Prom 1: An English theme makes for a rousing start

By Laura Kate Wilson, 16 July 2012

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Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 13 July 2012

Turnage, Canon Fever (World première)

Elgar, Cockaigne (In London Town) - overture for orchestra, Op.40

Delius, Sea Drift, baritone,chorus and orchestra

Tippett, Suite for the Birthday of Prince Charles

Elgar, Coronation Ode for soloists chorus and orchestra, Op.44

Susan Gritton, Soprano

Dame Sarah Connolly, Mezzo-soprano

Robert Murray, Tenor

Gerald Finley, Baritone

Sir Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone

BBC Symphony Chorus

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Edward Gardner, Conductor

Sir Roger Norrington, Conductor

Sir Mark Elder, Conductor

Martyn Brabbins, Conductor

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Wolfe's climate-change oratorio, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, already feels out of date.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

Sir James MacMillan delights with his Christmas Oratorio

David Karlin, 19th December

MacMillan's large scale choral work offers a rich variety of texts and musical ideas, the composer conducts the BBC Symphony with unerring precision.

*****

Ermonela Jaho gives a tragic twist to Puccini's La rondine

Peter Quantrill, 5th December

A new edition of Puccini's score springs to life in a meticulously prepared Opera Rara concert performance at the Barbican.

****1

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Laura Kate Wilson

Laura has an MA in English from the University of St Andrews, and has worked as a features writer and a freelance reviewer. She is fascinated by all aspects of opera, but has a particular interest in the role of the baritone on the operatic stage and a passion for the works of Puccini.