2013 Proms Season Preview - Hot off the Press

2013's Proms season opens by introducing one of its major themes, Polish composers, and closes “with the sound of a glass ceiling being broken.” Marin Alsop is to be the first female conductor to take the podium at the famous Last Night. Pleasing though this is as a well-deserved accolade, perhaps more interesting musically is her performance of Brahms' German Requiem, with the OAE, which appropriately follows his Tragic Overture (Prom 46, Sat 17^th August). The concert logically places Schumann alongside Brahms, informing the understanding of both these German composers' works.

The Polish music strand – a prominent element also in last year's Edinburgh Festival – features several works by Lutoslawski, whose 'Variations on a Theme by Paganini' are accompanied by the perhaps better known ones by Rachmaninov as part of the opening night (Prom 1, Fri 12^th July). Preceding and following the Paganini-inspired works are two different portraits of the sea: centenarian Benjamin Britten's Four Sea Songs with Roderick Williams as the soloist, and the vast Sea Symphony of Vaughan Williams, a fellow English composer of the twentieth century.

Homage is also paid to Lutoslawski in the world premiere of a new work by Thomas Ades, 'Totentanz', where the composer will conduct his own work with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on Wed 17^th July (Prom 8). The same concert also features Lutoslawski's own work, the cello concerto written for Rostropovich is here played by the enjoyable Paul Watkins, and more Britten – Sinfonia da Requiem - an evening indeed of tribute. This Prom will be shown live on television, as well as of course being broadcast on BBC Radio Three. Another highlight of the Polish strand is the opportunity to hear a live performance of Gorecki's (third) Symphony of Sorrowful Songs – Prom 71, Wed 4^th Sept with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vanska and BBC New Generation Artist Ruby Hughes in the soprano solo role popularised by Dawn Upshaw.

The season opens with one of classical music's best-known sets of variations, but an easily overlooked highlight is the premiere of his own piano concerto by a composer-pianist best known for one of the twentieth century's great sets of variations – The People United Will Never be Defeated - Frederic Rzewski, who performs with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on Monday 19^th August (Prom 50). This late-night slot also includes Morton Feldman's meditative Coptic Light, heard last year in Edinburgh but still performed live only occasionally. Another piano highlight is the return of Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who performs Ravel's upbeat jazz-inspired Concerto in G with the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, who will also go on to play Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, Sat 24^th Aug, Prom 56.

Concerti for the violin are also amongst the attractions of the season: Daniel Hope pays a visit (Mon July 29^th, Prom 21) to the BBC Proms from his increasingly international schedule to perform Prokovief's Second Concerto, programmed alongside Shostakovich's Symphony No 11, The Year 1905, described as 'two twentieth century masterpieces'. There is also a Colin Matthews premiere to start the evening. BBC National Orchestra of Wales are conducted by their new principal conductor Thomas Sondergad, who makes his Proms debut this year. James Macmillan's haunting 2010 concerto is being performed by its dedicatee, the Russian Vadim Repin under popular Scottish maestro Donald Runnicles and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (Sat 3^rd August, Prom 28).

In recent years the Proms have included a chamber music strand, usually on Monday lunchtimes at the Cadogan Hall in Chelsea. It's good to see the music of Elizabeth Maconchy – which has been written about here before – included in this programme. Her Third String Quartet is alongside the Brahms Piano Quintet on Mon 26^th August, at lunchtime with BBC Radio Three New generation Artists, the Signum Quartet (Proms Chamber Music 7).

Further details of all these and other events at www.bbc.co.uk/proms.

Scottish Chamber Orchestra perform new James Macmillan Oboe Concerto with Francis Leleux

Last time I saw Oboist Francis Leleux play live was at the Barbican, where he premiered the double-concerto commissioned for himself and his wife, violoinist Lisa Batiashvelli, from Giya Kancheli. Leleux is both a virtuoso player and has sought to expand his instrument's repertoire by commissioning new works such as this. 

It was a pleasure to hear his playing again yesterday, when the Scottish capital was honoured by his visit to perform a new concerto by Glaswegian composer James Macmillan. Although first performed in 2010 in Birmingham, this had received its Scottish premiere only this week, the SCO touring this programme starting in Perth on Wednesday. (There's another chance to see it – highly recommened – tonight at Glasgow's City Halls). It was written for Nicholas Daniel and the Britten Sinfonia but was performed more than ably by Leleux, who received enthusiastic applause from a near-capacity audience at Edinburgh's Queens Hall.

This concerto has a relatively traditional form, with an inner slow movement enclosed by faster-tempo-ed opening and closing ones. However it builds gradually in layered textures, remniscent of Macmillan's Tuireadh, into which the soloist interjects with increasing instance. (Both these works are made in response to tragedies  this to the 9/11 atocities in New York, Tuireadh to the Piper Alpha disaster.) A sudden increase of pace in the first movement calls for virtuostic playing from all, then after a closing coda for the soloist, which is one of the work's highlights, a more introspectively mooded second movement is characterised by dialogue between the soloist and the other winds. The closing movement is fast paced and exuberant, re-stating some material from the opening and then ending on a sudden rush of sound.

The SCO performed well under Thierry Fischer throughout the evening. The concert opened with the concert suite from Stravinsky's well-known Pulcinella, its emphasis on the oboe serving as an introduction to the concerto for that instrument which would follow. This work for me is very much associated with the performances by Ballet Rambert, which I saw several times in the 1980s. It is a reminder of how important writing for ballet was in Stravinsky's major works. Fischer's account here was both thoughtful and feeling, but never losing pace. A particular highlight was the jazz-influenced section of the sixth movement, where the beat and syncopation were palpable.

The strongly rhythmic final movement of Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony (which closed the concert in the second half) – Saltarello, a jumping dance – was also particularly enjoyable. However the highlight of this work, which inevitably had a hard task following the Macmillan premiere, was arguably its slow second movement which evokes Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.

There was a palpable excitement to seeing playing of this quality. Combined with a programme which had an uplifting, sunny and joyful mood, this music contrasted with the damp chilly night to be an evening to dispel the January gloom.

It's a shame this couldn't have been recorded for later broadcast by BBC Radio Three, as it was a particularly enjoyable performance. If you want to hear it, the only chance is to get to Glasgow this evening.

There is though, another performance of the Pulcinella suite, this time played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra on Wed 6th Feb at 7.30pm at the Maida Vale studios and broadcast live on BBC Radio Three.

Jonathan Harvey Dies

 News broke last week of the sad death of composer and musical academic Jonathan Harvey, at his home in Sussex. In addition to his considerable output in several musical genres, he also taught at the south coast's universities, in Southampton and at Sussex University in Brighton. He had been known to be suffering from a terminal neurological illlness for some time.

A tribute was given by Tom Service in Radio Three's Music Matters last weekend which included an extract from his recent work, the opera Wagner's Ring, which drew also on the interest in Buddhism for which he was known.

Also coming up …..

If you're not in town at the weekend or are otherwise engaged, the BBC's Saturday night opera (also available on iPlayer) is the recent ENO production of Vaughan Williams' rarely performed Pilgrim's Progress. This is followed by a musical tribute to Hans Werner Henze, who sadly died recently.

Further ahead, on December 6^th, the Kings Place welcomes the Brodsky Quartet to perform live two of the most seminal works of the contemporary repertoire in one evening – George Crumb's Black Angels and Schubert's Death and the Maiden - as part of their 40th birthday celebrations.

 

If you're in Edinburgh, tomorrow sees the Edinburgh performance of a multi-media work with Red Note Ensemble, The Intoxicating Rose Garden,  based on the poems of 14^th century Persian mystic Hafez (whose work also inspired Szymanowski,'s The Song of the Night), with music by Sally Beamish. It's at the Traverse.

Next month Red Note have a late night evening of meditative music at St Giles' Cathedral on 19th (repeated in Glasgow the following day) leading up to their site-specific work at Edinburgh's Summerhall  marking the winter solstice, The End of the World.  

Brahms Chamber Works this Weekend

If you're in London this weekend, there's an excellent programme of Brahms' chamber music at King's Place, as part of this venue's Brahms Unwrapped Experience programme.

  

On Friday evening, the Endymion are combining both Clarinet Sonatas with the Clarinet Trio and the very lovely Horn Trio. This is a high-value generously programmed evening of performance, Brahms' writing for the clarinet being some of the most enjoyable in the chamber repertoire.

On Saturday, his two contrasting sonatas for the Cello are played by Natalie Clein, who performed Gubaidulina's demanding and beautiful concerto for that instrument at this year's Chamber Proms.

Scottish Music

If you've enjoyed   In the Locked Room by Huw Watkins, there's an opportunity to hear more of his music on Monday – but you'll need to be in Aberdeen, or else to tune into Radio Three. His new Piano Trio is being played by the Kungsbacka Trio, alongside Beethoven's 'Ghost' trio for the same forces and Rachmaninov's 'Trio Elegiaque', in memory of Tchaikovsky.

Radio Three has some other enjoyable Scottish offerings in the meantime. Today's Lunchtime Concert [available for seven days via iPlayer] featured the Aronovitz Quartet's recital at Orkney's midsummer St Magnus Festival , where they gave the premiere of a new work by Judith Weir, Distance and Enchantment. Also on the programme were Korngold and Shostakovich's Piano Quintets. The standard of playing was very high, and this performance will repay more than one hearing. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to listen to it all over again straight away !

Another pre-recorded broadcast from the St Magnus Festival will be given tomorrow, also at 1pm, this time the Trondheim soloists playing Bartok and Greig in the St Magnus Cathedral itself, (the Aronowitz recital being instead in Stromness Town Hall).

This is a welcome opportunity for listeners unable to travel to Orkney to hear some of the excellent offerings at this festival, which takes place each summer in these beautiful but remote islands north of Scotland.

Rare Live Performance of Important Twentieth Century Variations

Monday last saw a live performance of Frederick Rzewski's 'The People United Shall Never Be Defeated' at Edinburgh University's Reid Concert Hall, also broadcast live on Radio Three, as part of a piano recital by BBC New Generation Artist Igor Levit. Mr Levit also played Debussy and Brahms (well). This excellent recital is available on the BBC iPlayer  and I've taken the opportunity to listen to it several more times since Monday's performance.

Rzewski's variations, written in 1975 as a companion piece for Beethoven's Diabelli variations, are an important twentieth century series and this was a welcome opportunity to hear it performed live. A virtuostic pianist himself, who has been compared to Glenn Gould,  he majors in writing for his own instrument. American born, he taught composition for many years in The Hague.

This performance is given with considerable verve  and panache. Mr Levit, although early in his career yet, plays with confidence and assurance but also in a way which is fresh and energetic. In comparison with the enjoyable recording of this work by Marc-Andre Hamelin on Hyperion, through which I became familiar with this remarkable work, it is easier here to be more aware of the extended techniques such as slamming the lid of the piano or whistling into it. There's also a budget recording on Naxos by Ralph van Raat. This review by one of Rzewski's students, is very illuminating.

It has also been salutary listening to this again after hearing the news of the death of Hans Werner Henze (see below). Henze, like members of my own family was imprisoned by the British for being German, having served reluctantly in the German army as a conscript in the last year of the second world war, despite coming from a socialist and pro-Jewish background. His experiences confirmed in him a life-long hatred and fascism. In his search for tolerance and internationalism, he spent much of his life away from Germany and his Sixth Symphony was premiered in Cuba. Perhaps this left wing call for unity is a fitting tribute to him ?

Rzewski's music is much more overtly political in its source material (such as this; also the Winsboro Cotton Mills and Down By the Riverside (based on a negro spiritual)), but unlike Henze, when asked about the influence of  Marxism on his creative processes, he replied "Groucho ?"