Prom 76: A very special Last Night

By Max Woods, 11 September 2012

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Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 8 September 2012

Simpson, Sparks (BBC commission, world première)

Suk, Towards a new life, Op.35c

Delius, Songs of Farewell

Verdi, Un ballo in maschera: Forse la soglia attinse … Ma se m'è forza perderti

Massenet, Werther: Pourquoi me réveiller?

Bruch, Violin Concerto no. 1 in G minor, Op.26

Puccini, Tosca: E lucevan le stelle

Puccini, Turandot: Nessun dorma

Williams, Olympic Fanfare and Theme

Dvořák, Carnival Overture, Op.92

Shostakovich, Film music to The Gadfly, Op.97: Romance

Brodszky, The Toast of new Orleans: Be My Love

Lara, Granada

Rodgers, Carousel: You'll never walk alone

Wood, Fanfare on British Sea-Songs

Elgar, Pomp and Circumstance March no. 1 in D Major, Op.39

Parry, Jerusalem (orch. Elgar)

Traditional, The British National Anthem

Nicola Benedetti, Violin

Joseph Calleja, Tenor

BBC Symphony Chorus

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Jiří Bělohlávek, Conductor

Billy Childs' Saxophone Concerto sings a song of America

Eleanor Knight, 8th May

Billy Childs Diaspora receives its UK premiere at the Barbican, performed by saxophonist Steven Banks.

****1

Sakari Oramo, Yeol Eum Son and the BBC Symphony in Seoul

SangKwon Lee, 26th March

Yeol Eum Son’s Britten Piano Concerto formed the evening’s centre of gravity, played with lucid line, structural command and sudden fire. In Brahms’ Second Symphony, Sakari Oramo found conviction, proportion and a warmth that felt earned rather than applied.

****1

Sakari Oramo and Yeol Eum Son summon up vivid landscapes

Christopher Woodley, 13th March

Yeol Eum Son's superb performances of Bartók and Finzi are matched by intense and heady readings of Stravinsky and Weir by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo.

****1

From snow to sludge: Icelandic music at the Barbican Centre

Marat Ingeldeev, 22nd February

A bewildering evening at the Barbican, where ambitious Icelandic programming collapses under its lofty ambition of defying genres and making music more appealing to a wide variety of audiences.

**111

Fine Lindberg and Stravinsky double bill from the BBC Symphony

Roy Westbrook, 6th February

After a performance of Magnus Lindberg’s First Violin Concerto by Lisa Batiashvili at the Barbican, Stravinsky’s Perséphone stands the test of time.

****1

UK premiere of Julia Wolfe’s unEarth impresses on scale, not substance

Susannah Moody, 23rd January

Wolfe's climate-change oratorio, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, already feels out of date.

**111

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Max Woods

Max studied musicology before moving to Germany to pursue a Masters degree in music performance. He currently teaches music and English and works as a freelance journalist and performer.