BBC Proms 2024: Prom 7 - Late Night Italian with Jakub Józef Orliński (Il Pomo d’Oro / Orliński)

23rd July 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

MONTEVERDI 'E pur io torno qui' from L'incoronazione di Poppea
MONTEVERDI Voglio di vita uscir
MARINI 'Passacaglia' from Per ogni sorte di strumenti musicale
CACCINI 'Amarilli, mia bella' from Le nuove musiche
FRESCOBALDI 'Così mi disprezzate' from Arie musicali, Book I
KERLL Sonata for two violins and continuo in F major
STROZZI 'L'amante consolato' from Cantate, ariette e duetti, Op. 2
CAVALLI 'Incomprensibil nume' from Pompeo Magno
PALLAVICINO 'Sinfonia' from Demetrio
NETTI 'Misero core' from La Filli
NETTI 'Sì, sì, sì, scioglia sì' from La Filli
NETTI 'Dolcissime catene' from La Filli
SARTORIO 'La certezza di sua fede' from Antonino e Pompeiano
NETTI 'Quanto più la donna invecchia' from L'Adamiro
NETTI 'Son vecchia, pazienza' from L'Adamiro
JARZĘBSKI 'Tamburetta' from Canzoni e concerti
MORATELLI 'Lungi dai nostri cor' from La faretra smarrita

Jakub Józef Orliński (countertenor)
Il Pomo d’Oro



It was hot, and the audience was thirsty. I am, of course, referring to the indoor conditions of the RAH, not some male-modelling, break-dancing, Polish pretty boy by the name of Jakub Józef Orliński singing obscure Italian opera and cantata numbers all night long with his homies from the Baroque ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro. Countertenor is a bit of a rare species, repertoire is limited and it can be difficult for the audience to sit through an hour of male voice singing in falsetto, so modern day marketing has evolved to present the countertenor with "clever" programming, and Orliński is a champion of that. He has so far compiled four albums of Baroque countertenor works mostly by little-known composers. His latest album, Beyond, brought together the works of Monteverdi, Marini, Caccini, Frescobaldi, Kerll, Strozzi, Cavalli, Pallavicino, Netti, Sartorio and Moratelli and tonight's Prom was a semi-staged presentation of this album. With the show providing no surtitles, in almost complete darkness and presented in one continuous flow, unless one had already studied the text in advance or speaks Italian, chances are the majority of the audience had no idea what was being sung, so it was basically a spectacle to see one single, unamplified, angelic voice filling the massive RAH for a good 1.5 h, and what a breathtaking show it was. The music themselves were not necessarily the most ambitious or exciting, but hearing this voice of the highest purity, flexibility and dexterity was a great joy - and how could he sustain that voice whilst lying down or dancing around? It had a wide emotional palette, great rhythmic agility and a massive personality to top it all. I was a bit confused to see a cello in the continuo when they had a gambist as a soloist, plus other odd instrumental and ornamental practices throughout, but who cares, they are making Baroque music fun, fresh and relevant again. The audience braved the possibility of missing the last Tube and stayed for three encores which included an obligatory display of Orliński's breakdancing talent. I don't know who else can pull this off. This is extraordinary. This is the future, baby.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 5 - Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande; Zemlinsky: Die Seejungfrau (BBC NOW / Bancroft)

22nd July 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande
ZEMLINSKY Die Seejungfrau

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Ryan Bancroft (conductor)



Let's kick off the 2024 season with a sumptuous orchestral feast, a re-enactment of a 1905 programme that paired Schoenberg's early, ultra-Romantic Pelleas und Melisande with Zemlinsky's Die Seejungfrau. Offering this programme early season on a Monday meant attendance was 30% at best. It's a real shame that people missed out on such a fabulous performance of these rare gems - if it weren't Schoenberg's 150, these two works are hardly performed at all. Two 45-minute emotional rollercoasters back-to-back - sweeping melodies, lush harmonies, big sounds, rich orchestrations, it was a lot to take in. Schoenberg likes writing about the passion of unfaithful women (c.f. also Verklärte Nacht); his brother-in-law Zemlinsky suffered, in real life, from heartbreak from a woman who eventually married Mahler (and we know what happened after that), and ended up writing this gigantic work on Hans Christian Andersen's story where the mermaid pursues a prince who doesn't love her back. Oh, love, German Romanticism at its very charming best. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Ryan Bancroft was outstanding throughout. Well rehearsed, well balanced, well executed, excellent narratives, top-notched playing and most importantly, incredibly fun. Sustaining the hyper-charged mood for two massive works was hard as it was, it was refreshing to see everybody pouring their hearts and soul into the performance, taking risks at the edge of the seat for these demanding scores throughout. Sure, they are not big names (which was why attendance was poor), but I'd rather see this high level of passionate playing than some big names autopiloting Stravinsky. It was definitely an "I am glad to be alive to be able to see this" performance. Very good start to the season.