Le Concert Spirituel's Striggio marred by flawed staging choices at the BBC Proms

Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel
© BBC/Mark Allan

Le Concert Spirituel

Hervé Niquet

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Sunday 17 August, 2025
Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★

Anonymous: Plainchant 'Beata viscera Marie virginis'

Benevolo, Orazio (1605-1672): Laetatus sum

                                                  Miserere

Corteccia, Francesco (1502-1571): Bonum est confederi

                                                        Gloria Patri

Striggio, Alessandro (c.1536/37-1592): Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Kyrie

Massenzio, Domenico (1586-1657): Ave Regina caelorum

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Gloria

Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da (1525/26-1594): Peccavimus

Corteccia, Francesco: Alleluia

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Credo

Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da: Beata est Virgo Maria

Benevolo, Orazio: Magnificat

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Sanctus, Benedictus

Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da: Pater noster

Massenzio, Domenico: Filiae Jerusalem

Striggio, Alessandro: Mass 'Ecco sì beato giorno' - Agnus Dei

Corteccia, Francesco: Tu puer propheta altissimi

Striggio, Alessandro: Motet 'Ecce beatam lucem'

Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel
© BBC/Mark Allan

'A bell striking signalled the performers’ entrance, with an anonymous plainchant Beata viscera Marie virginis over droning sackbuts. They processed to form a circle around conductor Niquet, terraced to two or three levels'.

'For the vast majority, the view was of the circle’s rear, with many of the musicians at the circle’s inside lower level invisible ... some lower voices at the top of the outside tier were much more audible than the lighter higher voices, hidden in the inner circle.

'The full tutti sound, with the brightness of the instruments, was richly textured in the Gloria and the loud plea for “pacem” at the end of the 60-part Agnus Dei was impressive'.

'Of the other works, Orazio Benevolo’s Magnificat stood out as the most effective. Contrast was achieved here by alternating passages for voices with instrumental sections'.

'Striggio’s other 40 part work, the motet Ecce beatam lucem had a decent pace to it, and the swells at “O quam” and “O mel” were effective'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Nicholas Collon and Aurora Orchestra pull off another dramatic performance from memory

Max Revell as Dmitry Shostakovich
© BBC/Andy Paradise

Max Revell (actor/dancer)

Polly Frame (actor)

Craig Stein (actor)

Sarah Twomey (actor)

Samuel West (voice of Stalin)

Petroc Trelawny (voice of Telephone Operator)

Aurora Orchestra

Nicholas Collon (conductor)

Alexandra Wood (leader)

Jane Mitchell (co-director, scriptwriter)

James Bonas (co-director)

Scott Graham (for Frantic Assembly) (co-director)

Sean Hollands (for Frantic Assembly) (associate to Scott Graham)

Zakk Hein (video designer)

David Bishop (lighting designer)

BBC Proms
7.30pm, Sunday 16 & 17 August, 2025 (reviewed at 17 August performance)
Royal Albert Hall, London

Max Revell (Shostakovich), Frantic Assembly,
Aurora Orchestra and Nicholas Collon
© BBC/Andy Paradise

★★★★

Shostakovich's Fifth by Heart

A musical and dramatic exploration of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5

Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975): Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47

'Dancer Max Revell, a silent Shostakovich, contorted and twisted his body, literally pulled in all directions. Men in black lifted and manhandled him, and also some of the musicians, who played their examples while upside down or in the air'.

'The device to demonstrate parallel interpretations of the symphony worked and, as ever with Shostakovich, there’s no definitive answer'.

Nicholas Collon conducts Aurora Orchestra
© BBC/Andy Paradise

'The standing musicians were at their freest to move and engage with each other, with sections of violins moving as one body as they scurried forward'.

'The snare commenced the final build-up to the spectacular finish, and every musician knew exactly where this was going, but also their part in getting us there'.

'Sunday lunchtime never felt so elementally exhilarating!'

Read my full review on Bachtrack here. 

Handel's Messiah overpowered by massed forces to close the Proms Choral Day

Messiah at the BBC Proms Choral Day
© BBC/Andy Paradise

Nardus Williams (soprano)

Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano)

Benjamin Hulett (tenor)

Ashley Riches (bass-baritone)

Philharmonia Chorus

Bath Minerva Choir

The Fourth Choir

Jason Max Ferdinand Singers

London Youth Chamber Choir

Voices of the River's Edge

Gavin Carr (coordinating chorus-master)

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

John Butt (conductor)

Helen Charlston
© BBC/Andy Paradise

BBC Prom 65

7pm, Saturday 7 September 2024

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★ 

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): Messiah

(orch. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791))

'Conductor John Butt had a massive juggernaut to control and, with the best will in the world, nuance was always going to be a challenge. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields played with precision and lyricism, but in solo arias and recitatives, they were often sadly just too loud to allow room for the soloists’ subtleties of expression'.

John Butt conducts Messiah
© BBC/Andy Paradise

'Tenor Benjamin Hulett opened with a gently sustained “Comfort Ye”, followed by a nimble “Ev’ry Valley”.... When Mozart got out of the way and left things to strings alone for “Behold, and see”, (Helen) Charlston shone.... Soprano Nardus Williams delivered pure tone in “He shall feed his flock”, again, muted strings allowing for delicate colour....Bass-baritone Ashley Riches’ penetrating tone cut through the textures well'.

'The Philharmonia Chorus formed the semi-chorus (still 120 singers), delivering confident precision in the fiddlier choruses'.

'The fully combined chorus produced a phenomenally powerful sound, and this was used to dramatic effect for “Wonderful Counsellor” in “For unto us a child is born”'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here. 

Rattle and the Bavarian RSO offer a glimmer of hope in epic Mahler 6

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)

BBC Prom 62

8pm, Friday 6 September 2024

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★★

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911): Symphony No. 6 in A minor (1903-4, rev. 1906)

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra percussionists
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

'With short phrases thrown around the orchestra, detail can easily get lost, or lack connection. Yet Rattle (without score) led from one to the other, and just watching him alone delivered complete coherency'.  

'... alone at the top of the staging was a large, beehive-like wooden box on legs. At the appointed moment, the percussionist rose from his seat below, solemnly walked up the steps, picked up the huge mallet, and then scared the living daylights out of the audience in the choir stalls behind, hitting the box with such force it jumped around on the stage. Thankfully it didn’t fall to bits, and no swarm of bees emerged'.

'In the Scherzo, Rattle contrasted the violent, twisted march with the pecking, petulant woodwind, but also brought out the laughing violas alongside the shrill E flat clarinet at the movement’s end'. 

The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra woodwinds
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

'From the dreamlike opening with weirdly twanging, muted harp effects and more offstage cowbells, to the galloping brass and trilling birdlike woodwinds, the BRSO demonstrated their unquestionable prowess and ability to produce stunning orchestral colour'.

'In the finale, Rattle and the BRSO excelled'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Sir Simon Rattle & the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
© Nick Boston

Energy and showmanship in Minasi and Ensemble Resonanz's Mozart at the Proms

Riccardo Munasi conducting Ensemble Resonanz
© BBC/Mark Allan

Clara-Jumi Kang (violin)

Timothy Ridout (viola)

Ensemble Resonanz

Riccardo Minasi (conductor) 

BBC Prom 41

7.30pm, Wednesday 20 August 2024

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791):

Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K492, Overture

Sinfonia concertante in E flat major, K364

Encore:

Duo for violin and viola in G major, K423, Adagio

 

Don Giovanni, K527, Overture

Symphony No. 41 in C major, K551, ‘Jupiter’

Encore:

Symphony No. 35 in D major, K385, ‘Haffner’, Presto

Le nozze di Figaro Overture:

'Le nozze di Figaro’s overture set the tone, with immediate energy, bright tone and tight ensemble, Minasi shaping the surging lines, and a pulsing build to the climax'.

Clara-Jumi Kang & Timothy Ridout
© BBC/Mark Allan

Sinfonia Concertante:

'Clara-Jumi Kang and Timothy Ridout’s tones were beautifully matched throughout, a real sign of a duo that perform together frequently. ... They gave us sweetly singing lines in the opening movement, then mellow longing in the aching slow movement, and the finale was sprightly and playful, with their final runs up to the top precise and full of joy'. 

Don Giovanni Overture:

'The overture to Don Giovanni upped the energy levels after the interval, delivering instant drama, with tightly surging scales and falling woodwind figures, and Minasi injecting energy into quick tempos'.

Jupiter Symphony:

'Perhaps not one for a definitive recording, but entertaining as a live experience'. 

'From the pianissimo beginning, Minasi then took off at a cracking pace, and this was a tour de force of energetic drive from beginning to end'. 

Read my full review here.

Beauty without the beast: BBC Philharmonic, Feldman and Bihlmaier at the BBC Proms

Tobias Feldmann, Anja Bihlmaier & the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Andy Paradise

Tobias Feldmann (violin)

BBC Philharmonic

Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)

 

BBC Prom 26

7.30pm, Thursday 8 August 2024

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

 

Encore:

Edward Elgar (1857-1934): Salut d’amour, Op. 12

 

Sarah Gibson (1995-2024): warp & weft

 

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

Anja Bihlmaier conducts the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Andy Paradise

Beethoven:

'A highly engaging performance from Feldmann, producing a bright, lively tone and lyrical line throughout'. 

'... a performance of great beauty, with strong orchestral playing from the woodwinds in particular, but missing bite at the more dramatic moments'.

Gibson:

'Bihlmaier steered the orchestra through the complex rhythms in a work full of interest and challenge'.

Brahms:

'Bihlmaier gave the opening, which launches without introduction, a watery flow, (think Smetana’s Vltava), setting the tone for a fluid reading'. 

'Bihlmaier shaped the progress of the unfolding variations with a strong architectural sense'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Prom 68: Britten Sinfonia ablaze on the BBC Proms’ hottest night

Owen Gunnell & the Britten Sinfonia
© BBC/Mark Allen

Britten Sinfonia
Thomas Gould (violin/director)
Clare Finnimore (viola)

Owen Gunnell (vibraphone)

Miranda Dale (violin)

Caroline Dearnley (cello)

7.30pm, Wednesday 6 September, 2023

BBC Prom 68

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★★

Thomas Gould, Miranda Dale,
Caroline Dearnley & the Britten Sinfonia
© BBC/Mark Allen

Lera Auerbach (b.1973): Sogno di Stabat mater

 

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713): Concerto grosso in F major, Op. 6 No. 2

 

Michael Tippett (1905-1998): Fantasia concertante on a Theme of Corelli

 

Max Richter (b.1966): Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons

 

Encore:

Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen: Shine You No More, arr. for string orchestra

Thomas Gould & the Britten Sinfonia
© BBC/Mark Allen

Auerbach:

'The Britten Sinfonia strings gave their sinking lines intensity, and the solo strings riffed on Pergolesi’s suspensions, with sinister dark tutti throbbing gradually taking over'.

Corelli/Tippett:

'Bright and energetic Corelli flowed straight into Tippett’s Fantasia concertante, thereby accentuating Tippett’s gradual stretching and unhinging of the Baroque'.

'Gould was almost rotating on the spot as soloist and conductor, and communication between him and the mostly standing players was palpable throughout, their gently swaying movements transmitting their enjoyment and commitment'. 

Richter:

'Gould and his players were constantly alert to their corporate roles, producing some of the finest ensemble playing heard in a long time'.

'Once again, the criminally underfunded Britten Sinfonia (are you listening, ACE?) demonstrated inventiveness and frankly stunning performance commitment, giving other orchestral outfits much to envy'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Prom 50 - Cummings and the AAM bring the house down with Samson at the Proms

Laurence Cummings conducts the Academy of Ancient Music
© BBC/Sisi Burn

Allan Clayton (Samson)

Jacquelyn Stucker (Dalila)

Joélle Harvey (Israelite Woman)

Jess Dandy (Micah)

Brindley Sherratt (Harapha)

Jonathan Lemalu (Manoa)

Will Pate (Messenger)

Philharmonia Chorus

Academy of Ancient Music

Laurence Cummings (harpsichord/director)

7pm, Wednesday 23 August, 2023

BBC Prom 50

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Allan Clayton & the Academy of Ancient Music
© BBC/Sisi Burn

Handel, George Frideric (1685-1759): Samson (1741-2, rev. 1743)

'The Philharmonia Chorus’ performance was totally convincing'. 

'Clayton’s Samson was unflinching in rejecting Dalila’s pleas, but showed vulnerability too, never afraid to sing incredibly quietly, lamenting the “Total eclipse” of his sight with heartbreaking pianissimo control on the words “no moon”'.

'Stucker’s Dalila was bright-toned and full of self-righteousness, her “plaintive notes” more wheedling than sensuous, but beautiful nevertheless'. 

Brindley Sherratt & the Academy of Ancient Music
© BBC/Sisi Burn

Dandy:

'When Cummings kept the players back, her rich tone was allowed to shine through, with particular expression of pain in her long-held “griefs” in “Return, oh God of hosts”'.

'Brindley Sherratt was in danger of stealing the show as Harapha, his arresting presence dominating the stage as he strode on, delivering his first recit from memory'.

Jacquelyn Stucker & Joélle Harvey
© BBC/Sisi Burn

Cummings & the AAM:

' consistently energetic presence, he commanded the combined forces with enthusiasm, making for a memorably magnificent performance'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

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.