Prom 28 (4.8.12): Ulster Youth Orchestra of Northern Ireland

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Saturday 4 August at 2.00 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall

Chabrier: España (8 mins)
Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, K314 (20 mins)
Elaine Agnew: Dark Hedges (c12 mins)
BBC Commission, World Premiere
Stravinsky: The Firebird (30 mins)

Sir James Galway flute
Ulster Youth Orchestra of Northern Ireland
Ulster Orchestra
JoAnn Falletta conductor

Launching a weekend featuring performances by young performers, the Ulster Youth Orchestra joins the Ulster Orchestra in a concert brimming with orchestral colour. The Ulster Orchestra's Principal Conductor, JoAnn Falletta, makes her Proms, debut while virtuoso flautist, Sir James Galway, makes a welcome return to the Proms.

The members of the Ulster Youth Orchestra showcase their talent in a piece sparkling with Spanish dance rhythms and folk-like tunes - Chabrier's España is a musical postcard marking the composer's visit to Spain in 1882. Sir James Galway joins the Ulster Orchestra to perform Mozarts's Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, K314, a work which began life as an oboe concerto and was adapted for flute by the composer in Mannheim in 1798. Dark Hedges for double orchestra and solo flute is a BBC commission for the BBC Proms by Elaine Agnew. The work is inspired by an avenue of over-arching beech trees planted near Armoy in 1750, close to the composer's home in Co. Antrim.

The concert ends with music from Stravinsky's ballet, The Firebird. It tells the story of a prince who, with the help of a mysterious firebird, breaks a spell cast by the evil magician, King Kashei. The 1911 suite from the ballet is lavishly orchestrated and takes full advantage of the large orchestral forces provided by the combined forces of the youth and professional orchestras playing side by side on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall.

[kernelbogey]

This afternoon's Prom.

[kernelbogey]

Did anyone go to this...?

Anyone hear it on Radio Three...?

[Bax-of-Delights]

Yes.

An extended visit to a South Ken wine bar after the concert redeemed the afternoon for me. My concert-going partner enjoyed the three familiar musical offerings but thought the Agnew with its comic percussive effects and peripatetic flautist moving from arena floor to a specially constructed percussion platform to the main orchestra platform all rather pointless and should ensure that the piece gets just the one outing. I would not disagree.
The composer, in attendance, was warmly applauded.

A prom intended, I assume, for "the family" with Louise Fryer announcing from the stage. Why, I couldn't fathom.
Serial coughers in attendance and a strange outcry during the quietest piece of the Mozart served to distract. The chap on the end of the row fell asleep and was only wakened by a sudden tutti in the Stravinsky. The sight of him nearly falling off his seat was the highlight of the afternoon for me.

The concert was also attended by a fair smattering of Nortern Ireland politicos which may account for the security search of bags as we entered. They seemed to be enjoying the hospitalities.
So that's all good then.

[french frank]

It looks like a light programme as a Saturday afternoon family event. [Oh, I see B-o-D has said that already: must be right then].

peripatetic flautist moving from arena floor to a specially constructed percussion platform to the main orchestra platform

I was at a concert in Chur where a similar peripatetic flautist wandered, barefoot, hither and yon, in a contemporary piece. I'm rather of the 'nothing that unnecessarily distracts' school of thought, no matter what the latest fad is.

[PhilipT]

I also agree with B-o-D, although in my case I found that the redheads of the Ulster Youth Orchestra provided a more-than-welcome distraction from the wandering antics of the knight with the golden flute.

[Estelle]

I was very much disturbed by that loud, strange utterance from the depths of the hall. Sir James must have nerves of steel. The flow of his wonderful singing flute continued without a skip!

[bluestateprommer]

That was a very disturbing sound from the hall indeed in the midst of Sir James G.'s 1st movement solo in the Mozart. The sound actually seemed like a not-so-distant 1st cousin to the annoying raspberry at The Last Night that always greets the first instrumental appearance of the tune. Overall, this Prom was OK, with both the Ulster Orchestra and the Ulster Youth Orchestra on good form. I wasn't that blown away by the Elaine Agnew, but I'm glad that she got the chance to show off her compositional chops with a Proms commission, and that she got a nice reception from the audience.

Minor point regarding Louise Fryer's presentation: she made a composer name gaffe when she referred to Chabrier as "Ernest Chabrier" rather than Emmanuel Chabrier. One can only imagine the vitriol in response if KD had made the same mistake.