Benedetti's extraordinary Shostakovich at the Proms

By Andrew Morris, 19 July 2017

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“Benedetti made the finale a dazzling, razor sharp race”

Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 18 July 2017

Shostakovich, October, symphonic poem in C minor for orchestra, Op.131

Shostakovich, Violin Concerto no. 1 in A minor, Op.77 or Op.99

Sibelius, Symphony no. 2 in D major, Op.43

Nicola Benedetti, Violin

BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Thomas Søndergård, 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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Andrew Morris

Andrew is a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in The Strad and International Record Review. He is particularly interested in Russian music and the violin. He also writes about music at his blog Devil's Trill and can also be found on Twitter at @devilstrillblog.

Prom 6: RAH resounds with Nicola Benedetti's extraordinary Shostakovich