Prom 32: Eric Whitacre leads forces through Earth and Space

By Kathryn Wareham, 10 August 2015

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Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 9 August 2015

Newman, Blow It Up, Start Again (European Première)

Whitacre, The River Cam

Whitacre, Cloudburst

Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue (orch. Grofé)

Copland, Quiet City for cor anglais, trumpet and strings

Whitacre, Equus

Whitacre, Deep Field (European Première)

Martin James Bartlett, Piano

Leonard Elschenbroich, Cello

BBC Singers

BBC Symphony Chorus

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Eric Whitacre, Conductor

Edusei’s Beethoven and Rangwanasha’s Strauss thrill at Cadogan Hall

Christopher Woodley, 26th February

Kevin John Edusei, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra celebrate the joys of a life well-lived – rounded off to the sounds of larks ascending.

****1

Petrenko’s searing Shostakovich overshadows Grosvenor’s Beethoven

Nick Boston, 3rd February

Stylish Beethoven from Benjamin Grosvenor and dramatic Ustvolskaya from Yuriy Yurchuk, but Petrenko and the RPO’s blistering Shostakovich steals the show.

****1

Charisma and colour from Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic

Chris Garlick, 7th September

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s BBC Proms matinee proves an ideal opportunity to demonstrate their strengths in a programme of Respighi, Milhaud and Vaughan Williams.

****1

Perception-altering Shostakovich from Serebrennikov and Petrenko

Mark Pullinger, 27th April

As part of the Southbank Centre's Multitudes festival, Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony is given a stunning visual direction by Kirill Serebrennikov to match the RPO's gripping playing.

*****

A trio of exiled composers: Petrenko and the RPO at the RFH

David Truslove, 23rd March

Assured performances from the RPO as part of its ongoing “Lights in the Dark” series that brought career correspondences between three markedly different composers.

****1

Giltburg’s Beethoven enlightens the dark between Berg and Stravinsky

Roy Westbrook, 26th January

Vasily Petrenko frames his Royal Philharmonic Orchestra programme with Berg and Stravinsky, with Boris Giltburg playing Beethoven's Emperor Concerto in between.

****1

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Kathryn Wareham

Having decided her life mission was to become a drummer (aged five), Kathryn now sings opera and presents classical music radio programmes across the South of England. Kathryn studied Music at both Royal Holloway, University of London and Paris IV – La Sorbonne, Paris and upon graduation coached students in Québec for regional talent competitions. Recently returned from travelling around North America, Kathryn is devouring the music scene in London where she currently resides.