Danish National Vocal Ensemble (Bristol)

Danish National Vocal Ensemble

Bristol

This Saturday afternoon I caught up with an old friend for a cake-and-coffee in Hoylake. We last got together about seven or eight years ago (funnily enough, at the exact same venue and at the same time of year if memory serves) but we picked things up like it was yesterday. [For posterity: the venue was Barbetta's (formerly 'Toast') on Market St, and I had a latte and a slice of carrot cake].

So it is that I'm listening to rest of today's packed Proms schedule a few hours behind, with thanks to BBC Sounds.

This Prom, as the title suggests, is to be largely choral stuff. For me, this is something of a struggle to put into words, because I'm much more at home with instrumentation. It's the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, and I believe these are the same peeps that so successfully contributed to Beethoven's Ninth at the Albert Hall the other night.

This afternoon in Bristol, however, we start with Bach to set us in the mood. The presenter notes that this piece is thought to be something to do with funerals [I'm sure she puts it more eloquently than that, but I can't remember her exact words]. It's Bach, so it certainly sounds heavenly. 

Second piece is by Ethyl Smyth. Apparently she spent a spell in gaol, and that's something she has in common with Bach! Did not know that - must look it up.

Absolutely clueless as to what to comment as the running order contiunues, except to say that most of it is pleasant, and some of it reminds me of a Christmas choral work I've recently come across and enjoyed, namely Lully, Lulla, Lullay.

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Le Concert Spirituel

Le Concert Spirituel
Royal Albert Hall

Sunday evening at the Albert Hall offers 'Le Concert Spirituel'. I have a quick look on the BBC Proms website, and it's all unfamiliar territory for me. Haven't heard of any of the artists or composers. It's two pieces by Alessandro Striggio (who?), and they start with the words 'Ecce' and 'Ecco'. Could it be something akin to Howard Goodall's Ecce Homo, AKA the Mr Bean theme tune??

The bell chimes to mark the start of the programme, and I haven't got a clue what to expect. The music begins and it's heavily choral. The image I'm getting in my mind is of a church service for a condemned man - he's led down the centre aisle, hands tied behind back, on his way to the hangman's noose. Maybe this image is a reflection of my own insecurity about being somewhere completely foreign. Up until now, I've usually managed to crack out an anecdote or aside, linking the artist or music to something I've experienced in my own life. I have nothing to offer with this one, I'm afraid. But that's not a bad thing, necessarily. We all get lost sometimes.

I'm being premature - it brightens up! Now it's sounding more like a royal coronation, sanctioned and decreed by God (as the early royal appointments were, of course). Musically, it's glorious!

I place a petite, elliptical pizza in the oven. 

The vocals dissipate and the brass instruments take over, in an almost like-for-like switch. 

While I may be at a loss for words regarding the music, there is something almost spiritual about the scent of baking bread and bubbling cheese, as it slowly pollutes the air throughout the ground floor.  

While it was all unknown to me, I have to say that the music was, for the most part, very pleasing to the ear!

Arvo Pärt at 90 - late night prom

 Arvo Pärt at 90 - late night prom.

I settle into bed having got all my things and clothes ready for Friday at the office. After last week's nightmarish Boulez and Bario, I am unsure what to expect. But tonight is completely different. The music is gentle and choral-focused - much more appropriate for bedtime in my opinion! It's the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir tonight. My only prior encounter with Estonian music is when I voted for them in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

As well as celebrations of Arvo Pärt, we are treated to a bit of Bach (never a bad thing in my view).

I settle down for the last piece, though it's arguably the most unsettling of the programme. Primeval chants, the likes of which would be led by Christopher Lee in The Wicker Man, prevail. It's understandable when I find out the theme of the piece is to highlight the atrocities of war.

The Lord's Prayer finishes the show, and I turn out the light.