J. Ruigeng
A wonderful concert, but above all a superb, unique pianist. After having listened to him and compared with many other interpretations, I would suggest to BBC Phil to record that piece with him right away as it was absolutely amazing. A deep, clever, wonderful playing .

Rachel Cook
Seeing this was the best thing I've done all year!

Geoff Bushell
A welcome opportunity to hear Gliere 3 - this is a rare gem which deserves further hearing. The BBC Philharmonic's performance was epic but perhaps Sinaisky's tempi occasionally skated over the gargantuan grandeur. Even so, the BBC is to be congratulated for programming Gliere 3. Find out more about the symphony at www.clarihorn.freeserve.co.uk/gliere.

Tim
My first Prom of the season and what a great start.The Gliere 3rd Symphony deserves to be far better known and I hope this Proms debut will encourage other orchestras to take on the challenge. For me, the Gliere will be one of the highlights of the season.

John
I listened to the Rachmaninoff for the first time in many years and came away with the feeling that it dazzles (and Goerner certainly took all the hurdles in stride) but only rarely takes hold of the listener emotionally. This was in turn, a rather pedestrian performance, lacking in the personality required in the pianist to make the most of the big melodic places. More grace and less hectic pace would have been more satisfying.

Scott Cooper, Oldham
The Arvo Pärt Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten I thought was very atmospheric and portrayed very well considering the purpose for which it was written. I thought that the Gliere Symphony No. 3 was very exuberant, I did not know what to expect with this work as I had not come across anything by Gliere until tonight’s prom. I am very glad that Sinaisky came across this work so that we could hear it tonight and is just a shame that I did not hear it in Manchester a few years ago. Like Sinaisky said it is very Stravinskian and Wagnerian. I could hear this in the first movement with extracts of the Firebird, and I am sure I could hear parts of Symphony in Eb being played throughout the first movement.I think it was the third movement which had that amazing climax of the gong, very powerful indeed and typical of other Russians of a similar period, Shostakovich seems to like using gongs throughout his symphonies! This movement also recalled other passages from throughout the work, similar to that used in the last movement of Bruckner’s symphony No. 8. The last movement sounded very like Stravinsky’s Firebird once again. A minute or two before the end uses more or less the same type of notes and phrases as the end of ‘Katchei’s Death’. I thought the performance of this piece was fantastic and Sinaisky’s fine conducting hand put across a very powerful performance.According to the Naxos catalogue a number of Gliere’s works are available. I think I will look in to listening to some of those!

Glenn Hauser
What makes a symphony "mighty"? There are some mighty good ones on this year`s Prom Concerts, but I would have a hard time quantifying this. That is no obstacle to the BBCR3 presenters, or whoever writes their scripts. So far, Bruckner`s Seventh and Gliere`s Third have both been dubbed "mighty". They are both over an hour long; is that it? Now, are any of Bruckner`s symphonies not mighty??? My inquiring mind wants to know.

Steve
This is what I like about the Proms: finding new works like the Gliere symphony that I might not otherwise have come across. As someone said on the Radio 3 Performance messageboard: 'What a blast!'. 'Epic' is a word that also comes to mind. I enjoyed hearing the Bruckner 7th live at the RAH the night before, but this performance of Gliere's symphony sounded purer, and must have filled the hall with a wall of sound.

Peter
Where is the Estonian connection in this programme? [Ed: Arvo Pärt] P.S. I'm so appreciative of the BBC putting this on-line.

thoroughlygood
Part's Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten was stunning in its simplicity. The texture of the strings was overwhelming and, as I sat listening to the performance on Radio 3 it quickly evoked the sight of Slava, Peter Pears and Imogen Holst all solemnly following Britten's coffin into Aldeburgh Church at the composer's funeral. A truly moving and still poignant work. The Rachmaninov was a little disappointing - it seemed like the pianist had only one speed in mind - although the playing was (obviously) competent. The "epic Gliere" started well but I did, I have to confess, drop off part way through the second movement.

Nick Mercer
First time in the gallery, my anxieties re volume and acoustics were dispelled from the first notes of the bell that opened the Arvo Part piece. I felt I was immersed in a cleansing radiation as the piece swelled in the dome and wanted to cry with relief. From the electric energy of its start to the penultimate variation that seemed to immerse the whole building in a benign flood of joy, Rakhmaninov's appropriately named rhapsody provided an effective return from the realm of spirits to the intoxicating physicality of the here and now. The pianist, Nelson Goerner, was superb. It felt like he was simply releasing the notes. During the interval the empty seats that had accused me from the circle drew me down discretely into their midst so I entered the Jungian gloom of Gliere's 3rd ensconced in a decent seat and armed with a bottle of water. I confess I was slightly bracing myself for a possibly arduous journey through a bleak an unrewarding landscape. I was wrong. I found myself totally transported by the music and, like Dante, felt the real fear of being "lost in a dark wood". Ilya's journey from paralysis to action and back to paralysis produced a poignant sensibility that I didn't expect. It feels almost redundant to say that the orchestra were superb. Synergy and containment - and always a sense that they could take you further. Then, somehow, back onto the pavement of South Ken in soft air awash with muted voices and half-heard conversations. The magical journey continues.