I had never heard any of the music scheduled the evening’s performance and so I was excited by the prospect of the all-French programme, featuring composers whose music I am particularly fond of. Berlioz’s Overture to “Le Corsaire” commenced the evening’s music as Proms-debutant conductor Lionel Bringuier began with a great deal of vigour clearly intending to make his mark on the Royal Albert Hall. The piece however is hardly Berlioz at his best. Despite the zeal the orchestra put into the performance, the overall product was hardly extraordinary.
The start of Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 2 was a rather tentative one from the orchestra, perhaps due to a few nerves from the debutant conductor, but there was no such hesitation from soloist Nelson Freire, whose entry was a welcome one, as Chopin’s orchestral writing clearly does not compare to that for his instrument. The start of the second movement showed particularly well Freire’s beautifully delicate approach, creating some wonderful celestial tones in his arpeggios. His performance was certainly sensitive, technically perfect and I could not fault the orchestra but for a few minor mishaps. But there was nothing spectacular about it; it was simply an accomplished performance. Thankfully many other audience members were more enthusiastic than I, and their applause was rewarded with an encore that I actually enjoyed more than the concerto itself. On reflection I wonder whether Freire’s wonderfully delicate tone was perhaps better appreciated unaccompanied; the silence seemed to add something to his performance.