BBC Proms 2017: Prom 71 - Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1; Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 (Ibragimova / LPO / Jurowski)

STRAVINSKY Funeral Song
STRAVINSKY Song of the Volga Boatmen
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto No. 1
BRITTEN Russian Funeral
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 11

Alina Ibragimova (violin)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski (conductor)



If it wasn't the centenary of the Russian Revolution, you don't have an excuse to put on a programme like this, as regular audience would not easily form emotional connections with any of these historical works. I missed the Philharmonia/Salonen UK premiere of the Stravinsky "Funeral Song" in February, good that their RFH cousins and fellow local heroes, the LPO, are making up for me. This pre-"Firebird" work paints the picture of a developing composer, who is exploring his voice with much colourful orchestrations and unsubstantiated ideas. Haunting, evocative and surprisingly Romantic. It paved the way for his 2-min arrangement of "Song of the Volga Boatmen". Proms darling and astonishing violinist Alina Ibragimova then impressed the audience with Prokofiev VC1. A lot of chromatic sequences upon chordal figures, it brought out the expressive, melodic and Romantic side of Prokofiev, esp. in III, with much admirable filigree from beginning to end. There was so much head-banging in the audience I feared a head might drop off before the interval. As if that was not enough, she offered the first movement of Ysaÿe 5 as an encore - you know, the one where you play a pressed open fifth whilst having to pizzacato with the remaining fingers? Just a stroll in Kensington Gardens really. After the interval came an obscure brass band (with percussion) work by Britten, "Russian Funeral". Pretty potent, and direct, contrapuntal arrangement of a melody that is also used in III of DSCH 11 that immediately followed. DSCH 11 isn't exactly the most inspiring work on an absolute music level. It is a meaningless work if you don't know any Russian history, and good that I bumped into my secondary school history teacher. It's a very in-your-face depiction of a failed revolution, and a brutal performance conducted by Vladimir Jurowski at that. He did not allow the momentum to dissipate, and presented the four movements in one continuous 65-min stretch, one which maintained pretty homogeneously thunderous throughout. The tumultuous strings, especially the violas, were beyond impressive. Be it the elegiac contemplation of the slow movements, the bombastic brass in II, the crazy cor anglais and bass clarinet solos in IV, this powerful rendition kept smacking you in the face. It was very exhausting, and overwhelming. Perhaps it was a good conclusion to my 2017 Proms season.