The performance is spectacular; the space itself leaves lots to be desired.
The BBC Proms festival has been running in some capacity for 131 years now. Every year, the eight-week extravaganza at The Royal Albert Hall becomes the jewel in the crown of London’s classical music scene, with eclectic programmes of both older and contemporary works on offer, billed as way of making this music more accessible, and open to all. Certainly, in this country, going to see an orchestra for an evening’s entertainment is still viewed by many as a deeply elite and stuffy affair, stuck in its old traditions and incapable of change. Even with the Proms’ history of offering cheap standing tickets to shows (promming), its associations with snobbery and pretention remain imbedded within UK culture. Indeed, walking into The Royal Albert Hall, with its gilded décor, red velvet and box hierarchies, you can see why the place might be imposing to those not in the know. Looking around at the demographic of the audience, it’s also plain to see that the venue could benefit from a youthful resurgence.
Tonight’s offerings are three pieces performed by the BBC’s Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Anja Bihlmaier. The first of which is a new work by Bushra El-Turk, entitled Mosaic, an eerie and disjointed work which is a meditation on identity, otherness and exoticism. It’s very modern, dark and brooding, and set against the gold encrusted backdrop of the hall’s stage, makes for a pleasing contrast.
The next piece is Haydn’s famous Farewell, a symphony with a comedic ending, written in protest against a prince guilty of keeping Haydn and his musicians too long over a summer residence, away from their families. So, Haydn wrote a piece entitled Farewell, in which, towards the end of the final movement, musicians would leave the stage one by on until all but two lonely violins remained to round things off. Apparently, the prince got the message and let them all go home the next day. The orchestra here play up to the comedy of it all, waving at the audience and yawning as they flee the scene. Even Bihlmaier struts off at one point. The symphony itself is exceptionally performed by the ensemble, and the dedication and skill of the musicians is on full display with Haydn’s famously fast, staccato arrangements. Although humorous, the ending of the piece is also beautiful, the gradual dissolving of an orchestra, leaving two players alone in the vast space, is a subtle spectacle.
After a seemingly endless twenty-five-minute interval, in which no £6 micro-tub of ice cream was scoffed, we came to the final piece, Mahler’s Das Lied Von Der Erde (The Song of the Earth). Featuring the full orchestra complete with timpani, gongs and harp, this epic six movement symphony is accompanied by voices, traditionally a female mezzo and male tenor. Tonight’s performance brought together Jamie Barton and Clay Hilley, world class singers both who have incredible stage presence. Hilley especially, whose gestures and facial expression bring a much-needed theatricality to his singing. Much needed because, of course, the piece is sung in German and so requires an evocation to get a sense of the narrative at play here. Das Lied von der Erde is truly epic in scale, emotion and variety. It is particularly lovely to hear instruments such as mandolin and celesta being utilised, which cut through the more conventional orchestration on the movement Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde (The Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery). The dynamic range to this piece is a marvel, and although certain movements do drag a little at times, no movement outstays its welcome.
The music is nothing short of excellent, and it is no surprise given the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra’s well-regarded prowess, and the might of Barton and Hilley in those central positions. However, it must be said that The Royal Albert Hall is simply not doing enough to encourage people through its doors. For a start, a physical programme of the night is £7 pounds, with no electronic issue on offer. This is an important detail. If you are trying to educate people on the context of this music, to get people interested, ideally you would make that information more readily available. It would prove useful for people who don’t speak German to know the story of The Song of the Earth, so that they may follow along with what is happening.
The pieces are wonderful, emotional works of art, performed with skill and love. However, being here, taking in the space, you certainly feel the weight of tradition, which can be a little suffocating at times.
Mahler’s Das Leid von der Erde is part of the BBC Proms, which runs until 12 September.