Sibelius’s Second

Sibelius’s Second

Royal Albert Hall

It's my uncle's birthday, so after work I return home for a couple of hours, then head out to Neston, where I'm to meet my family and we'll have a drink at The Harp Inn. For the uninitiated, The Harp is a cracking little pub, with a view of North Wales over a vast marshland. Ideal for this warm, late-summer evening. Even more ideal is the pint of Guinness.

So it's not until I get back in my car [for the record I only had one pint], that I join the proceedings at the Royal Albert Hall, a little behind the live broadcast, on BBC Sounds.

First up it's some music by Arvo Pärt, who we've heard from a couple of times on this Proms run, and who celebrates his ninetieth birthday this year. Yes, I'm thinking as I drive, this is exactly the sort of music I like. It's emotional, with a hint of self-indulgence (which is the best sort). This piece is called Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten. The name rings a bell [I'm not thinking of Benjamin Button, am I?]. Looking him up now, I see now that Britten was an English composer. So that's three English composers I have now heard of and need to learn more about. So far, it's Delius, Elgar, and Britten.

Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor plays through while I'm on the motorway. Hate to say it but, while it was nice enough, I don't note anything stand out about it. Perhaps it would have benefitted from a listening environment that enabled greater concentration.

I'm back at home by the time it's for the interval, and tonight's discussion about the orchestra itself has hooked my interest. It's the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, which apparently is the world's longest-running symphony orchestra. Hear something about it being in existence even in Bach et al's time of life, so it must be a bit special. It's also interesting because I'm toying with the idea of visiting Leipzig next summer. If the trip comes to pass, I want to visit the Bach museum there, and maybe there'll even be a chance to see these guys play a match at home, so to speak?

Sibelius's Symphony No.2 closes the evening. Overall I'd say it's a relaxing piece, albeit a bit sombre.