Music
Spectacular British choral Prom: a programme of classic twentieth-century British music performed by two large choruses, the London Brass and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales conducted by Tadaaki Otaka. The stars of this evening were the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC National Chorus of Wales; the choral preparation was excellent plus the conducting was sympathetic resulting in excellent choral unison.
Read more: Prom 23: Vaughan Williams, Ireland, Delius & Walton
Precision playing from the BBC Philharmonic under Gianandrea Noseda. My feeling is that this orchestra is producing exceptional performances just now, maybe it’s the conductors, maybe it’s the new premises at the side of a disused canal at Salford Quay, Manchester. Tonight’s Mahler was cinematic in its brilliance of colours and clarity of story-telling.
Daniel Barenboim conducted a pair of fine performances of Beethoven’s later symphonies with the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra. He included many Western performing traditions but these relatively youthful performers gave energy to the music in a way that more established orchestras often do not sustain.
Big expectations for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Proms on the night of the opening of the London Olympics. The West–Eastern Divan Orchestra rose to the occasional under its conductor, Daniel Barenboim. Magnificent with a touch of the mystic and idealistic. The slow movement was intense without loosing form and direction with (at last in this cycle) a dialogue between the instruments; the choral last movement was thrilling, both with the sheer quantity of the two hundred singers from the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and the speed of the performance. A memorable evening.
Read more: Prom 18: Beethoven Cycle – Symphony No. 9, 'Choral'
Is Daniel Barenboim’s West–Eastern Divan Orchestra a political orchestra or a musical orchestra? As they reach the pivotal centre of their cycle of Beethoven’s symphonies, the question becomes more apparent. The visionary project of an orchestra that unites through music the various cultures of the Middle East has aught the imagination of a number of funding bodies and clearly there are some brilliant soloists in the orchestra. Programming short pieces of Pierre Boulez’s music alongside the Viennese symphonic masterpieces is similarly visionary and probably makes good television and any concert which concludes with Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is almost bound to send the crowd away pleased.
