BBC Proms 2019 Season: Glazunov 5 concert

[Alan Howe]

The only remotely UC-related programme:

Saturday 17th August: Prom 41 - LPO/Vladimir Jurowski

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Mlada – suite
Sergey Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor (original version, 1891)
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov: Baba-Yaga; Kikimora; From the Apocalypse
Alexander Glazunov: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major

[Gareth Vaughan]

Not quite, Alan, I see Clara Schumann's PC gets an outing, as does Dorothy Howell's Tone Poem "Lamia" (a beautifully scored work, reminiscent of Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe") - in fact, the second time in recent years (it was programmed in the 2010 season) that this piece (first performed 1919) has appeared at a Prom concert, having not been heard before that season since 1950 when it was played by the Croydon Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ralph Nicholson.
But, other than the concert you refer to and these works, there is nothing much to get excited about.

[Alan Howe]

...but neither is part of a predominantly unsung programme, which was my meaning. Points taken, though.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Yes. OK. Fair enough - but how often do we get a programme of predominantly unsung music at The Proms??!  Oh, that some controller of Radio 3 would be brave enough to programme a concert devoted entirely to Raff, for example! There is enough good music - as we know.

[Alan Howe]

Almost never. It's a forlorn hope.

[eschiss1]

Even the program I attended 20-odd years ago - Debussy / Boulanger / Sibelius - had a significant enough work (2 Boulanger psalms) in the program, including one I'd heard of but never heard (Walter Simmons had mentioned Boulanger's setting of De Profundis in a Fanfare review as a possible coupling for Novák's in an all-20th century De Profundis setting (instrumental and vocal) program - I still haven't heard the Novák or the other works he suggested; in the event, Boulanger's was stunning, as I know I've said before)... that the question didn't really matter, I think.

BBC 3's overall programming strikes me personally as still enviable, compared to what's generally available here and given my tastes, but I know that's offtopic. (Interestingly, the modern composer whose music is featured right now on 3, Caroline Shaw, I first heard of when a work of hers was played - and she herself appeared- on a TV show called Mozart in the Jungle.)

[Christopher]

The only remotely UC-related programme:

Saturday 17th August: Prom 41 - LPO/Vladimir Jurowski

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Mlada – suite
Sergey Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor (original version, 1891)
Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov: Baba-Yaga; Kikimora; From the Apocalypse
Alexander Glazunov: Symphony No. 5 in B flat major

I'd go for Kikimora alone even though it's only 8 minutes long.  One of the most atmospheric pieces in the whole late-romantic Russian repertoire.  It's been recorded a lot actually, though still manages to be "unsung"...if that makes sense?

[Alan Howe]

Oh, that makes perfect sense - oft recorded, but hardly ever included in concerts...

[eschiss1]

Not much Lyadov programmed anywhere though I do see a few performances of The Enchanted Lake this year elsewhere. Anyhow, that looks like a good concert for that and the also still not-that-often-programmed (I think?) Glazunov symphony.

[semloh]

I never fail to be thoroughly disheartened by the BBC Proms, in relation to performers and repertoire (I have railed against them before on UC so won't repeat it here). It's an opportunity to showcase British musical talent, past and present, to the world, and a chance to air some of the neglected music of the unsungs, but it's an opportunity rarely taken.

[mbhaub]

It's not just the Proms concerts that are disheartening. I've been going through playlists for summer festivals in the USA. From Hollywood Bowl, Aspen, Vail, Grant Tetons, Ravinia, Blossom, Round Top, Tanglewood and more. It's all the same. Nothing you wouldn't encounter in a normal season. Beethoven, Bernstein, Mahler, Brahms, Tchaikovsky....so unimaginative. Cleveland is giving Zemlimsky's The Mermaid an outing. And lots of John Williams. I guess Star Wars and Harry Potter sell a lot of tickets.

[semloh]

Yes, I'm not surprised. It's the same here in Australia. Maybe our Unsung Composers are continuing to be neglected because "adventurous" programmes are including film and videogame music instead! If I hear any more Star Wars I'll scream!

[Mark Thomas]

In his review of this week's Proms performances in the Sunday Times today, Paul Driver describes Glazunov's Fifth as "an academic, even tedious affair, sidestepping the interesting at every point". Glazunov's Fifth? Really? I'm away from home, so I can't see the performance on catch up, but were Vladimer Jurowski and the London Philharmonic that bad? Or is this yet another case of critical bias?

[brendangcarroll]

It was a FABULOUS concert and performance, and will be repeated on August 27 at 2pm on R3. It was so good, I plan to listen again. Not only was the Glazunov superb (it is one of my favourite of his symphonies) but we got to hear the original FIRST version of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 1 which was fascinating! It was brilliantly played by Alexander Ghindin. 

[Mark Thomas]

Thanks for confirming my faith in one of the most impressive of Russian symphonies, Brendan. Driver's review of the whole concert was at best damning with faint praise, and I rather assumed that he was prejudiced against the Glazunov even before Jurowski raised his baton.