Elder Conducts ‘A Mass of Life’
Royal Albert Hall
Sir Mark Elder is conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra tonight, and he's a big proponent of Delius. I've never heard of him, but after this show I'm left wanting more! It's deeply romantic [Elder tells us], very moving, and there's an immediacy of power...
I'm spooning out my avocados as the music begins, for it's Monday night and a quickie eggs-and-avocado-on-toast (a regular go-to) is on the menu. It certainly does start powerfully, with a choral ensemble (we've had quite a lot of choral over the last few evenings). Unlike last night, I'm not seeing a regal coronation in my mind, but something more generally benevolent. It's like a celebration of... life itself?! Maybe I'm on board with this!
The ensemble quietens, and we're taken to a more operatic part, with one bloke telling a story I don't understand. I'm imagining him in full lederhosen - not just because of the German thing, but because there's a mild (only mild) jollity about it. A female voice joins in, and later a subtle ensemble hovers underneath them. They all fly together with erratic beauty (like a group of butterflies, is how I picture it).
As standard, I scrub the dishes during the interval.
Tonight we hear a lot about the sublimity of the music, but we hear not of "it's another capacity crowd at the Royal Albert Hall!". How can that be, one wonders, if the music is so great? (And it is great, by the way). My hunch is that we are now starting to enter the 'Deep Proms' area of the run, by which I mean this: these are now the more esoteric shows, for which invited opinion is still quietly reserved for your Oxbridge academics, clergy, Etonian hooray Henries, and me. Gone is the effortful display of diversity on the stage - and with that, presumably, in the arena. But that's not to discount anybody's opinion, because they do all count. And I try to not allow my own biases obscure my interpretation of the raw music.
The second half has a completely different feel. Much slower, but it's still peaceful and joyous. The choral motifs are reminding me of Christmas carols, and they are every bit as wonderful. It's a bit Walt Disney in places, and the image that comes to my mind (honestly) is the handsome prince expressing his improper longing for Snow White when she rejects his advances. It's an outdated image, I know - but there's a more appropriate and up-to-date one to be found in this beautiful music, as long as enough people are asked.
Gets a bit more celebratory towards the end - she must have woken up!
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