in evidence here, as well as her musicianship, with Malcolm Martineau an excellent musical accompanist as always. I had quite the challenge to find online texts for many of these selections from various sites (LiederNet, Hyperion Records), and didn't always succeed.

It was kind of droll to hear EN's enthusiasm as she spoke with Petroc between each set, where she clearly conveyed her enthusiasm and interest for Pauline Viardot and the other historical figures of that period, to almost a (if I dare make the comparison) Tom Service-level of verbal expression, to put it one way. In fact, in the last of their onstage banter, Petroc had to ever-so-gently nudge EN along so that they could all be sure of finishing the concert within the hour, especially with a planned encore at the end. Perhaps that's why MM started the first song of the last set even before the applause had fully subsided.

It's also unfortunate that the Cadogan Hall chamber music Proms don't quite get the level of discussion and interest that the orchestral concerts get; another reason to bump this thread up.