Photo, Sisi Burn
Sunday, July 23, 2023
Royal Albert Hall, London
Helen Grime’s Meditations on Joy (BBC co-commission: UK premiere) conveys a range of emotions and circumstances, private sadness to begin with, strings dominant, contrasted with much public angst expressed through dissonant flaring brass; then the music sprays forward with mercurial speed and spectral glints; finally, a gentler ebb and flow, light and shade suggestive of reconciliation, the music more consonant. It’s an impressive (fifteen-minute) piece, maybe not commensurate with its title … but, then, what is joy?
(The interval discussion included a shameless Radio 3 contrivance – the inclusion of part of Tchaikovsky Six, the recording used not specified, just to preview the next Prom, which means R3 listeners need spoon-feeding.)
As for Beethoven Nine, an honest and worthy performance, details and dynamics attended to, Is dotted and Ts crossed, very well played. The first movement lacked for mystery initially, although greater speed and power was found later there was little sense of breaking boundaries. The Scherzo (with all repeats observed, important) sprinted, although the timpani interjections were sometimes muddied, and the Trio flew by, persuasively. A broad tempo and expressive largesse informed the slow movement, Adagio-Andante contrasts subtly made, some very fine woodwind-playing and the solo for the fourth horn came off well. Any chance of an attacca into the Finale was sabotaged by a pre-emptive attack of clapping (not for the first time) by a selfish few, and when the music got going, inspired by Schiller’s words, there was indeed joy, high-standard choral singing and notable vocal solos, Ryan Wigglesworth avoiding being metronomic, opening up the grand passages if, ultimately, not quite capping what had gone before, for the coda was a little earthbound, a rush of blood to the head avoided.
Eleanor Dennis (soprano)
Karen Cargill (mezzo-soprano)
Nicky Spence (tenor)
Michael Mofidian (bass-baritone)
Wearing a hat woven with gut strings and stretched with calf skin, one could argue that an atttacca from movement 3-4 in Beethoven 9 would have been impossible in 1824 because timpani of the time would have had to be re-tuned from Bb/F to A/D. On the other hand, I daresay that LvB would have relished the possibility of calm Bb major being shattered by that fabulous scrunch chord which opens the Finale. Discuss!
As explained by the timpanist in rehearsal. Whisperings of those present suggested 2 sets of timps – but budget cuts being what they are perhaps we are back in 1824…
3 drums when I did it. B flat to A just needs a flick on the pedal if you know your drums.
I would take issue with the ‘high standard choral singing’ comment. I thought that at times the male voices were straining for the high notes, and were a little flat.
I agree! I was disappointed. I was also surprised that the choir used scores as nowadays most big choruses do not. I have sung Beethoven 9 many times with a major English choir and professional orchestra and it has been from memory for at least 10 years. The advantage being the choral sound is projected out and not into the scores! Even visually you could see the tenors and basses were the worst offenders in this respect – heads down sound muffled.
The issue of audience members wanting to be the first to clap and/or yelp, presumably to be heard on radio/tv or pretend to be bona fide classical music aficionados has long been a problem. This has now spilled over into clapping between movements which is clearly inappropriate at the best of times. However, to do so to break the spell at the end of the Adagio, thus ruining the harmonic effect that Beethoven clearly wanted of the gentle B-flat chords leading to the violently bitonal opening of the Finale with B-flat at the top of the texture is just ignorance. I was in the RAH and I don’t think it was started by the Prommers.
Most disappointing 9th. Last time we heard this live was in Berlin in Barenboim’s opera house. He conducted. It was ELECTRIC. Wow.
Quite, Francis. John Lennon’s comment at a Royal Variety performance: ‘the rest of you just rattle your jewellery’ comes to mind. One suspects that it wasn’t indeed the promenaders who prompted inappropriate applause; rather the champagne guzzlers in the boxes!
Why do modern audiences insist on clapping between movements in any waitlist. It started on the first night with the Grieg piano concerto. And, as for the disastrous high tempo of the SLOW movement in the Beethoven 9th?! Obscene haste, look back ( not in anger) to Leonard Bernstein’s version on YouTube, played at almost half the speed. That’s how you give Beethoven true justice to the most sublime skis movement in any pre-Mahler work!