'Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony'

'Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony'

Royal Albert Hall

The day at work has been rather standard. Had a friend of mine, Sean, who I record my own music with, over to my house for tea. We enjoyed a pizza - authentically stone-baked in my oven - and a pistachio tiramisu, both of which I procured from Aldi the other day. As a result of all this I start tonight's Prom at nine o'clock, via BBC Sounds.

The first piece is Lili Boulange's D’un matin de printemps, and it is a delight to listen to. It is like a glee fairytale, and I get a vision of flying through the skies of Neverland! [For disambiguation: I am talking about the fictional Neverland where one would find Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, as opposed to Michael Jackson's malignant child trap.]

Next up we have one of the two mainstays of tonight's programme: Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1. Similar to the other Shostakovich works we have heard over the last weeks, there is reportedly a sociopolitical depth to the music. We are told that the ending is 'grotesque'. At first it makes me tired to hear this, because I don't think I can swallow another 'grotesque' this late in the season. Personally, though, it doesn't sound too bad to me? [maybe it's demanding to play?]. While the strings, I note, are 'melancholic,' I wouldn't go much further than that. It brings me back - yet again - to this wonderful debate about Shostakovich, and whether he was a genuine Stalin apologist, or rather a shrewd parodist. There is absolutely no doubt that he was a skilled composer, and yet - to my uneducated ear - the themes are muddled. So, once again, this pushes me towards the side of thought that he was one of music's great con artists. And if that's true, he is very much a man after my own heart.

Just before the encore performance, I think it is the conductor, Delyana Lazarova, who says a few words. She comes across very gracious, which goes a long way with me. She acknowledges the 'difficulty' of the piece just played [again, it didn't sound all that bad to me?!], and reassures us that there is someone coming along who can 'make it all better... Johann Sebastian Bach!' 

YES! I should have known it! I am so overjoyed in hearing this news that my eyes start to well up. This emotion is coming from my 'Proms fatigue' at this point - it's hard to describe it, but I am getting the sort of involuntary euphoria that tends to kick in after a long-haul flight across the world, when you haven't slept for the last twenty-four hours. We are presently treated with the opening prelude of Bach's 1st Cello suite (what else?!).

It takes me a while to catch on to the Rachmaninov, probably because I'm still reeling over the Bach surprise. I'm not sure which movement we have got to, but there are some chimes [was it the Glockenspiel?] that wake me up, and this is where the music grabs my attention. It's joyous. The string sections are just beautiful as the piece moves along.

Image: Pixabay.com

Rachmaninov’s ‘Paganini’ Variations

Image: https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/erbv9r

Friday Night is Music Night, as they say. And it certainly is tonight, as the first of three proms begins, early doors, at 6pm! For my part, I have finished work, run 8k, with ten minutes to spare. I run a bath and listen to the first half there. The Dukas piece, thankfully, is gentle (no Mahler tonight, thank you very much).

The Rachmaninov is, as we are told, a piano concerto in everything but name. And the piano certainly gets a working throughout the piece.

During the interval I have a quick drive out to Lidl to pick up a couple of free bakery items I've got a coupon for - one of which I am intending for consumption on the coach to London tomorrow morning. I am still listening in on the car radio. When I return to the car I have missed the first couple of notes of the Bartok, but I'm enjoying it straight away. It has various feels, from mellow to chaotic, but it's all good. I settle down into the living room for the rest of the programme, with a donut and a glass of milk.

Adams, Rachmaninov again!, and Berio...again.

 It's Friday evening and I am in a good mood, and not just for the usual reasons of finishing work for the weekend. It's August 1st, and the weather is overcast and the temperature in the air has dropped slightly. I always feel a light sense of melancholy when August arrives, with it being an indication that we are now entering late-summer, and on the descent towards dark nights and inclement weather. BUT - tonight is a bit special because I ran ten kilometers! I had only gone out for six, intending to lead up to ten by the end of this month. It think the air and clouds contributed to my success, and now at least I know I am capable!

To the music and tonight's programme opens with John Adams's The Chairman Dances. I've never heard it before but I like it. I like it a lot. It brings to my mind an image of a well-oiled machine; cogs and pistons interweaving seamlessly. There is a word for this style of playing but I can't bring it to mind in the moment. Writing this now, I think it might be spiccato - there's another piece by Paul Simon (Can't Run But) that also brings this pleasant motion to my mind. I ask ChatGPT and it also suggests 'motoric' or 'mechanistic'. Sounds about right, anyway!

Image: Pixabay.com

We then transition to Rachmaninov, a composer we have heard for the last three nights on the trot. Not that I'm complaining. It starts off big - sounds to me like Liberace playing alongside the climatic parts of Hedwig's Theme.

There is a break in proceedings when some sort of siren sounds at the hall. I am not aware of this - probably my cooking drowning out any incidental noises - but the radio presenter lets us know. The next movement is more chilled (which I suppose is to be expected from the second part of a concerto?)

I start typing up my blog about last night's late-night prom during the interval. 

The second half is Berio, who I have sort of already established is not really the composer for me. But I listen through and there are some interesting, albeit garish, motifs.

Happy Friday!

Rachmaninov and Copland

Rachmaninov and Copland

It's another 'early shift' this Thursday evening, with the show beginning at 18:30 as opposed to 19:30 (that means I have another prom to attend via Radio 3 in bed later this evening). As for the cooking, it's a carbon copy of Tuesday night.

Elsa Barraine's Symphony No. 2 opens this programme which is lightly themed towards music around wartime. And, indeed, this first piece sounds to me foreboding and militaristic. This is music that brings about a feeling of sorrow and reflection.

The second piece [Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto] opens more gently, and I think to myself 'sounds like the (bass) clarinet is soloing?' I was nearly right!

The last piece of the first half is the real treat for me... Artie Shaw's Clarinet Concerto brings us a subtle flavour of New Orleans jazz to begin with. What sounds similar to When The Saints Go Marching In develops gradually into a steady Glenn Miller-style feel.

I believe it is the clarinet player, Martin Fröst, who takes to the mic with some good humour and to explain the upcoming encore - it's a bit of Bach (you know I love him anyway) but tooted solely on the clarinet. It's a quirky number that leaves me smiling to myself.

Image: AI generated by Chat GPT

Symphonic Dances by Rachmaninov forms the second half of the show. It's a relaxing piece of music, so I lie on the settee to soak it up. I struggle to keep my eyes open as the daily tolls of the week catch up with me. 

Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto

 Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto, Grażyna Bacewicz's Concerto for String Orchestra, and Witold Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra

It's a bright instrumental opening from the orchestra on the first [Bacewic] piece, which is an early indication that I am going to like the tune as a whole. I enjoy this as I assemble the ingredients for my potato hash - another recipe straight from the Joe Wicks playbook. As the music plays on I imagine it underscoring a Joan Crawford film.

A famous piece from Rachmaninov follows, but it's not one I am personally familiar with. To start with, my ears are impaired by the sizzling frying pan, microwave, and air-fryer, all working in trandem. The music itself comes as a suprise to start with, as it is not what I expected from a famous Rachmaninov Though I'm not sure what exactly it was I did expect.
    When the rush of the cooking and eating has subsided, suddenly the music comes to the fore, and I get the feeling I am softly cruising through a Monet painting - colourful trees and lily-padded brooks I see in my mind's eye, all conjured by the musical notes. It's quite a feat, so well done Rachmaninov!

Image: My cooking efforts tonight.

There's an interesting discussion during the interval about 'What is a concerto for orchestra as opposed to a symphony etc. It's a question I'm wondering about too, the answer being that a concerto for orchestra allows all orchestra members a 'chance to shine' with the extremes of what their instruments can do. Anyone and everyone can take a solo - potential good news for me, as a forever-adoring fan of the music of Eric Clapton.

Image: Enjoying the second half

As the show resumes I move from the kitchen to the living room, opting to listen via my TV set rather than the HiFi tonight. Witold Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra opens in epic style. Intensely suspenseful. Really like this! Yes, it's exciting, it makes your heart pace that little bit faster. It settles down with chronic chimes and sporadic flourishes from various woodwind instruments (at least that's what it sounds like). I chill out and let my mind wander.