Royal Albert Hall
No sooner have we finished with Paraorchetra and The Breath in Bristol, that we are transported to Albertopolis for this evening's offering in London.
Tonight it's 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs'. It bodes to be a juicy Prom, not least of all because I do love a good weepie when it comes to music. As Taupin and John once observed, Sad Songs Say So Much.
We open with Bach. Don't think I need to say much more than that, do I? It's a pitch perfect (obvs!) organ chorale, reworked in sterling fashion by Ottorino Respighi, I believe.
The second piece is a UK premiere of Thomas de Hartmann's Violin Concerto. It's a grand piece, and it is sorrowful. The BBC website describes it better than I can: 'emotive, cinematic Violin Concerto, a lament for the Nazi destruction of his [Hartmann's] homeland.' (Source = https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/erj4mb)
The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs starts with very low-pitched, deep brass. At least that's what I think it is? Could it be tuba or two? I'm not sure. It's not foreboding or atmospheric. Quite dry. To my interpretation, this is how the piece continues. It's sad, I'll give you that, but it's a matter-of-fact sadness. It's almost like a 'state-sponsored' sadness - something one might expect from a North Korean dictator's funeral. I can picture the crowds now, hurling towards the casket like a bargain-hunter on Black Friday, tears freshly manufactured from a quick squirt of mace. Don't get me wrong, it's alright as symphonies go. There's some powerful vocal work in it, and I can't mark Górecki down for that. Personally though, it's not something I'd play if I was feeling sad and wanted to be self-indulgent about it. For that, my current tracks are Together Without You, by Alexis Ffrench, and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, the version by The Piano Guys.
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