Royal Albert HallKensington Gore, London, Greater London, SW7 2AP, United Kingdom
Dates/times in London time zone
Festival: BBC Proms
Performers
Helena Juntunen | Soprano |
Dame Sarah Connolly | Mezzo-soprano |
Paul Groves | Tenor |
Matthew Rose | Bass |
London Philharmonic Choir | |
London Symphony Chorus | |
London Symphony Orchestra | |
Sir Colin Davis | Conductor |
Sir Colin Davis tackles a work whose uncompromising nature makes it as great a challenge as anything in the choral repertoire, whether you regard it as a statement of the composer’s belief in the spiritual potential of man or his faith in a supreme being. ‘A musician must make affirmations,’ says Davis. ‘If a musician cannot believe in music as a universal ideal, what is he left with? We may be encircled by gloom but music gives us a chance to throw what Meredith calls “that faint thin line upon the shore”. … Beethoven is a man at war with himself but a man who is determined to win.’