Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra got proceedings under way
very nicely with a spirited canter through Rossini's Barber of
Seville overture.
They were then joined on stage by Thomas Hampson for three operatic
arias. He impressed with the firmness of his voice and a knowing
characterisation as Mozart's Figaro in 'Non più andrai' from
The Marriage of Figaro and again as Rossini's Figaro in 'Largo
al factotum' from The Barber of Seville. Sandwiched between
these was a dollop of Verdi ('Di Provenza il mar' from La
Traviata) which had rather less impact.
Hugh Wood's Variations for Orchestra proved to be a very attractive,
Bartókian, piece played in concertante style with plenty of
opportunities for the different sections of the orchestra to shine.
The woodwinds in particular gave a good account of themselves, and the
strings held it all together with confident phrasing.
Jean-Yves Thibaudet was sartorially resplendent in bright red jacket
and matching socks for the closing piece of the first half, the
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninov. Orchestra and soloist
combined well to give an energetic account that held back only
slightly from maximum exuberance.
Neatly echoing the start of the first half, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
kicked off the second half with a delightfully idiomatic performance
of Bernstein's Candide overture. The brass led the way with
vigour and the piece fizzed along in fine style.
Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens gave the combined forces of the
BBC Singers and the BBC Symphony Chorus their opportunity to shine.
They duly filled the Albert Hall with a powerful yet clear sound, the
multiple parts integrating well to convey the almost stately nobility
of the music. A characteristically English sound, most appropriate
for such a characteristically English piece.
It was back across the Atlantic next as Thomas Hampson returned,
microphone in hand and sporting a well-received Union Jack cummerbund,
to give us five Gershwin show songs. His voice is not ideally suited
to this kind of singing (the songs don't need a powerful operatic
tone) but he was clearly enjoying himself and, supported by the BBC
Symphony Orchestra, he gave enjoyable accounts of 'Nice Work if You
Can Get it', 'Somebody Loves Me' (this was especially fine), and 'A
Foggy Day in London Town'. The band took a rest for 'Embraceable
You', which was sung at the side of the stage by the orchestral piano
where Jean-Yves Thibaudet temporarily displayed John Alley. The last
song was 'Fascinating Rhythm' and unfortunately the rhythm was a
little too fascinating: orchestra and soloist had difficulties staying
together, and Thomas Hampson struggled to fit all the words of the
lyrics into the tune. A disappointing end to an otherwise highly
enjoyable interlude.
After this we were subjected the bizarre experiment of a sound-only
relay from Hyde Park of Tasmin Little playing her own arrangement of
Nathan Milstein's Paganiniana. Sitting in a packed Albert
Hall, with a mute orchestra and chorus on stage, listening to an
amplified relay of a performer playing to a totally different audience
in the open air just did not work at all for me. The arena
prommenaders chanted "Arena to the BBC: please can we have a better
picture next time", personally I hope there won't be a next time!
Thomas Adès's These Premises are Alarmed has a fun title
and is mercifully brief. Disjointed squeaks, squawks, bangs, and
scrapes are not my thing.
The remainder of the evening was given over to the traditional
jollifications. Andrew Davis always seems to be in his element during
the concluding bean-feast, leading orchestra, chorus, and audience
through the well-worn favourites with an irresistibly engaging boyish
enthusiasm. So, with tremendous gusto from all concerned, we had:
-
Elgar's First Pomp & Circumstance March with 'Land of Hope & Glory'
from the Coronation Ode sung to the central trio
section, from which point the piece was (as usual) encored.
-
Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea-Songs with the
traditional clapping and stamping along to the 'Sailor's Hornpipe'
(duly encored) and Thomas Hampson appearing during the concluding 'See
the Conquering Hero Comes' wearing a jacket composed of the Union Jack
on one side and the Stars & Stripes on the other to sing...
-
Thomas Arne's 'Rule, Britannia!' (the final number from his
masque Alfred) with enthusiastic vocal accompaniment in the
refrains - including the encore of the final verse and refrain.
-
After the conductor's speech, all present sang their lungs out
to Elgar's re-orchestration of Parry's 'Jerusalem' setting.
-
The orchestra's contribution to events concluded with the
National Anthem...
-
But, as ever, we all insisted on singing 'Auld Lang Syne'
anyway!
And that was it for another year!
Prom 73 - the last
night of the Proms
(1998)
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7.15pm
- Saturday, 12th September,
1998
- Royal Albert Hall