Prom 30 (1998)

7.00pm - Monday, 10th August, 1998 - Royal Albert Hall

David Geringas cello
Jean-Paul Fouchécourt tenor

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Tadaaki Otaka conductor

Programme

Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Sofia Gubaidulina: "And: the feasting at its height..."
      UK premiere
      (David Geringas cello)

(interval)

Szymanowski: Songs of an infatuated Muezzin
      (Jean-Paul Fouchécourt tenor)

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Comments

Tadaaki Otaka and the BBC NOW kicked off with a well-organised and thoroughly enjoyable account of Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice. Their lively and disciplined playing freshened up a straighforward approach to this well-worn music without needing to resort to radical reinterpretation.
The TV cameras were switched off for the performance of Sofia Gubaidulina's cello concerto, And: the feasting at its height..., which followed. This was a shame, as dedicatee David Geringas proved an eloquent, committed, and finally persuasive advocate for the piece. Starting with fragments of disconnected sound within the orchestra, the focus gradually moved to the solo cello who wove a bewitching tapestry of sound with the orchestration gradually becoming more coherent in support. Once reached, the climax was powerful and satisfying. Delightfully crunchy playing by the orchestra who seemed to draw inspiration from the soloist's passionate performance. Most definitely a work I'm looking forward to hearing again!
After the interval Jean-Paul Fouchécourt joined the orchestra for Szymanowski's Songs of an infatuated Muezzin. His light tenor was rather lost in the expanses of the Royal Albert Hall and, although the orchestra scaled back their sound quite a bit, he was often inaudible against the typically lush wash of Szymanowski's instrumental writing. He might have done better in a more intimate venue with a scaled down orchestration. When he could be heard, Fouchécourt showed he has a pleasing, lyrical voice and seemed very much at home with the piece. A missed opportunity, I felt, but perhaps the TV presentation will adjust the balance to bring out the vocals more effectively.
To round off the evening we were treated to a full-blooded rendition of my favourite Strauss tone poem, Also Sprach Zarathustra. The Royal Albert Hall organ made a marvellous contribution in the early stages, while the BBC NOW brass were the heroes of the spine-tingling finale. Tadaaki Otaka led the orchestra through the undualting contours of the piece with great assurance: giving them their head in the climaxes and reining them in to a gentle lilt in the quieter moments during which leader Janice Graham produced a delightfully silky sound in her solo parts. The orchestral balance was superb throughout, with impeccable string ensemble and perfectly judged woodwind. All the players involved gave their all, and this was altogether a truly thrilling performance!

Next Prom

Proms Index

Previous Prom