The world's greatest classical music festival, the Proms, has returned to the Royal Albert Hall for an eight-week season. The First Night serves as a celebration for those committed for the long haul, setting the scene for the season ahead. This year's opening concert placed the 250th anniversary of American independence front and centre, highlighting the enduring special relationship between the US and UK in the concert hall.
Copland and Gershwin Kick Off the Evening
The evening began with Aaron Copland's crowd-pleaser Fanfare for the Common Man. Principal guest conductor Dalia Stasevska, known for her trademark dynamism, led the BBC Symphony Orchestra through Copland's magnificent minimalism, conjuring broad vistas of hope and eternity. The program then shifted to George Gershwin's An American in Paris, offering not just an American's view of Paris but a broad, hearty account of the city's teeming boulevards and traffic jams. Stasevska's interpretation featured snapshots from wind and brass, with the BBCSO's woodwind and brass soloists delivering standout performances.
Yunchan Lim Shines in Ravel's Piano Concerto
South Korean megastar Yunchan Lim joined the orchestra as soloist for Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, a piece that reflects New York influences. Lim's performance was cool, clean, and unsentimental, eschewing the jazz-bar seductions of the final presto and the rhapsodic indulgence of the allegramente's climax. Instead, he offered étude-precision in gleaming passagework and a slow movement of introspective delicacy that was barely audible in the hall. According to the review, Lim's performance shunned display, focusing on introspective delicacy.
New Commission and Rare Finzi Work
After the interval, the program included a new Emily Dickinson-based commission by Anglo-French composer Josephine Stephenson, which had little to say but said it intermittently very loudly. Finzi's rarely heard For St Cecilia was stirring, particularly when it echoed Hubert Parry or Vaughan Williams. Tenor Thomas Atkins delivered beautiful renditions of Edmund Blunden's cod-Horatian verse, with the BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Chorus providing full support. However, the occasion only amplified the piece's slight stature.
Surprise Encore: Wonderwall
The BBC had a surprise up their sleeve for extra time: an encore of Wonderwall for massed voices and orchestra. Intended as a World Cup homage, the choice landed differently in light of recent events, serving as a tribute from Manchester's finest to a prime-minister-in-waiting. The review noted that the Proms is indeed political.
