A profoundly magical delight
The BBC Prom 42 of Beethoven’s Ninth by Heart is a dynamic, powerful musical masterpiece. Throughout the evening, Nicholas Collon began the enchanting night with a beautiful exploration of the creation and legacy of the masterpiece Symphony Number Nine. Followed by the performance (from memory) of the Symphony Number Nine in D minor.
Aurora Orchestra’s from-memory made the beautiful music somehow more visible. In addition, both the stage blocking and how the musicians (particularly the Violinists) could move so freely as they played – reinforced what we heard. In addition, the start of the evening being gifted by the explanation and deconstruction of the music was simply fascinating and encapsulating. Collon’s explanation of the composer’s life while he was composing this masterpiece was truly insightful. This section of the night was written by Jane Mitchell, who also co-directed along with James Bonas and Matthew Eberhardt, the script drew on the notebooks Beethoven habitually carried around with him at this stage of life, full of to-do lists and, fascinatingly, one-sided exchanges – Beethoven’s companions would scribble down for him their contributions to a conversation. Around this, the conductor Nicholas Collon took bits of the music gently apart for us: an exploration of the perfect tune. The storytelling of Beethoven’s life and the ambition of his music was fluid and engaging which was a joy to learn about.
The performance of Symphony Number Nine was truly breathtaking and electric. Nicholas Collon’s power and leadership throughout the piece was magnificent to witness. The ending of the evening with the choral singing from the BBC Singers, National Youth Choir of “Ode of Joy’ was astonishing. Everything about this performance was a faultless masterpiece which reeked of fluidity and passion.