Highlights of the BBC Proms Thursday, July 16, 2009
by KateC | categories Cello Strings | all articles
Tomorrow heralds the first night of the Proms, 2009. Anxious to note the best of the year’s concerts in my diary, I searched the online guide to discover the performances I really don’t want to miss (although I’ll be listening to them on BBC Radio 3, rather than making the trip up to London each week!). Starting with music for cello, here’s what I found ...
On Monday 31st August, Guy Johnston, patron of Exeter Young Strings, joins cellists Claudio Bohórquez, Andreas Brantelid, Natalie Clein, Danjulo Ishizaka, Li-Wei, Marie Macleod and Christian Poltéra in Proms Chamber Music 16 at Cadogan Hall. This promises to be an exciting performance that features music for a cello octet by the Brazilian composer, Villa-Lobos.
I remember when cellist Natalie Clein won Young Musician of the Year in 1994. In an interview for BBC Music Magazine this year, she described cellists as “such collaborative creatures [who] love working together. There are so many things to talk about - we’re interested in what strings we all use, and we like to try out each other’s cellos.” As well as performing as a member of the cello octet in PCM 16 however, Natalie Clein is also playing the Delius Cello Sonata in Proms Chamber Music 10 on Saturday 29th August.
Thursday 13th August brings the World Premiere of a new cello concerto by the Korean composer, Unsuk Chin, played by Alban Gerhardt in Prom 38. There’s an interesting interview with Unsuk Chin on her website in which she explains that the music in this cello concerto is “all about the competitive tension between the soloist and the orchestra.”
I’m also looking forward to Prom 57 on Friday 28th August, in which cellist Steven Isserlis will perform Tchaikovsky’s charming ‘Rococo’ Variations with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Steven Isserlis will also be playing in one of my all-time favourite Piano Trios, the Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op.49 by Mendelssohn, in the Proms Chamber Music 6 performance at Cadogan Hall on Tuesday 24th August.
Finally, Prom 74 on Friday 11th September is a concert that I certainly do not want to miss. I studied Brahms’ fourth Symphony when I was a sixth-former doing Music A-level and it has moved me ever since, so I’m eagerly awaiting this performance of it by the Vienna Philharmonic (explaining why I’m mentioning it now when it has nothing specifically to do with this post!). However, the first half of Prom 74 features a solo cello performance by the orchestra’s principal cellist, Tamás Varga, in Richard Strauss’ set of ‘fantastic variations on a theme of knightly character’, Don Quixote ... which makes the whole concert doubly exciting for me!
Have I missed anything for cello that you’re looking forward to hearing in this year’s Proms? Or are you also eagerly awaiting any of the concerts I’ve mentioned?
And do remember to stay tuned for more highlights of the 2009 Proms (including music for violin, viola, double bass and string quartet).
prev A Celebration of Kodaly ... next Highlights of the Proms: Part 2
Comments
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Fri Jul 17 2009 at 03:19 pm
Thanks Kate, It’s really helpful to see what is being performed.
I hope you all listen to Guy’s concert. I’ll email him our best wishes when I send him our latest newsletter.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Sat Jul 18 2009 at 10:41 am
I have the sheet music for the Villa-Lobos if anyone would like to play it.
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