Prom 33: Sumptuous song and assured Rachmaninov from Connolly, Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic

Dame Sarah Connolly & the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)

BBC Philharmonic

John Storgårds (conductor)

7pm, Wednesday 9 August, 2023

BBC Prom 33

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Oberon, Overture

 

Dora Pejačević (1885-1923):   Zwei Schmetterlingslieder, Op. 52

                                                I. Gold’ne Sterne, blaue Glöckchen

                                                II. Schwebe, du Schmetterling

                                                Verwandlung, Op. 37b

                                                Liebeslied

 

Alma Mahler-Werfel (1879-1964), orch. Colin & David Matthews:

                                                Five Lieder No. 1, Die stille Stadt

                                                Four Lieder No. 1, Licht in der Nacht

                                                Five Lieder No. 4, Bei dir ist es traut

 

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943): Symphony No. 1 in D minor

John Storgårds conducting the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Weber:

'Storgårds drove the gallop with great energy, with some particularly fleet-of-foot work from the violins'.

Pejačević:

'Connolly’s warm tone was matched well with an agile touch from the orchestra'.

Mahler-Werfel:

'In the mysterious Die stille Stadt, Connolly shaped the melodic line with strong dramatic interest, and delivered the strangely angular Licht in der Nacht with ominous darkness, exploiting her depth of range on the very low 'Nacht''.

Rachmaninov:

'Storgårds managed the first movement’s frequent tempo transitions coherently, with oceanic waves of string arpeggios and a deft accelerando to finish'. 

'Storgårds drove on with the offbeat rhythms, building to a blistering pace for the conclusion, with tam-tam and timpani adding the final element of drama'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.