Mozart, Prokofiev & Bartók

Mozart, Prokofiev & Bartók
Royal Albert Hall

Still behind the live schedule, I'm listening to this Prom early evening on Sunday. It's been a glorious day, and I'm sitting in my garden area, with laptop, JBL mini Bluetooth speaker, and a cup of tea. There's a shower curtain in the washing machine, because I've heard you can do that [Side note: worked quite well! Could maybe just do with another run to seal the deal].

It's Mozart, it's Prokofiev, it's Bartok.

Mozart I already know (who doesn't?), Prokofiev is a name I've heard a few times over the last few years, usually on Classic FM when I've heard something and thought 'I quite like that one.'  His is a name I've often heard alongside Shostakovich - looking them up online now, I understand why.

Bartok was foreign to me until earlier on in this Proms season.

The Mozart starter is perfect music; how couldn't it be? It's his 'Paris' symphony, and, as I remarked yesterday, Mozart seems to lean towards benign pomp in his music. But I like that about him!

The Prokofiev follows suit, insomuch as the music is spot on. There's a section where the strings are sharp, and by that I do not mean they are out of tune. I mean that they're presented with a timbre that rips through the other instrumentation. Sounds belter!

After the interval it's to be Bartok, and this is a Concerto for Orchestra, which I now understand [from earlier interval discussions in this Proms season] that this is something that is going to give all the instruments a moment in the spotlight.

Predictable opening to the Bartok, and I don't think it's the sort of music that lends itself to relaxation on a late-summer evening. But I do appreciate it for what it is, and it's something special for the right setting.

Image: Pixabay.com

Beethoven and Bartók from Budapest

"Beethoven and Bartók from Budapest
Royal Albert Hall

Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra bring Hungary’s greatest opera, Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, to the Royal Albert Hall, heard alongside Beethoven’s ebullient Symphony No. 7"

It's a straight, no-nonsense start to tonight's prom. One piece of music - a Beethoven symphony (namely No. 7 in A major) - starts gently, with a feeling of strolling through a sun-kissed meadow. Flows like any natural water feature would do. Yes, it is very pleasant on the ear from start to finish - Beethoven is a mainstream composer for good reason. It works up to a steady gallop, and finishes with aplomb. Very much looking forward to hearing his 9th, later in the season.

Image: Pixabay.com

Image: Pixabay.com

During the interval I do the dishes (as standard), and during the second half I am preparing my meal plan for next week. I need to do this earlier than normal, because I won't be here at the weekend. I will, of course, be heading down to the Royal Albert Hall for my next installment of in-person promming!

The second half, Duke Bluebeard’s Castle by Béla Bartók, opens with a passage read in Hungarian. We have to imagine the castle and the sort of cold, leaking, tower. At one point there is a light spell of laughter from the audience, but I'm clueless as to what they found amusing. Then the woodwind main body of the music interjects and we're off and running. There's a story to be told, and I try my best to conjure the scenes in my imagination. No doubt it is a good story!