BBC Proms 2024: Prom 50 - Kaprálová: Military Sinfonietta; Dvořák: Piano Concerto; Janáček: Glagolitic Mass (Fujita / Czech Philharmonic / Hrůša)

28th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

KAPRÁLOVÁ Military Sinfonietta
DVOŘÁK Piano Concerto
JANÁČEK Glagolitic Mass

Mao Fujita (piano)
Corinne Winters (soprano)
Bella Adamova (mezzo-soprano)
David Butt Philip (tenor)
Pavel Švingr (bass)
Christian Schmitt (organ)
Prague Philharmonic Choir
Czech Philharmonic
Jakub Hrůša (conductor)



In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, I refused to attend a Prom conducted by Gergiev. 10 full years later, Janáček's "Glagolitic Mass" finally gets programmed again, this time as part of a celebration of Czech music performed by the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Jakub Hrůša. I did expect a thrilling spectacle, but I didn't expect such a brutal sonic onslaught (in a good way, that is) where sounds, be it the well-rehearsed, homogeneous choir, the hyper brass, the timpani rolls, the powerful soloists, or that feeble, tiny, 9999-pipe RAH organ mumbling that mini-voluntary after "Agnus Dei", slapped you in the face left, centre and right for 45 minutes straight at ff at rapid speed. It was Janáček on steroids and a miracle that the cohort managed to keep it together at all. Let's be reflective in the "Credo" after the orchestral interlude. No, no, no, said the Czechs who just charged on, without letting the energy dissipate. You'd wonder if such an aggressive manner is the authentic way in which this music is supposed to be performed. Epic. Talk about pointless anniversaries: in 2004, I bought the score of Dvořák's "Piano Concerto" in Prague and I only got to hear it live for the first time tonight. It's a problematic concerto where the soloist part is unnecessarily difficult and unrewarding and historically not many pianists bother with it. Judging from his Mozart recordings, I anticipated a highly sensitive and poetic rendition (as opposed to the fireworks of Richter, say) from the Tchaikovsky runner-up Mao Fujita and it was precisely what we got. Lyrical and bright with great orchestral rapport. He has the gravitational magic that keeps pulling you in. II felt like time stood still and it was evident that he actually believed in this concerto. Nothing can save this PC, but to me it was almost a new benchmark. The programme started with "Military Sinfonietta" by Vítězslava Kaprálová, a Martinů student (evident from the use of piano for orchestral colours) who tragically died young. Tuneful and upbeat work, a bit fun but doesn't seem to have a narrative. Not sure how much it will get performed outside this setting, but why not.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 40 - Bach: St. John Passion (Bach Collegium Japan / Suzuki)

19th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

BACH St. John Passion

Benjamin Bruns (Evangelist)
Christian Immler (Jesus / bass)
Yusuke Watanabe (Pilate)
Carolyn Sampson (soprano)
Alexander Chance (counter-tenor)
Shimon Yoshida (tenor)
Bach Collegium Japan
Masaaki Suzuki (conductor)



I hate to admit that I'm old, but there's no denying when the Prom I looked forward to the most this season was "St. John Passion", one of Bach's most monumental liturgical works, and I went all in by listening to nothing but Bach's choral and organ works all week just to prepare for tonight. 2024 marks the 300th anniversary of the premiere of "St. John Passion". Bach's Passion settings are unique in that they are not concert showpieces per se, but full-scale liturgical music for Good Friday services. They are framed around sermons and congregational singing (hence the chorales) so the best, or most appropriate, performances are those that perfectly balance the dramatisation of events and the religious solemnity. The Bach specialist Masaaki Suzuki and his superlative Bach Collegium Japan have hit that sweet spot since 1990s. It was pure perfection - note-perfect sensitivity and musical flow polished over decades of experience. The homogeneity of the choir (soloists embedded - I counted 11 upper and 10 lower voices), the diction, the word painting, the intense exchange among the choir and the soloists from "Jesum von Nazareth" at the beginning to the entire courtroom scene in Part 2, the glorious chorales, the reflective moments after the Crucifixion - it was always moving (in every sense of the word). Some might complain about the relatively modest orchestral force for the vast RAH and the lack of operatic dramatisations from the soloists, but that was precisely the spiritual and ethereal transcendence I anticipated from Suzuki and his team. The minimalistic elegance from the instrumental forces were also breathtaking, from the traversi flute duets to trios in the arias to the earth shattering moment when the veil was torn in two. I have rarely seen a Prom audience so attentive and respectful, and a number of them walked out after the concert still humming "Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine". "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise," says Jesus on the Holy Cross (though this line is from Luke), when "It [was] finished" (this line is from John), it certainly felt like that. I left the concert feeling like a transformed person. It was Heaven.



[Re-writing the above in Japanese as exercise]

【IG 日本語作文練習】（３）

年配になったと認めるのが嫌だが、今年の Proms 音楽祭には、最も楽しみにしたコンサートのはバッハの『ヨハネ受難曲』だ。今夜のために、一週間中バッハの合唱曲とオルガン曲ばかり聴いた。『ヨハネ受難曲』は、初演から今年で３００周年を迎える。この作品は、コンサートパフォーマンスのための曲より、むしろキリスト教の聖金曜日のための典礼音楽である。作品の曲が説教や会衆の歌唱を中心に構成されたので、最高の演奏には、脚色と荘厳をバランスさせるはずだ。バッハの権威のマエストロ鈴木雅明は、彼が１９９０年に創設したバッハ・コレギウム・ジャパンと共に、そんなふうに Royal Albert Hall で演奏した。何十年も磨かれた感性と音楽の流れ、絶対完璧な演奏だった。合唱団の均質性、ドイツ語の発音、冒頭の「ナザレのイエス」から第２部の法廷シーンまで合唱団とソリストとの激しいやり取り、壮麗なコラール、十字架刑の後の反省の瞬間など、全部完璧だった。古楽器オーケストラにとって Royal Albert Hall が広大すぎたかもしれないが、ソリストのドラマ性が不足したかもしれないが、これは期待したバッハの超越だった。楽団の演奏も抜群だった、そのフルートのデュエットも、アリアのトリオも、十字架刑の後、幕が二つに引き裂かれた時に衝撃的な瞬間も、全て印象的だった。Proms の観客たちがそんなに尊敬して注意して立って聴くのを私は見たことがない（笑）。コンサートの後も、何人かの観客が「Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine」を口ずさみながら会場から出かけた。「よく言っておくが、あなたは今日私と一緒に楽園にいる」と十字架上のキリストが言った。本当に、天国のような美しさを感じた。流石に最高の Prom だった。

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 31 - Brahms: Violin Concerto; Schubert: Symphony No. 9 "Great" (Mutter / WEDO / Barenboim)

11th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

BRAHMS Violin Concerto
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 "Great"

Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin)
West–Eastern Divan Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim (conductor)



MOTHER IS STILL MOTHERING. I last saw Anne-Sophie Mutter play the Brahms "Violin Concerto" in 2004. 20 years on, she still owns the piece, this time with Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. This is so much more than a concert of legendary performers, but 1) a 25th anniversary celebration of an orchestra comprising Arab and Israeli musicians that demonstrates peace is possible through dialogue, mutual respect and understanding, a message more relevant now than ever; and 2) the miraculous and triumphant return of a musical giant diagnosed with a serious neurological condition two years ago. Barenboim is frail, needed to be supported by Mutter to get on stage to conduct on a stool. It was special to be able to witness once more an old-fashioned rendition of the German Romantic warhorse. I can't think of many performances of the Brahms these 20 years that are as physical and full-bodied as Mutter's tonight, and nothing has sounded as sweet as that high D in the slow movement, even though the orchestral involvement was mostly lethargic and had to rely on Mutter driving the concerto. It was also poignant to realise that this kind of personalities and playing styles are stepping into the twilight zone right in front of our very eyes and when they are gone, there is no more. Mutter offered a sarabande from a Bach partita as a prayer for peace as encore. After the interval, Schubert's "Great" C major was lively, full of authoritative, regal vitality that prevented it from being a relentless, repetitive, hour-long bore. The Beethoven quote in the last movement really stood out. Barenboim's conducting gestures were minimal, but still commanded some sharp responses from the orchestra. Perhaps well past his prime, but it was still more invigorating than some recordings I heard over the weekend. It might be a twilight, but it's one that still glows beautifully, and one hopes it keeps shining, long enough to see the horrendous conflicts we see daily get permanently resolved.

BBC Proms 2024: Prom 23 - Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances; Busoni: Piano Concerto (Grosvenor / LPO / LP Choir / Rudolfus Choir / Gardner)

5th August 2024
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances
BUSONI Piano Concerto

Benjamin Grosvenor (piano)
The Rodolfus Choir
London Philharmonic Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner (conductor)



I will be honest. There are certain works I have very little interest in but I turn up to see them anyway because I want to earn the bragging right of having seen them live, even if it means having to stand through Rachmaninov's tedious "Symphonic Dances" for the fourth time at the Proms. Credits where they are due, it was an outstanding performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Edward Gardner. It was tight and punchy, the winds were particularly delectable and the performance could not be better than that. It served as the concert opener to Busoni's gargantuan "Piano Concerto" perhaps because both works are constructed from (long-winded) culmination of themes. The Busoni is rarely performed live - 70+ min long, fiendish piano part, requiring massive forces including an "invisible" male choir (sung from the Gallery tonight), disorienting on first listens because the themes are all over the place - it's the best and worst Romanticism can offer. The third movement alone is 25 min long and divided into four parts, mostly meditative explorations. The fourth movement is a banal (and pretty tasteless) tarantella and the final movement basically becomes a choral piece with piano accompaniment. The piano part is often drowned out by the orchestra, almost taking on an anti-soloist role - who actually wants to tackle this unrewarding stamina exercise? It's easier to appreciate the work if you consider it a symphonic poem with obbligato piano. The hero tonight, Benjamin Grosvenor, seemed to traverse the ever-changing landscape assuredly, lyrical where needed, bombastic where necessary, matching the gigantic LPO sound in great overall balance and pace. Completing the performance was a real triumph in itself, but it went well and beyond. The encore was Siloti's B minor transcription of Bach's WTCI E minor prelude, as a nod to Busoni also being a famous Bach transcriber. The Busoni is not something I am desperate to hear again in the near future, but now I can tell people I saw this 15 out of 10 performance live. This is music making of the highest calibre. Just wow.