Prom 5: Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony (18.07.22)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Monday 18 July 2022
Royal Albert Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering – Ricercar a 6 (orch. Webern)
Cassandra Miller: Viola Concerto (BBC co-commission: world première)
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A major

'They want me to write differently', said Anton Bruckner. 'Certainly I could, but I must not.' And from its quiet opening pulse to its towering finish, it's hard to imagine his mighty Sixth Symphony unfolding any other way: one man's utterly individual voyage towards heaven, expressed in music of quiet wonder and mountainous grandeur. Tonight its the climax of an evening that begins with Webern's jewel-like setting of Bruckner's great hero Bach, and continues with James MacMillan's Viola Concerto, with soloist and dedicatee, Lawrence Power.

Lawrence Power viola
BBC Philharmonic
Omer Meir Wellber conductor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The accompanying wording does imply that Bruckner refused to write 'differently', but he was sometimes complicit in allowing his music to be altered.

[Alison]

Now conducted by Juanjo Mena.

The Omer Meir Wellber situation seemingly hasn’t been clarified but it looks increasingly likely he and the orchestra have parted company.

[FFRR]

Meaning no disrespect to Maestro Wellber, but his replacement with Juanjo Mena is no bad thing. His (Mena's) previous Bruckner 6 Proms performance with the BBC Phil is IMHO one of the best recorded performances available - better even than their recent commercial release with the BBC Phil.

I've sampled all the standard recommendations and they are all lacking, whereas Mena delivers - not least with superb horn playing and propulsive rhythms (with well-defined timpani) in the 1st mvt. coda. A little more maestoso in the closing bars would be good - maybe we'll get that this time!

[notnerb]

[QUOTE=Eine Alpensinfonie;885572]19:30 Monday 18 July 2022
Royal Albert Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering – Ricercar a 6 (orch. Webern)
Cassandra Miller: Viola Concerto (BBC co-commission: world première)
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A major


For some reason, today's newspaper listings (Guardian, Times) have replaced the viola concerto with James MacMillan's. Does anyone have any further info on this?

[Ein Heldenleben]

[QUOTE=notnerb;887516]

19:30 Monday 18 July 2022
Royal Albert Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering – Ricercar a 6 (orch. Webern)
Cassandra Miller: Viola Concerto (BBC co-commission: world première)
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A major


For some reason, today's newspaper listings (Guardian, Times) have replaced the viola concerto with James MacMillan's. Does anyone have any further info on this?

Maybe it’s not ready - quite often happens with concerti as the soloist usually needs a month to get their fingers round it.

[Pulcinella]

Maybe it’s not ready - quite often happens with concerti as the soloist usually needs a month to get their fingers round it.

A very apt replacement, given that there aren't that many viola concertos to call upon, Power is the dedicatee, and the BBCPO are (presumably) familiar with the work as they have recorded it:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8766765--macmillan-symphony-no-4-viola-concerto

[Stanfordian]

Meaning no disrespect to Maestro Wellber, but his replacement with Juanjo Mena is no bad thing. His (Mena's) previous Bruckner 6 Proms performance with the BBC Phil is IMHO one of the best recorded performances available - better even than their recent commercial release with the BBC Phil.

I've sampled all the standard recommendations and they are all lacking, whereas Mena delivers - not least with superb horn playing and propulsive rhythms (with well-defined timpani) in the 1st mvt. coda. A little more maestoso in the closing bars would be good - maybe we'll get that this time!

Juanjo Mena is a first-class conductor and I've attended many of his concerts with the BBC Phil. Wellber is very talented too, although I'm convinced that his first love is opera. Incidentally, I've interviewed both of these conductors Mena at MediaCity, Salford and Wellber at the Munich Opera House.

[bluestateprommer]

Fine first half to this BBC Phil Prom, where the orchestra are obviously comfortable with their past chief conductor. I've generally written in the Forum about past Proms conducted by Juanjo Mena, that he's a safe pair of hands, who keeps the orchestra in strong shape and sounding good, but not necessarily with any tremendous depths of insight, IMHO (just my own opinion, of course; everyone else's listening mileage will vary). That remained the case here, certainly with Webern's JSB rearrangement. With respect to the second work, with a relatively unfamiliar contemporary work present, and not the originally planned contemporary work at that, being a solid, safe pair of conducting hands is more than par for the course. I'd never heard JM's Viola Concerto, so I didn't know what to expect. Lawrence Power did an excellent job (no surprise at all), as did the BBC Phil and "the other JM" this evening. Terrific encore from LP as well.

BTW, somewhat irrelevant sidebar: on one small point, it does seem appropriate that Hannah French is the presenter, given her book just a few years ago about Sir Henry Wood and his championship of J.S. Bach in England.

[gedsmk]

Fine first half to this BBC Phil Prom, where the orchestra are obviously comfortable with their past chief conductor. I've generally written in the Forum about past Proms conducted by Juanjo Mena, that he's a safe pair of hands, who keeps the orchestra in strong shape and sounding good, but not necessarily with any tremendous depths of insight, IMHO (just my own opinion, of course; everyone else's listening mileage will vary). That remained the case here, certainly with Webern's JSB rearrangement. With respect to the second work, with a relatively unfamiliar contemporary work present, and not the originally planned contemporary work at that, being a solid, safe pair of conducting hands is more than par for the course. I'd never heard JM's Viola Concerto, so I didn't know what to expect. Lawrence Power did an excellent job (no surprise at all), as did the BBC Phil and "the other JM" this evening. Terrific encore from LP as well.

BTW, somewhat irrelevant sidebar: on one small point, it does seem appropriate that Hannah French is the presenter, given her book just a few years ago about Sir Henry Wood and his championship of J.S. Bach in England.

Loving this Bruckner 6 so far.

[Ein Heldenleben]

10 minutes gone and no comments yet on a Bruckner symphony - it must the heat .A bit of tentative start to the 1st movement I thought. The violins sounded a bit thin textured in the first movement. Things markedly improved in the slow movement with some lovely phrase shaping. Scherzo and finale were fine but not a classic performance. Also the string sound improved.

But I am more than willing to be contradicted as my brain is so addled with the heat I am not sure it’s functioning.
So hats off and thanks to the BBC Phil for this and rehearsing tomorrow’s demanding programme. I only hope their hotel rooms , which are unlikely to be luxurious , have decent air con.

[CallMePaul]

[QUOTE=notnerb;887516]

19:30 Monday 18 July 2022
Royal Albert Hall

Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering – Ricercar a 6 (orch. Webern)
Cassandra Miller: Viola Concerto (BBC co-commission: world première)
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 6 in A major


For some reason, today's newspaper listings (Guardian, Times) have replaced the viola concerto with James MacMillan's. Does anyone have any further info on this?

I was a little surprised that Hannah French did not point out that there was a change of conductor and programme (it is not unusual for there to be a change of programme if conductor or soloist needs to be replaced. There must surely have been many listeners, both in the hall and on the radio, expecting Cassandra Miller's concerto and the originally advertised conductor? This is not a complaint, just a request that the public be better informed.

[CallMePaul]

Now conducted by Juanjo Mena.

The Omer Meir Wellber situation seemingly hasn’t been clarified but it looks increasingly likely he and the orchestra have parted company.

A quick Google search tells me that Wellber has been appointed to the Vienna Volksoper, effective September this year. Maybe he feels this to be too big a commitment to combine with the BBC Phil, but I agree that it seems to be a very sudden departure if conductors of two Proms have had to be changed at short notice.

[cloughie]

A quick Google search tells me that Wellber has been appointed to the Vienna Volksoper, effective September this year. Maybe he feels this to be too big a commitment to combine with the BBC Phil, but I agree that it seems to be a very sudden departure if conductors of two Proms have had to be changed at short notice.

Good that their previous gaffer was available this evening to conduct a work he likes, methinks.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Good that their previous gaffer was available this evening to conduct a work he likes, methinks.

Amazing how few comments there are on this - a few years back there would have been dozens by now.
In many ways a much more interesting concert than the Sinfonia of London on Saturday night.