Why no reviews this summer? Well, I’ve been spending a lot of time at the Proms, the annual classical (and not-so-classical) music festival sponsored by BBC Radio 3 and headquartered at the Royal Albert Hall.
The programme this year had a low-key theme of American music (happy 250th birthday, USA!) With 86 concerts over two months, though, there was something for everyone, with performances from a wide variety of ensembles, soloists, and composers from the UK and abroad.
If you’re interested in how to book the best seats the next time Proms season comes around, check out this guide (tickets normally go on sale in May). In the meantime, here’s some reflections on the summer of shows – read on to hear about the performance that moved me to tears, and get a recommendation for a must-see concert for next season.
July 19 – Black Dyke Band (★★★)
This early-season performance from the Yorkshire-based band was full of the rich tones befitting a brass ensemble. That said, their sound didn’t quite resonate to our seats in the Circle, and their arrangements of popular tunes from Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean left some of the dynamism of the original soundtracks behind. Nevertheless, this was a perfectly pleasant way to enter the Proms season, with a soundscape not found too often on the stage.
Listen on BBC Sounds
July 21 – Also sprach Zarathustra (★★★★★)
The billing for this show was Richard Strauss’ tone poem, inspired by Nietzsche and made famous by 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a wide variety of future imitators. But the true highlight of the evening was violin soloist Sueye Park’s virtuosic performance in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor, which quite literally brought tears to my eyes. Do yourself a favour and have a listen on iPlayer or BBC Sounds, then tell me if it isn’t one of the most beautiful things you hear this week.
Watch on iPlayer (only Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor)
Watch on iPlayer (only Also sprach Zarathustra)
August 2 – Mahler’s 1st by Heart (★★★★★)
The Aurora Orchestra, led by principal conductor Nicholas Collon, has been performing their “By Heart” series at the Proms for over a decade. The first half of each performance is a “musical and dramatic exploration” of the piece at hand, exploring how the composer’s personal experiences and explicit intentions are expressed in the music. After the interval, the symphony is played straight through. Part concert, part theatre, and part musicology lecture, this year’s performance investigated how Mahler’s upbringing in Bohemia and childhood trauma influenced his first symphony.
The formula works incredibly well in making you deeply engaged in any work of music, so much so that it’s easy to forget the “party trick” of the performance. For the entire event, the orchestra (and the conductor) are performing “by heart” – from memory. The result is a performance where both the audience and players are unusually familiar with the piece at hand, and it results in an electric atmosphere. I’ve seen the “By Heart” performance each summer, and it’s the one show I’ll book without a second thought – a true must-see when Aurora inevitably returns to next year’s Proms.
August 11 – Dudamel & the LA Philharmonic: Beethoven and Adès (★★★★★)
One of Gustavo Dudamel’s last performances with the LA Phil (just this September he became music director for the New York Philharmonic), and the first time in nearly 25 years the LA Philharmonic had been at the Proms, this programme did not disappoint. The evening was a great reminder that some of the best value seats at the Proms are in the Choir, with a front-row seat to see and hear the artistic excellence of the orchestra and the infectious enthusiasm of the conductor. Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ symphony was exquisite, but unexpectedly enjoyable was the Proms premiere of British composer’s Thomas Adès’ ballet score Dante – Part 1: Inferno, which deftly bridged modern composition and classical motifs. Playful, exciting, and intriguing, it made me say something I don’t know if I’ve ever said before: “I want to go see the ballet.”
Listen on BBC Sounds
August 14 – Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul (★★★★)
What does it take to get the audience of the Royal Albert Hall on their feet, clapping, and singing along? Well, aside from Prom Praise, just the timeless classics of Motown icon Marvin Gaye, and some powerhouse performances from Luke James and a bevy of other talented soul performers. I don’t think it’d be possible to leave this performance without a smile – more of this, please!
August 24 – American Classics (★★★★)
Well, they’re right – these were American classics! Copland, Gershwin, Bernstein…not too shabby a way to spend an evening. Blink and you’d miss the sly introduction to the evening, though, Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman – a riff on Copland dedicated to the evening’s conductor, Marin Alsop. Cool flex.
August 31 – Enchanted – Alan Menken’s Music for Disney (★★★★)
This rousing performance more than met the brief, with seasoned West End performers (including stars of previously-reviewed performances Stewart Clarke and Celinde Schoenmaker), eager-eyed members of the National Youth Music Theatre, and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra combining to perform the socks off some of Menken’s (and by extension, Disney’s) best songs. The multi-generational group of performers mirrored the audience, filled with families of all ages (including my own). An audience of five thousand brought together by music, in the spectacular confines of Royal Albert Hall – you couldn’t ask for a much better way to end a season at the Proms.
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