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Britten, Bricks & British Brilliance at the Proms
6 Sep
Summary
- The Prom featured Britten's Violin Concerto and Vaughan Williams' Ninth.
- Carmel Smickersgill's new work explored protest from three perspectives.
- Simone Lamsma delivered a commanding performance of Britten's concerto.
The Royal Albert Hall hosted a Prom featuring a century of British music, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic under Andrew Manze captivating the audience. The program opened with Vaughan Williams, including a rendition of the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, though antiphonal string groups were not separated as intended.
Carmel Smickersgill's "A Brick Thrown With Love" received its world premiere, an imaginative piece depicting protest from multiple viewpoints. The concerto's three movements were noted for their distinct character, from a cheeky clarinet theme to a brutal catharsis, despite some musical impasto.
Simone Lamsma delivered a commanding performance of Benjamin Britten's angst-ridden Violin Concerto, demonstrating total identification with the work. Her silvery legato and fiery theatrics were supported by Manze, balancing soloist and orchestra effectively, especially in the concerto's whirligig scherzo and its bleakly inconclusive finale.
The concert concluded with Vaughan Williams' Ninth Symphony, which Manze guided through a dark and detailed interpretation. This performance highlighted the symphony's visionary qualities, its kinship with Sinfonia Antartica, and its brooding orchestral weight, enhanced by atmospheric contributions from flugelhorn, cor anglais, and a saxophone trio.
