Highlights of the Proms: Part 2 Tuesday, July 21, 2009
by TheEd | categories Strings Violin | all articles
I wrote last week about my own personal cello highlights of the 2009 BBC Proms. Of course, there are also many concerts that feature violins in this season’s programme. Here’s what I’m looking forward to hearing ...
On Friday this week, Japanese classical violinist Akiko Suwanai will be performing with the Orchestre National de Lyon in Prom 10. Born in 1972, Akiko Suwanai was the youngest ever winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1990. In this concert on Friday, she explores musical cross-fertilisations between East and West, and between France and Spain.
On Sunday 26th July, Jennifer Pike, a 19-year-old violinist and Young Musician of the Year 2002, will be appearing alongside the debut of the BBC Proms Family Orchestra in a free family concert (Prom 13) specially devised to give new and younger audiences a first taste of classical music. I’m looking forward to hearing Jennifer perform ‘A Song of the Night’ by Holst, as well as Saint-Saëns’ showpiece, Introduction and Rondo capriccioso.
Jennifer Pike will also be joining a fellow Young Musician of the Year, cellist Natalie Clein, in Proms Chamber Music 10 on Saturday 29th August. In this recital, Jennifer will be playing Elgar’s violin sonata.
The young German violinist Arabella Steinbacher makes her Proms debut on Wednesday 29th July with Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3 in G major, K216. There’s an interesting interview with Arabella on her website, in which she talks about her early experiences of learning to play the violin.
I’d like to introduce Julian Rachlin as another ‘young’ violinist, but he was born in the same year as me, so I’ll leave you to make up your own minds on that one! Julian will be performing the grandly virtuosic Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Prom 34 on Monday 10th August.
As if in counterpoint to the sweeping Romantic lyricism of Tchaikovsky’s music, Gidon Kremer will be playing the violin concerto by the ‘minimalist’ composer, Philip Glass in Prom 44 on Tuesday 18th August.
And finally, two new works for violin will be presented to audiences in September. The first of these is on Tuesday 8th September and is by the Master of The Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who will be celebrating his 75th birthday on that day by conducting the UK premiere of his new violin concerto. Performed by Daniel Hope, the music is inspired by traditional Orkney folk and fiddle music.
The second new work is by the American composer, Augusta Read Thomas. Her 3rd violin concerto, Juggler in Paradise, will be performed on Wednesday 9th September by Jennifer Koh and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The subtitle of the single-movement concerto is a metaphor for the relationship between the soloist and orchestra. The music increases then decreases in speed whilst the musicians are instructed to play ‘as if “juggling” the notes, rhythms, articulations ... like several objects in motion, in the air’.
Once again, have I missed out something that you’d have liked to include in this round-up of violin highlights? Any additions or comments would be very welcome 
.
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