Vienna Philharmonic Plays Mozart and Tchaikovsky

Vienna Philharmonic Plays Mozart and Tchaikovsky
Royal Albert Hall

It is my second Prom of the day, thanks to being a day late with 'Vienna Philharmonic Plays Bruckner’s Ninth'. And there's even more bad news, because tonight there is also going to be another one of those 'late night' Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. This means that - like Sunday just gone - I am once again facing a day with no less than three Proms to listen to and consider.

My notes on Berg and  Bruckner from yesterday evening's Prom were not complimentary, but I am wondering if I may have had a different opinion on these pieces had I heard them on the first week of the Proms, as opposed to the last. Without a doubt, I am in need of resuscitation in music form. Mozart and Tchaikovsky are surely going to deliver on this?

Mozart's Symphony No. 38, has been nicknamed the 'Prague' symphony. Apparently the city adored his Marriage of Figaro, awarding it more success at the time than Vienna did. To date I have not visited Prague, save for this June just gone, when I was caught in traffic on the outskirts of the city, on the way to Pilsen with a couple of friends. This was where I was to first encounter the delight of the Pilsner Urquell brewery and its fresh tank beer. [Hoping to intersect the Czech capital sometime next year, or in the near future.]

It is not until about thirty minutes into the music that I (finally) get the instrumental flavours I am in such desperate need of. It's Mozart who, as I have already remarked, to me does tend to convey some tasteful pomp. It offers something of a jump start for me, which will now hopefully see me through to Saturday [the Last Night of the Proms].

Right now I am not capable of a running commentary on a nearly hour-long symphony like Tchaikovsky's number six, except to say that I recognise the style as his. It offers all the elegance of fine dining, and I am not left wanting a bag of chips on the way home.

Photo by me [Edinburgh city].

Vienna Philharmonic Plays Bruckner’s Ninth

Vienna Philharmonic Plays Bruckner’s Ninth

Royal Albert Hall

I am a day late in listening to this Prom. The live broadcast was 19:30 on Monday 8th September. However, at that time I was in Edinburgh on a work visit with a colleague, and we took some time to look at the city and get a decent evening meal. The last time I was in Edinburgh was way back in 2013 [went to see Hugh Laurie play some blues piano at the Edinburgh Playhouse]. Prior to then, I had visited twice before with my family. Once in August 2006, when we saw The Goodies: Still Alive on Stage at the Assembly Rooms as part of the Edinburgh (Fringe) Festival. And another time in 2009. Both in 2006 and 2009 we saw the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, at the castle. I mention all this because I made a point of taking my Goodies T-shirt [not worn often in public but always a conversation starter] with me yesterday, and by chance I stepped back into the foyer of the Assembly Rooms where I bought said garment, just over nineteen years ago. Otherwise - saw the houses of James Clark Maxell and Robert Louis Stevenson, and ate heartily at the Hard Rock Cafe.

I am therefore back at home listening to this Prom on BBC Sounds, early evening of Tuesday 9th September. It is the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which are branded as 'one of the world's great orchestras'. [How did I know that was going to be the case? Must be a cultural birthright to all things Viennese]. 

And speaking of Scotland, I do wonder if this first piece, Lulu Suite by Alban Berg, has any association with the energetic Glaswegian singer of the same forename? I am sorry to say that it does not, which is a shame. In reality, there does not seem to be a lot of 'energy' to the piece at all, and all dramatic motifs are drawn from some book of cliches. I wish not to insult Alban Berg, as I am not familiar with any of his other works or background, but God it's boring.

There is some chat in the interval about the 'curse of the ninth,' which I myself pondered upon during the Beethoven's Ninth Prom, a few weeks ago [at least I think it was a few weeks ago - it's all blending into one, now].

Maybe it's just the mood I'm in, but I am left similarly unenthralled by Bruckner's ninth. As the programme concludes, one pertinent question lingers within me: have I really sacrificed Coronation Street for this?

Grieg’s Piano Concerto

Grieg’s Piano Concerto

Royal Albert Hall

It's the final of today's three Proms, and the mental fatigue is cutting deep. I got through the two earlier Proms on BBC Sounds a few hours behind their live broadcasts, and I had just eight minutes to spare before switching to Radio 3 for this live broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall, starting at the usual 19:30 hours.

It's Petroc [Terlawny] presenting tonight, so I know I'm in safe hands. But wait a second, what is this interference? It sounds like a hall of mirrors, where the audio is repeating itself into infinity. Is it my radio signal? I turn it off and back on again, and when I return there is a a calm announcement saying something like 'we apologise for the disruption and here is some nice Bach music to soothe you.' Don't tell me it's a repeat of the MSO protests the other week? Seems like it was just a blip in the radio broadcast, and we are soon back on track, just in time for the music to start.

We begin this evening with Ruth Gipps's Death on the Pale Horse. It’s bleak to begin with, but, with a title like that, it’s to be expected. The imagery is on point, without doubt.

Next we have Lukas Sternath playing Grieg's Piano Concerto. In my most predictable quip of the season, I will declare that he manages to play all the right notes, and in all the right places. As I have already alluded to, Grieg is one of my favourites. This piano concerto offers some dramatic bromides which, while arguably not matching the intensity of the likes of Tchaikovsky's No.1, has a flavour all of its own. It's the unmistakable flavour of Grieg, and that sits on my palette like Dairy Milk.

After the interval it is The Beatitudes by Arthur Bliss. For starters, it is like we're lost in a vast forest. The weather ain't too great, either. Just had a look at the BBC Website, which says it is 'a cantata composed for the reopening in 1962 of Coventry Cathedral – part Passion, part howl of human loss, part musical prayer for a ‘troubled world’. I did already recount my school trip to Coventry cathedral in one of my earlier blogs [can't remember which one!], so I won't bother regurgitating it here. 

Photo: Pixabay.com

Angélique Kidjo: African Symphony (Bradford)

Angélique Kidjo: African Symphony

St George's Hall, Bradford

It's the second out of three Proms today. I should be cleaning my house up, but it will have to wait otherwise I am going to fall behind with the Proms and I won't be able to catch up again. [Only days left now until I get my regular routine back - keep going!]

This afternoon's Prom comes from St George's Hall in Bradford. I have never known the acquaintance of this city, and so it is news to me that there is another St George's Hall, separate to the one that so grandly defines the city of Liverpool. 

What does a middle-class white man from the Wirral know about African music? Not a lot to be honest, and it is difficult to provide commentary without blushing and/or coming across as a hollow virtue-signaller.

The African Symphony is completely unlike any other symphony I have yet heard from a European orchestra. The instrumentation is indeed 'exotic' by comparison, but here's the thing: it's a welcome break. The music is full of joy, and with a persistent beat. It's celebratory. The whole show is happy, with a party atmosphere. Angélique Kidjo shares my never-been-to-Bradford status (until today for her, of course), and she vows to come back to visit at leisure. It's a place I know very little about, so I must also add it to my list.

We are introduced to Corinne Bailey Rae, and the music up-notches! There is some beautiful fingerpicked acoustic guitar - not sure if that is her playing?!

By saying that there is a movement that reminds me of Bamboléo by The Gypsy Kings, I am no doubt cross-linking two disciplines of music in error - but that's what it sounds like.

The momentum does not drop - it's upbeat throughout, and if anything only crescendos as the programme goes on. Audience participation begins, probably involuntarily - who could not be moved to dance by this incredible music?!

The presenter Linton Stephens calls it a 'roof raising performance,' and I couldn't have put it better myself.

Image: Pixabay.com

Vaughan Williams’s ‘A London Symphony’

Vaughan Williams’s ‘A London Symphony’

Royal Albert Hall

It's Sunday morning, and this is the first of three Proms today. Christ almighty, I thought Sunday was supposed to be a day of rest, or does that not apply to the wicked? I start playing the Prom in the afternoon on BBC Sounds, while I am driving at a snail's pace on a heavily-congested M56. I need to pop into the office to collect my laptop and shoes, as I will be training it up to Edinburgh tomorrow to present at a hospital there.

And this morning, too, we are on our travels. Musically speaking, that is. We are going to Rome, Paris, and London.

I have never been to Rome [nor Italy at all - but, as I think I mentioned earlier in the run, it is high on the list]. This Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi opens up and it is pure magic. It's bright. Goes more relaxing/peaceful. A tasty piece.

For any fellow Charles Dickens fans, the Darius Milhaud's Le boeuf sur le toit [The Ox on the Roof], is full of jollity - my own mind pictures old Fezziwig's works Christmas party from A Christmas Carol.

After the interval we have the main attraction, which is Ralph Vaughan Williams's Symphony No. 2, AKA 'A London Symphony'. [I note it's //RAFE// Williams, as opposed to Rallf].

What do I think of this, then? At first I sense the cliched dark opening,  played with slow, low strings. Must be a winter's night in the capital. So he knows the city's dark side. We then get some tasteful grandeur, we must be passing through the terraces of gentry. I am starting to get the feeling that I am sitting in a Hackney on a tour of the city. 

    It goes gentle. Must be springtime in one of the royal parks. I’ll pick Hyde Park as it’s my favourite, and also because it’s in the vicinity of the Royal Albert Hall – and we couldn’t be anywhere better than that.

    I later get the sense that we are peering over a spectacular view of the city, seeing the outline of its many buildings and areas - a million stories playing out in front of us. I will bet our vantage point is either from Greenwich Park, or that view one gets at the top of the hill at Hampstead Heath.

    There's a subtle clock chime... one we ALL know. Not sure how to write it, but it goes like this: Dom-dom-dom-dom....dom-dom-dom-dom. Big Ben?

To summarise: seldom, if ever, have I been so on board with what the composer was trying to do. Maybe it's because I've roamed the streets of London so much in my adult life, making me aware of all its glories and foibles. I don't know what it is, but it's a triumph in music. I will be listening to this symphony once again, in isolation, at my earliest opportunity.

Image created with ChatGPT.

Golda Schultz Sings Gershwin and Bernstein

Golda Schultz Sings Gershwin and Bernstein
Royal Albert Hall

It's Saturday night, and I'm half cut. Had a pint and a half of Guniness at the Irby Club with my Dad and brother, and washing it down with my new friend, the Ayinger dunkel, a bottle of which I purchased at the Crafty Tavern earlier this evening. And I can't enjoy a dark ale without a bag of Maltesers and a Wispa. 

Anyone expecting a cerebral analysis of this evening's offerings at the Royal Albert Hall have come to the wrong place. But that won't stop me giving it a go. Incidentally, I am listening to this on BBC Sounds, about an hour behind the live broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Tonight it is the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and they will be playing a veritable selection of numbers. Joining them for a couple is Golda Schultz, a soprano singer. 

The first piece played is Franz Schreker's Chamber Symphony. It does not put a foot wrong.

Next we have 'By Strauss' - a composition by George Gershwin [you've no idea how long it took to get my head round that one]. This is where Golda Schultz comes in, and I'm taken aback by her vocals. I'm not actually sure what my ear was expecting from a 'soprano,' but I don't think it was quite this. It's got a Julie Andrews resonance to it, which is surely something to celebrate. And there's something near the end that reminds me of  Oom-Pah-Pah from the 1960 musical, Oliver! 

To tell you the truth, these resonate vocals are casting me back to the Viennese Waltzes Prom, earlier in the season. That is not a bad thing!

There's an edition Summertime from the opera Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin. Good grief, was that that Gershwin?! Thought it was Lana Del Ray? [Joking aside, Lana has done a pleasurable variation of this]. 

After the interval I pick up on Somewhere from West Side Story - watched that a couple of Christmases ago. 

Stravinsky's Firebird is neither here nor there.

Photo by me, 20th July 2025,

Chineke! plays Shostakovich

Chineke! plays Shostakovich
Royal Albert Hall

There has been a reprise of the clement weather this Friday, after a couple of days of sketchy showers. Cycled in to work again, and managed a 5k run afterwards. Not bad!

Tonight at the BBC Proms we have the Chineke! orchestra, which is an orchestra of all ethnically diverse musicians. A good concept, one which I'm all for. In Britain, we have made great strides in the last few years, in the recognition that we have not done enough to champion diversity, particularly in the notoriously exclusive realm of classical music. Though let us not kid ourselves into thinking that our job here is done and we now rest on our laurels. To once again give my tuppence to the topic of classical music and inclusivity: have a flick through your programme for this evening's entertainment and it will give the game away. I'll wager my hundred-grand Steinway that the advertising features will comprise preparatory and boarding schools, cruise holidays, and retirement flats on the King's Road going for two mill. I cower to wonder who the target audience for these ads is, but it's nobody I know. There's plenty of money in Formula 1 and premier league football, but their sponsors are limited to the likes of Burger King and Carlsberg.

In other news, I have now (provisionally) ordered my ticket to the Last Night of the Proms! Not over the moon about resorting to ViaGoGo for a profiteering £211, but I snatched the best resale price I've seen so far. There's no hope for me in bagging a ticket on the day, because I'll be sitting on a bus when the Promming tickets go on sale (assuming they do that for the Last Night?), with only a temperamental phone signal to rely on. Similarly, I don't mind losing the money if I save myself the embarrassment of roaming outside the hall begging anyone who'll lend a sympathetic ear to me:

    'But I've done this thing where I listened to every Prom and blogged about it!'

    'A likely story... Officer, can you help us over here please?!'

    So a re-sale ticket it is - just hope for no nasty surprises when I arrive at the Royal Albert Hall on the night🤞

I should probably get onto the music, shouldn't I?

The first piece is by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Now, I have heard of this chap before. I *think* it was from watching Lenny Henry's BBC documentary on Black classical music [Black Classical Music: The Forgotten History] a couple of years ago. I'm sure I recorded it on DVD when it was on - must root that out again sometime soon. This piece, The Bamboula, has something regal about it. Don't misunderstand me, it's not 'ceremonial' as such, but... sterling? Really, really like this. Absolutely terrific!

The second piece is Fanfare for Uncommon Times by Valerie Coleman. This one is much more modern, having been composed during the covid lockdowns. The woodwind and strings have left the stage, we are told, with just the brass and percussion left on - so that doesn't bode well. But it's not too bad, you know. As I'm listening I'm trying to think of where I was first introduced to this instrumental style. It comes to me - Hetty Wainthropp Investigates!

Next up it is Visions of Cahokia by James Lee III. Not so keen on this one when it opens, but it gets better. Much better! Builds up brilliantly, and there's a light suspense to it in my mind, even if it wasn't  the composer's intention.

After the interval it is the Shostakovich which, once again, is a rather unpleasant listen. But that is not to say the music itself is inherently unpleasant. The Radio 3 presenter sums it up as 'Forty-eight minutes of terror, two minutes of triumph.' I am completely on board with this assessment, even clocking when the triumphant part kicks in at the end!

I had already become a casual fan of Shostakovich over the last few years, via the ditties that get played on Classic FM. This BBC Proms run has snagged my curiosity of him, and I'm keen to learn more. Alexander Armstrong always sounds giddy when he announces a 'Shostakovich' [I can hear his voice now], and I am beginning to understand why.