Wagner, Mendelssohn, Strauss - Part 1

Synopsis

BBC PROMS 2010

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Presented by Martin Handley.

The Russian-born conductor Semyon Bychkov has been in charge of the West German Radio Orchestra, based in Cologne, for more than ten years now and their performances and recordings have been widely acclaimed.

For tonight's Prom they are joined by the violinist Viviane Hagner for Mendelssohn's evergreen Violin Concerto. The programme begins with one of Wagner's most atmospheric operatic preludes and also includes a work by the veteran American composer Gunther Schuller. Finally, the orchestra performs one of Richard Strauss's most spectacularly colourful scores - his Alpine Symphony. Augmented by organ and an offstage band including twelve horns, Strauss's portrait of the mountain-climber's exhilarating day's adventure provides conductor and orchestra with a fearsome challenge of their own.

Wagner: Lohengrin - Prelude (Act 1)
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
Gunther Schuller: Where the Word Ends (UK premiere)

Viviane Hagner (violin)
WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne
Semyon Bychkov (conductor)

This Prom will be repeated on Thursday 22nd July at 2pm.