Prom 38: Tchaikovsky, Missy Mazzoli and Prokofiev (14.08.22)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Sunday 14 August 2022
Royal Albert Hall

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (suite)
Missy Mazzoli: Violin Concerto (Procession) BBC co-commission: European première
Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (excerpts)

Jennifer Koh (violin)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Santtu-Matias Rouvali (conductor)

Enchantment, potions, and deep emotions suddenly transforming into passionate music. And it’s not just the star-crossed lovers of Prokofiev’s great Shakespearean ballet score. Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is a story of love blossoming under the shadow of a dark magic. Missy Mazzoli’s new Violin Concerto, ‘Procession’, meanwhile, casts the soloist (in the composer’s words) ‘as a soothsayer, sorcerer, healer and pied piper’, playing music that begins with medieval charms and ends by reaching for the sky. It’s played tonight by its dedicatee Jennifer Koh, with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Santtu Matias-Rouvali, at the end of his first (critically acclaimed) season as Music Director.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It would be helpful to know which bits of the Swan Lake ballet have been chosen for the "Suite". The usual dances are "Scene", Act II; Valse, Act I; Dande des cygnes, Act II; Pas de deux Act II; Danse hongroise (Czardas) Act III. After that, there may (or my not) be something from Act IV, usually the Finale, though my miniature score has the penultimate "Scene", which ends rather mysteriously.

[edashtav]

It would be helpful to know which bits of the Swan Lake ballet have been chosen for the "Suite". The usual dances are "Scene", Act II; Valse, Act I; Dande des cygnes, Act II; Pas de deux Act II; Danse hongroise (Czardas) Act III. After that, there may (or my not) be something from Act IV, usually the Finale, though my miniature score has the penultimate "Scene", which ends rather mysteriously.

Yes, indeed. The same applies to the Romeo and Juliet excerpts.
Missy Mazzoli - Violin Concerto lasts about 21 minutes
An earlier perfirmance may be heard here:

Mazzoli was described by The New York Times as "one of the more consistently inventive and surprising composers now working in New York",[27] and by Time Out New York as "Brooklyn's post-millennial Mozart".

https://youtu.be/0bbHjLLD99w

The youtube transcription has received two comments, so far, including the keywords ‘lugubrious’ and ‘great concerto’.

Mazzoli has been described by The New York Times as
‘one of the more consistently inventive and surprising composers now working in New York’
and by Time Out, New York as
‘Brooklyn's post-millennial Mozart’

Movements
I. Procession in a Spiral
II. St, Vitus
III. O My Soul
IV. Bone to Bone, Blood to Blood
V. Procession Ascending

Composer’s note
My Violin Concerto (Procession) casts the soloist as a soothsayer, sorcerer, healer and pied piper-type character, leading the orchestra through five interconnected healing spells. Part one, “Procession in a Spiral,” references medieval penitential processions; part two, “St. Vitus,” is an homage to the patron saint of dancing, who could reportedly cast out evil spirits; part three, “O My Soul,” is a twisted reworking of the hymn of the same name, and part four, “Bone to Bone, Blood to Blood,” derives its name from the 9th-century Merseburg Charm, a spell meant to cure broken limbs. In the final movement, “Procession Ascending,” the soloist straightens out the spiral of the first section and leads the orchestra straight into the sky. Violin Concerto (Procession) was commissioned by the National Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony for soloist Jennifer Koh.

— Missy Mazzoli

[OldTechie]

Proramme note and score here:

Violin Concerto (Procession) — Missy Mazzoli

[Ein Heldenleben]

The Philharmonia oboist is some player. Playing the B minor theme with an amazing amount of rubato…

[bluestateprommer]

It would be helpful to know which bits of the Swan Lake ballet have been chosen for the "Suite". The usual dances are "Scene", Act II; Valse, Act I; Dande des cygnes, Act II; Pas de deux Act II; Danse hongroise (Czardas) Act III. After that, there may (or my not) be something from Act IV, usually the Finale, though my miniature score has the penultimate "Scene", which ends rather mysteriously.

From hearing Martin Handley at the start (if I didn't mishear), Santtu-Matias Rouvali apparently assembled his own suite, so we'll see how close to the usual selection or suite order that he comes. Plus, given what I understand to be S-MR's quirky nature, maybe he wanted to keep the order under his hat and 'surprise' the audience at the last minute, or to have things such that only people who buy the printed programs will find out "in advance", i.e. just before the concert starts (assuming that printed Proms programs are still for sale in the RAH this season). The guess beforehand was that the obvious "hits" would be present, and several were. Plus, and this is probably a minority opinion, but I actually don't mind not knowing in advance the choice of numbers, precisely for that reason of surprise, in the spirit of jazz musicians, for example, who don't tell audiences in advance the numbers in their sets at a club.

In any case, I'll work on archiving the Tchaikovsky (and Prokofiev) selections in the Forum Calendar, once I retroactively figure out all the selections ;) . In the meantime, Missy Mazzoli's music now is holding forth.

[Petrushka]

Anyone else remember Bernard Haitink's tremendously exciting Swan Lake excerpts with the BBC SO at the 1976 Proms? An unforgettable performance in an unforgettable summer and I was listening on Radio 3, not, unfortunately, in the hall.

[Ein Heldenleben]

From hearing Martin Handley at the start (if I didn't mishear), Santtu-Matias Rouvali apparently assembled his own suite, so we'll see how close to the usual selection or suite order that he comes. Plus, given what I understand to be S-MR's quirky nature, maybe he wanted to keep the order under his hat and 'surprise' the audience at the last minute, or to have things such that only people who buy the printed programs will find out "in advance", i.e. just before the concert starts (assuming that printed Proms programs are still for sale in the RAH this season). The guess beforehand was that the obvious "hits" would be present, and several were. Plus, and this is probably a minority opinion, but I actually don't mind not knowing in advance the choice of numbers, precisely for that reason of surprise, in the spirit of jazz musicians, for example, who don't tell audiences in advance the numbers in their sets at a club.

In any case, I'll work on archiving the Tchaikovsky (and Prokofiev) selections in the Forum Calendar, once I retroactively figure out all the selections ;) . In the meantime, Missy Mazzoli's music now is holding forth.

Struck me as quite a short selection - couple of extracts from the opening birthday party , the big tune, a few dances from the other party and the big climax.
Wonderfully played - some lovely trumpet ( cornet ? ) playing..

[bluestateprommer]

Struck me as quite a short selection - couple of extracts from the opening birthday party , the big tune, a few dances from the other party and the big climax. Wonderfully played - some lovely trumpet ( cornet ? ) playing..

MH mentioned Jason Evans playing the cornet for what I take to be No. 22 (Danse Napolitaine) in the Swan Lake Suite.

I liked Missy M.'s new violin concerto. Very engaging, and well set up for the violinist, which maybe isn't a surprise, given the pre-performance chat between Jennifer Koh and Missy Mazzoli, where they chat very much like old friends. The National Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and BBC SO got their money's worth with this joint commission, IMHO. Didn't think to look if there was a radio broadcast of the work from Washington, D.C. or Cincinnati, but might start looking.

PS: Video clip from the Cincinnati SO performance of MM's Procession (according to MH, the only previous performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00AnwfRAQgQ

PPS: YT upload of what looks to be an audio-only 'video' of the full concerto:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bbHjLLD99w

[edashtav]

Mazzoli’s new Concerto is a powerful utterance composed in primary colours. The violin is propelled on its way by heavy brass interruptions. Mazzoli derives much from Process Music but her movements do not develop in a linear manner for they are broken by unexpected interjections that create almost kaleidoscopic patterns. Her idiom is fundamentally tonal which she stretches and twists in imaginative and snappy ways. I don’t feel its an accident that the work is a suite of five short movements, two of them dances, for lengthy development does not seem to be her forté. That was a disappointing feature in the context of tonight’s Prom where it was the ‘meat’ sandwiched between multi-movement ‘selections’ of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Mazzoli composes Crossover Music in an extension of the genres of John Adams and Michael Torke. All Music for Today, table wine for immediate consumption, not a vintage product to be laid down to be consumed later when it will sound mature, more complex and richer.
What you hear today is what you get, tomorrow it will pale and all of its roots will show.

Mazzoli has been described by The New York Times as
‘one of the more consistently inventive and surprising composers now working in New York’
and by Time Out, New York as
‘Brooklyn's post-millennial Mozart’

It’s great to see American critics supporting their home team.

But… Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart?



Steady on, Guys!

[alywin]

Struck me as quite a short selection - couple of extracts from the opening birthday party , the big tune, a few dances from the other party and the big climax.
Wonderfully played - some lovely trumpet ( cornet ? ) playing..

It was the best part of half an hour, so not that short. I'm afraid I found some of the extracts surprisingly pedestrian. Didn't hear the rest of the concert, as I switched over to BBC4 after that.

[Ein Heldenleben]

It was the best part of half an hour, so not that short. I'm afraid I found some of the extracts surprisingly pedestrian. Didn't hear the rest of the concert, as I switched over to BBC4 after that.

Good move - I made the enormous mistake of foregoing R and J for Marriage on BBC One . An hour of my life I will never get back.

[Andrew]

To a "Proms novice" like me this concert was a blinder! It was exquisitely played and sounded perfectly balanced to me. This one's one of the top ones for me so far!

[Pulcinella]

Four stars from The Times:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/philharmonia-rouvali-review-a-prom-of-roof-raising-power-n0zr6s836?shareToken=a3eb6b3f57b4d2aa371d3bee617d8b4f

[gradus]

The Philharmonia repeated the Tchaikovsky and Prokoviev but under the Estonian conductor Anu Tali at Snape a couple of days ago to terrific effect but I would guess with reduced forces, viz strings 10, 8, 6,6 and 4, presumably more in the RAH? She is very impressive, highly energetic and almost Solti-like but with wonderfully fluent balletic (apt) movement.