this was the Proms at its most imaginative and powerful
The BBC Proms has once again proven itself as a beacon of bold programming, this time weaving together two major works united by the theme of night, memory, and spectral encounters. The evening unfolded like a carefully crafted diptych—first, starting with the murmuring intimacy of Tom Coult’s song cycle, then the vast, swirling cosmos of Mahler’s Seventh Symphony.
Tom Coult, one of Britain’s most compelling contemporary voices, has seen his works championed by ensembles like the London Sinfonietta and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. His Monologues for the Curious—a four-part song cycle—draws text fragments from M.R. James’ ghost stories, transforming them into a theatrical séance. The title Monologues is deliberate: the composer describes the narrator, instead of merely a storyteller, “adopting different characters for each movement”, making each movement a new ghostly confession. The recurring motif in the monologues —“Twice I saw him, a thousand times I felt him”—morphed from longing to grief, its meaning refracted through Coult’s orchestration. Rather than relying on stagecraft, the music itself painted the scenes. Tenor Allan Clayton’s performance was masterful, his voice threading through Coult’s delicate textures with clarity and emotional resonance.
After intermission, the night deepened with Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, conducted by Finnish maestro John Storgårds. Dubbed “The Song of the Night,” the symphony is Mahler’s nocturnal fantasia. The composer once likened the second movement to Rembrandt’s The Night Watch (1642), describing it as “a march in clair-obscur… where the fantastical colors evoke landsknechts and shadowy patrols.” And fantastical it was: mandolin, guitar, and cowbells stitched luminescence into Mahler’s already kaleidoscopic tapestry, creating soundscapes unlike anything else in the symphonic canon.
The opening movement, anchored by surging diminished seventh chords, sets the night scene immediately—yet the orchestra’s articulation occasionally blurred, dulling the edge of Mahler’s chiaroscuro. But by the second movement, the performance found its footing – the night came alive, the spirits truly awakened. The recurring motif gained new life as it shifted from minor to major, adding warmth and vitality. The fourth movement was my personal highlight, with various instruments stepping forward in masterful solo passages. The guitar and mandolin integration proved especially delightful, lending a playful quality to the orchestration that washes through the audience like a current. Then, the finale: a riotous storm, where Mahler’s orchestral forces erupted in brassy, percussive frenzy, sweeping through the Royal Albert Hall.
Once again, BBC Proms’ ambition was undeniable: this was the Proms at its most imaginative and powerful.