Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London
I shall be diplomatic about Cassandra Miller’s I cannot love without trembling (viola and orchestra): it’s not for me.
Shostakovich Four is another matter. Withdrawn shortly before its premiere in 1936 – the composer had already been denounced by Stalin through official channels for his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk – and would wait twenty-five years to reach its debut. Nightmarish, strident, ironic, surreal, ultimately tragic, and a whole lot more, music that is continually unfolding over three movements and roughly an hour. John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic gave an immaculately prepared account, searching and vivid, with such as the frenzied fugue that erupts during the first movement burning itself into one’s consciousness, or the strange ambivalences of the succeeding one, or the haunting hesitating steps of the final movement that turns into sarcasm, pastiche and vaudeville acts, leaving one unprepared for the brassy, timpani-underpinned, glowering, climax, that turns to desolation. There was much to admire/compel in this Proms performance, if for me somewhat overshadowed by Tugan Sokhiev in Berlin, which Storgårds and BBC Phil will no doubt be taking into the studio soon for Chandos.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0021bpm
The 4th was totally superb in the hall: best I have heard since the first time I heard it (Halle) around 1975 under Arvids Jansons. At the tube station I met (for the second time only) Christopher Herrick who was also there and is off to Braunschweig for an organ recital soon: a young 82! Your diplomacy was kind…I rather felt sorry for the great Laurence Power having to play this aimless doodling, much of which seemed to be in the violin register thus not exploiting the viola’s unique sound. Thank you for all these Proms reviews, Colin, much valued.
Well, I am expected to offer a review.
I am in two minds. Be honest like Colin or try and see/hear something of value in this new work.
Written with obvious sincerity it nevertheless left a rather empty impression. It certainly should never have been chosen for a Prom performance. Half the hall would have been out of earshot for half of the work.
So I blame the Beeb for its misguided decision to offer this to an audience that was probably bored by the halfway mark.
28 minutes sadly that could have been better used in the name of new music.
What a lift off we had in the second half. A glorious work whose end had me in tears.
..
I agree. I heard this symphony recently with Rattle and the LSO. The Storgards BBC Phil performance outshone this fine performance. And for once the Royal Albert Hall was a huge asset, magnifying the terrifying climaxes.
I have read positive comments about Cassandra Miller’s work, but her piece was hugely disappointing.
Thanks for the review.