The BBC Proms continue to dominate the classical calendar in the UK this week with the limelight been stolen by a visiting American orchestra.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis got their teeth into Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Davis attacked it at this Prom with ambition and scope as he's a conductor determined to conquer it. Soloist Sarah Connolly was fully in charge of her vocal colours, while the chorus faced their challenging task with unfailing bravery and energy.
There was an otherworldly experience of contemporary classical music at Saturday's Matinee concert at Cadogan Hall. Young cellist Nathalie Clein confidently guided the audience through Gubaidulina's modernist, Russian-tinged music, with beauty and ugliness in controlled balance. The Renaissance pastiche of the Tippet, however, brought out the pure sound of the BBC singers and the Saturday Matinee's showcase just how diverse and broad the programming for the Proms really is.
With conductor Manfred Honeck delivering a typically idiosyncratic version of Mahler Five which was bright, brash and bracing, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra were in fine fettle on Tuesday night. The spectral Lohengrin Overture and Wolfgang Rihm's ethereal violin concerto Gesungene Zeit proved that they could also do meet and mild when it suited them and the result was riveting.
A well-chosen curiosity by Walter Braunfels, a vivid orchestral variation of a Berlioz song was performed by the same orchestra the previous night and had its own swaggering charm in this cut-down version. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 again leaned too far towards the strident however, as the drama and urgency was pushed out by conductor Honeck at the expense of coherence.
The bargain box set of the flamboyant, entertaining and yet neglected Russian composer Rheingold Glire was the pick of the classical CD releases this week. Yuri Bashmet's outstanding pairing of Brahms and Tchaikovsky and an intriguing collection by contemporary composer Leonid Desyatnikov were also impressive.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis got their teeth into Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Davis attacked it at this Prom with ambition and scope as he's a conductor determined to conquer it. Soloist Sarah Connolly was fully in charge of her vocal colours, while the chorus faced their challenging task with unfailing bravery and energy.
There was an otherworldly experience of contemporary classical music at Saturday's Matinee concert at Cadogan Hall. Young cellist Nathalie Clein confidently guided the audience through Gubaidulina's modernist, Russian-tinged music, with beauty and ugliness in controlled balance. The Renaissance pastiche of the Tippet, however, brought out the pure sound of the BBC singers and the Saturday Matinee's showcase just how diverse and broad the programming for the Proms really is.
With conductor Manfred Honeck delivering a typically idiosyncratic version of Mahler Five which was bright, brash and bracing, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra were in fine fettle on Tuesday night. The spectral Lohengrin Overture and Wolfgang Rihm's ethereal violin concerto Gesungene Zeit proved that they could also do meet and mild when it suited them and the result was riveting.
A well-chosen curiosity by Walter Braunfels, a vivid orchestral variation of a Berlioz song was performed by the same orchestra the previous night and had its own swaggering charm in this cut-down version. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5 again leaned too far towards the strident however, as the drama and urgency was pushed out by conductor Honeck at the expense of coherence.
The bargain box set of the flamboyant, entertaining and yet neglected Russian composer Rheingold Glire was the pick of the classical CD releases this week. Yuri Bashmet's outstanding pairing of Brahms and Tchaikovsky and an intriguing collection by contemporary composer Leonid Desyatnikov were also impressive.
About the Author:
Steve Alexander is a writer in London with a good knowledge of the arts. For the latest classical music reviews and interviews with leading names in the music world, visit theartsdesk.com.
