Prom 9: Thursday 21st July, 2011 at 7.30 p.m. (Sibelius, Bartók, Janácek)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Presented by Martin Handley

Two works by Sibelius begin this concert with Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé. Scènes Historiques Suite No 2 reveals the composer's lighter side, opening with The Chase, in which horns are heard through the mist, followed by a wild chase, with impelling rhythms. The great Seventh Symphony has long been admired for its intensity and concision; its conclusion has been called "the grandest celebration of C major there ever was".

Bartók's last completed concerto was written in conditions of great poverty and adversity during the composer's exile in New York, but none of this is apparent from the work itself., which is generally melodic, mellow, even nostalgic in tone. It is championed tonight by András Schiff, appearing at the Proms for the first time since his 2006 solo recital. And, to close, a joyous sequence of sonic snapshots: Janácek's Sinfonietta is his typically bold evocation of a beloved city, the Moravian regional capital, Brno.

Sibelius: Scènes historiques - Suite No. 2
Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 in C major
Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
Janácek: Sinfonietta

András Schiff (piano)
Hallé
Sir Mark Elder (conductor)

[Bryn]

Bartók's last completed concerto ...

Completed, yes, but not by Bartók, who did not quite manage the task. The final few bars were the work of Serly et al, IIRC.

[makropulos]

Serly tout seul, I think, Bryn? I don't have my score handy, but I seem to remember it was the last 17 bars that Serly orchestrated/completed. Nice job he made of it too, though I don't know how extensive Bartók's sketches were.

Heck of a nice programme, this one.

[Tevot]

Fully agree with you Makropulos about the programme - and I'll certainly be tuning in. When the schedules were first published I frankly (admittedly on cursory reading) was underwhelmed. However just looking through this forum now I must say there are some interesting concerts that have been programmed - and that's just this coming week :-) !

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[Caliban]

This is going to be my first prom in the hall - what an exciting programme. It suggests to me those programmes of the past which seemed not to conform as much tp the overture-concerto-symphony mould. Can't wait

[salymap]

This is going to be my first prom in the hall - what an exciting programme. It suggests to me those programmes of the past which seemed not to conform as much tp the overture-concerto-symphony mould. Can't wait

Caliban, you mean your first Prom in the hall this year I presume?

[rauschwerk]

Serly tout seul, I think, Bryn? I don't have my score handy, but I seem to remember it was the last 17 bars that Serly orchestrated/completed. Nice job he made of it too, though I don't know how extensive Bartók's sketches were.

The score states that Bartok completed the full score except for those last bars which he completed in kind of musical shorthand. He had no time for his usual meticulous editing, and this job was done by Tibor Serly, Eugene Ormandy (who conducted the first performance), Louis Kentner and Erwin Stein (I think he worked for the publishers).

I did think much of the chat before the Bartok to be pointless. The woman (Anna?) sitting next to Julian Joseph did talk some utter rubbish, opining at one point that some of the concerto sounded like Stravinsky! None of the three seemed aware of the possibility that the opening of the slow movement (Andante religioso) might be though of as Bartok's Heiliger Dankgesang, written when there had been an improvement in the composer's health. I wonder who these chats are aimed at? I asked my wife - who loves this music but is perhaps not as well-informed about it as I am - whether she had found the conversation illuminating and she said not.

As for Schiff's remarks on playing Bartok, you needed to listen very carefully to what he said. He spoke of the rhetorical aspects of Bartok's playing, and how it was often like speech. No one who has heard any of the composer's recordings can fail to be struck by the beauty of his playing. I did love the way Schiff approached the concerto and did not find it at all mannered.

[Dave2002]

The Halle Prom with Jancek's Sinfonietta was splendid. Perhaps a pity that the 13 brass players for the fanfare were all in a line. It might have been even better to have them in groups round the hall. There were 26 brass players in all, including those in the orchestra. Brilliant nevertheless!

Bartok's piano concerto no 3 was also excellent with Andras Schiff.

Definitely one for listen again, or the repeat on Sunday.