An underwhelming performance of MacMillan & Beethoven

By Aaron Davies, 01 August 2017

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“dramatic flourishes manifesting in violent battles between accented timpani and orchestral accents”

Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 30 July 2017

MacMillan, A European Requiem (European premiere)

Beethoven, Symphony no. 9 in D minor "Choral", Op.125

Erin Wall, Soprano

Sonia Prina, Mezzo-soprano

Iestyn Davies, Countertenor

Simon O'Neill, Tenor

Jacques Imbrailo, Baritone

Alexander Vinogradov, Bass

CBSO Chorus

BBC National Chorus of Wales

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Xian Zhang, Conductor

Nail-biting Shostakovich from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Dominic Lowe, 15th August

Before a searing performance of Shostakovich's Thirteenth from Ryan Bancroft and his Welsh forces, Benjamin Grosvenor delivers a terrific performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major.

****1

Bancroft and BBCNOW at the Proms: a deeply satisfying Mahler 3

David Karlin, 11th August

Bancroft and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales provide a Mahler 3 of exceptional clarity and forward momentum, with terrific posthorn solos from Corey Morris and Beth Taylor an outstanding soloist.

****1

Exciting Bacewicz and Lutosławski from Tadaaki Otaka and the BBC NOW

Nick Boston, 30th July

Strong performances of Bacewicz and Lutosławski in Tadaaki Otaka's final outing with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at the Proms, with technically commanding and sincere Rachmaninov from Vadym Kholodenko.

***11

Nil Venditti impresses in BBC Proms debut

Christopher Woodley, 12th August

Beethoven and Sir Karl Jenkins receive top-notch performances from Nil Venditti and the BBC NOW.

****1

A choral treat to savour: Verdi’s Requiem at the BBC Proms

David Karlin, 23rd July

An outstanding choral performance by nearly 300 singers of the BBC National Chorus of Wales and the Crouch End Festival Chorus lights up Verdi’s hybrid of opera and devotional music.

*****

Music that eats into you: Schoenberg and Zemlinsky at the BBC Proms

Alexander Hall, 22nd July

The Proms are often very clever at recreating musical events from the past. Here, two works originally premiered in 1905 are given a fresh outing by Ryan Bancroft and BBC NOW.

****1

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Aaron Davies

A lifelong aficionado of classical music in all its various guises, Aaron spent his formative years studying musical composition whilst playing a number of instruments. Today, his day job involves running an international technology business. He derives particular pleasure from expanding his “virtual” music library via the use of online streaming services. If pressed to compile a desert island disc, he would most likely select works from the catalogues of Beethoven, Schumann, Rachmaninov and Gershwin.

Prom 21: An underwhelming performance of MacMillan and Beethoven