Thank god for the return of full-capacity theatres and concert halls! Thank god for the return of promming! Managed to get a hold of two Promming tickets online (thank god for online ticketing systems!) this morning and so was able to join in the celebration of the return of a live audience to the BBC Proms.
Still, probably due to insufficient advertising and uncertainties about COVID restrictions even a month prior to the concert, not a lot of tickets were sold and the Royal Albert Hall was only half-full; a rather sorry sight, but when compared to playing to a silent auditorium last summer, this must be elating for the performers. Luckily for us, we profited off this little misfortunate and got upgraded to second tier box seats, so were able to enjoy a luxurious and classy evening on £7 tickets!
I came to the concert with an open and eager mind, since most of the programme was new to me, but left feeling inspired and awed by the music that I was actually most familiar with. I guess tonight just wasn’t the night for introducing new music to me.
The first item on the programme was Vaughan Williams’ Serenade for Music. It’s a lovely piece of music, and conveyed images of vast landscapes and open scenery to me, but it was a shame that the acoustics of the hall just didn’t really support the singers enough (lovely soprano though) and I could barely make out any of the words. The sound just wasn’t enough to allow the music to sweep me away up there in the second tier.
I was really looking forward to Poulenc’s Organ Concerto. I thought to myself, how cool would it be to witness such a monstrous instrument accompanied by an orchestra! However, of all the pieces in tonight’s programme, this was the most underwhelming. The sound of the organ was earth-shattering, but next to it the orchestra felt like tiny ants; their sound just wasn’t enough to complement the organ’s to create musical cohesion, which made it hard for me to follow the music. When the organ eventually concluded its thunderous opening and moved on to something less dramatic, the sound just felt so mechanical that it completely did not match with the timbre of the orchestra, even when they are playing the same melodic material. The effect was a little bit jarring. So yeah, not my favourite piece, even though the organ did from time to time jolt me from my seat with its Dolby-esque surround-sound bass.
The world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s (who was present tonight) “When Soft Voices Die” I really enjoyed. I’m sure the piece is written in some way as a response to the pandemic situation, but again from where I was sat I could barely make out the words of the singers. The music seemed to me to bear similarities with the Vaughan Williams piece at the beginning of the concert, what with its luscious harmonies and repetitive gestures (a bit like film music actually), but with the additional element of drama which made it more interesting.
But the highlight of the night was surely Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2. It was while listening to this piece that I became much more aware of the conductor, Dalia Stasevska. I wonder if her Finnish nationality has anything to do with how familiar she is with Sibelius’ music (it probably does) but she appeared so confident in her musical ideas and ability to control the orchestra. She had her own unique vision of the symphony, and conveyed it so compellingly. Unlike other conductors, she didn’t give vague gestures, but was very precise in the sound and articulation she wanted, and gave each beat so clearly I could see it from afar. Her precision did not detract from her passion and scope for dramatic epicness (yes, I just made that phrase up), and listening to the music, especially going into the finale, I really felt my blood boiling in triumph. I could feel the immense struggle towards the top and the feeling of great freedom as the landscape opened up with the theme in the last movement. The way Dalia was able to command such a big orchestra, creating an overwhelming sound in a hall with such challenging acoustics is nothing short of incredible. I can only begin to imagine what a challenge it must be for the conductor.
Boy, what an incredible way to finish the opening night! I was really impressed by Dalia, and can’t wait to see more of her. With cheap tickets and good music and a fancy venue, I’ll be sure to come back and bring you all news about these exciting concerts! After all, going to the BBC Proms isn’t just about the music, but the all-round festive experience of enjoying classical music. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do that.
Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Literally Left-handed 
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