Prom 24: Elgar, Grainger & Strauss
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© Melanie Winning
Tuesday 2 August
7.00pm – c. 9.15pm
Royal Albert Hall
Choral music and singing events, Classical for starters
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Elgar
There is sweet music (4 mins) -
Elgar
Violin Concerto (50 mins) - INTERVAL
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Grainger
Irish Tune from County Derry (4 mins) -
Grainger
Suite 'In a Nutshell' (20 mins) -
R. Strauss
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (15 mins)
- Tasmin Little violin
- BBC Singers
- BBC Symphony Orchestra
- Sir Andrew Davis conductor
Discover the music
More from Radio 3
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Watch MaestroCam: Elgar Violin Concerto and There is Sweet Music
MaestroCam commentary by Peter Stark. -
Watch MaestroCam: Grainger - Irish tune from County Derry and Suite ' In a Nutshell'
MaestroCam with commentary by Peter Stark.
About this event
Tasmin Little, Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony perform contrasting impressions of Elgar and Grainger and to mark the 50th anniversary of Grainger’s death, his In a Nutshell suite receives a first outing at the Proms.
Tasmin Little and Sir Andrew Davis tackle a favourite concerto which the violinist has only recently felt ready to commit to disc.
It is preceded by one of Elgar's most radical part-songs, notated in two keys simultaneously in a manner which might be said to parallel the incorrigible experiments of Percy Grainger.
To mark the 50th anniversary of that composer's death, his In a Nutshell suite receives a first outing at the Proms, reaching its popular march finale by way of some unpredictable and darkly complex invention. Once considered dangerously radical itself, Strauss's perky symphonic poem documents the adventures of a purely mythical rascal.
Broadcasts
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Radio
Listen live on BBC Radio 3 and in HD Sound on the website. Listen online for 7 days after broadcast. Repeated on Radio 3 2pm 5 August 2011 -
Television & Red Button
Watch on BBC Four on 4 August. Watch online for 7 days after broadcast.
Comments
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Events on Tuesday 2 August
- Proms Plus Literary: Rudyard Kipling
5.15pm – c. 6.00pm - Prom 24: Elgar, Grainger & Strauss
7.00pm – c. 9.15pm - Prom 25: Grainger
10.15pm – c. 11.30pm
Comment number 1.
Hilary West02SSSS MMMMMMMMMMMM 00002011 - 21:August
Surely the highlight tonight was the 'In a Nutshell' Suite by Grainger. This is such a typically English work and is not performed enough. To hear it tonight was fabulous. It has such a variety of orchestral timbres, perfectly executed by the BBC Symphony under Sir Andrew Davis.
Link to this (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
Alan03SSSS MMMMMMMMMMMM 00002011 - 09:August
I agree with Hilary about "In a Nutshell." The final Gum-Suckers' March should be a future must-play for the Last Night!
Link to this (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
anthonychapman04SSSS MMMMMMMMMMMM 00002011 - 21:August
Tasmin Little's rendition of the Elgar VC was mature and heartfelt, backed by the most sympathetic accompaniment of Sir Andrew and the BBC SO.
How unfortunate, then, that I have a gripe - no, not with the performers but with those Prommers who cannot restrain themselves from applauding between movements. It spoils the atmosphere of the performance, particularly so in this concerto when the insensitive members of the audience started clapping before the strains of that sublime second movement had died away.
A plea to the management: can something be done (like a standard note in the programmes) to dissuade Prommers from this irritating practice? Coughing has been suppressed - now it's time for untimely applause to go too. In my opinion.
Link to this (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
Richard Inverne05SSSS MMMMMMMMMMMM 00002011 - 19:August
Yes, I completely agree about the applause between movements, which -on this occasion- ruined the bridge and concentration between the second and third movement. And do you know, this is (I think) the fault of Sir Roger Norrington! Many years ago, when he was chief of Bournemouth Sinfonietta (I used to live there) he would encourage applause in between movements. His argument was that in Beethoven's day (for example) the audience would do just this. O.K., fine for some (not all) Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn...but not the Elgar, please! I may be wrong, but I believe it was Norrington who first brought this practice to the Proms - you know how he likes to talk to concert audiences! Can we expunge what seems to have become an intrusive tradition...? [P.S. Sorry, Sir Roger, if I'm wrong in my memories...but I really do think that it's YOUR fault!]
Link to this (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
pichincha06SSSS MMMMMMMMMMMM 00002011 - 09:August
"Coughing has been supppressed"
Not during the first Elgar! There was not sweet music but a cacophony of coughing.
Link to this (Comment number 5)