The Spanish National Orchestra finally made its Proms debut at the Royal Albert Hall, nearly 90 years after its founding, under outgoing chief conductor David Afkham. The concert, attended by a packed house, marked both a beginning and a celebratory end, as Afkham will hand over the baton to Kent Nagano next season. The orchestra brought Spanish repertoire, castanets, and even a football scarf, which Afkham modeled during the encore.
Program Highlights
The program opened with Ravel's Alborada del gracioso, featuring a mournful solo bassoon in the wriggling seguidilla. This was followed by De Falla's Fantasia baetica, heard for the first time at the Proms in Francisco Coll's 2022 orchestration. Both works, originally for solo piano, were performed in comfortable, mid-paced accounts that softened the inherent flashiness into something more relaxed.
Guitarist Rafael Aguirre
Guitarist Rafael Aguirre, winner of 13 first prizes at international competitions, delivered a lean-back account of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. In the framing outer movements, he was good-natured and folk-direct, while finding another color for the wistful slow movement, his cadenza beckoning the audience in. Afkham kept the orchestra on a tight rein, sensitive to his soloist, though the effect was oddly muted and subdued even at key moments.
Suites and Boléro
Two suites efficiently whipped through highlights of De Falla's ballet The Three-Cornered Hat. Ravel's Boléro brought the concert to a close with its famous rhythm. The slow-build arc from a flickering pianissimo pulse to a thumping heartbeat proved challenging in the difficult acoustic of the Royal Albert Hall, and tension was lost as gestures became sounds. The encore, an exuberant piece from Gerónimo Giménez's zarzuela La boda de Luis Alonso, provided a lively finish.
The Proms continue until 12 September. The concert is available on BBC Sounds until 12 October.
