Prom 22: Sunday 31st July at 7.00 p.m. (Rachmaninov)

[Tevot]

For me the performance sprang to life in the second half. What an absolutely thrilling performance of The Bells. The penultimate movement was gripping / frightening almost in its intensity. And that gorgeous orchestral coda at the work's close with that moving flute solo.

[Chris Newman]

Thankyou for the suggestions of recordings, guys and gals.

I agree with most of Erica Jeal's review apart from her unqualified praise of the soprano:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011...-noseda-review
The wobble is even more apparent on the radio.

I do not think Geoffrey Norris was at the same performance as we were:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/m...ll-review.html

And from some Blogs:
http://www.musicomh.com/classical/pr...11-22_0711.htm

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I was at the same performance as Geoffrey and to a lesser extent Erica.

The BBC Phil was predictably fine, but where I was hoping to have my socks blown off by the Mariinsky chorus, unfortunately it didn't happen. If they're going into the studio with this, it will help if they can sing on the note rather than microtonally flat - maybe that was the kind of Russian-ness that Noseda wants - but at least there it won't matter so much if their heads are buried in the score. Some consonants will help too. The communication element was left to the soloists, and we got it from them in spades, with Tanovitsky the star and Didyk close behind.