The Arts Desk - Classical Music at the BBC Proms
A visiting American orchestra stole the limelight this week as the BBC Proms continue to dominate the classical calendar in the UK.
Conductor Sir Colin Davis attacked Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the London Philharmonic Orchestra with ambition and scope as he was determined to conquer it. The challenging task that the chorus faced was met with unfailing bravery and energy, while soloist Sarah Connolly was fully in charge of her vocal colours.
Young cellist Nathalie Clein confidently guided the audience through Gubaidulina's modernist, Russian-tinged music, with beauty and ugliness in controlled balance at Saturday's Matinee concert at Cadogan Hall, where there was an otherworldly experience of contemporary classical music. Saturday Matinee's showcase just how diverse and broad the programming for the Proms really is as the pure sound of the BBC singers was brought out by the Renaissance pastiche of the Tippet.
With conductor Manfred Honeck delivering a typically idiosyncratic version of Mahler Five which was bright, brash and bracing, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra were in fine fettle on Tuesday night. The spectral Lohengrin Overture and Wolfgang Rihm's ethereal violin concerto Gesungene Zeit proved that they could also do meet and mild when it suited them and the result was riveting.
A well-chosen curiosity by Walter Braunfels, a vivid orchestral variation of a Berlioz song was performed by the same orchestra the previous night and had its own swaggering charm in this cut-down version. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 again leaned too far towards the strident however, as the drama and urgency was pushed out by conductor Honeck at the expense of coherence.
The best classical CD releases of the week include Yuri Bashmet's outstanding pairing of Brahms and Tchaikovsky and an intriguing collection by contemporary composer Leonid Desyatnikov. The bargain box set of the flamboyant, entertaining and yet neglected Russian composer Rheingold Glire was also impressive.
Conductor Sir Colin Davis attacked Beethoven's Missa Solemnis with the London Philharmonic Orchestra with ambition and scope as he was determined to conquer it. The challenging task that the chorus faced was met with unfailing bravery and energy, while soloist Sarah Connolly was fully in charge of her vocal colours.
Young cellist Nathalie Clein confidently guided the audience through Gubaidulina's modernist, Russian-tinged music, with beauty and ugliness in controlled balance at Saturday's Matinee concert at Cadogan Hall, where there was an otherworldly experience of contemporary classical music. Saturday Matinee's showcase just how diverse and broad the programming for the Proms really is as the pure sound of the BBC singers was brought out by the Renaissance pastiche of the Tippet.
With conductor Manfred Honeck delivering a typically idiosyncratic version of Mahler Five which was bright, brash and bracing, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra were in fine fettle on Tuesday night. The spectral Lohengrin Overture and Wolfgang Rihm's ethereal violin concerto Gesungene Zeit proved that they could also do meet and mild when it suited them and the result was riveting.
A well-chosen curiosity by Walter Braunfels, a vivid orchestral variation of a Berlioz song was performed by the same orchestra the previous night and had its own swaggering charm in this cut-down version. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 again leaned too far towards the strident however, as the drama and urgency was pushed out by conductor Honeck at the expense of coherence.
The best classical CD releases of the week include Yuri Bashmet's outstanding pairing of Brahms and Tchaikovsky and an intriguing collection by contemporary composer Leonid Desyatnikov. The bargain box set of the flamboyant, entertaining and yet neglected Russian composer Rheingold Glire was also impressive.
About the Author:
Steve Alexander works as an arts writer and has gained a considerable knowledge of the world of classical music in the UK. Visit theartsdesk.com for the latest overnight classical music reviews and more.
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