BBC Proms 53 & 54: BBCSO/Brabbins; Beethoven for Three

Martyn Brabbins’ concert with the BBC Symphony Orchestra marked his second appearance at the Proms this summer. Brabbins, in a poignant address to the audience, shared that he was filling in for Andrew Davis, who sadly passed away shortly after the season’s announcement. The event transformed into a heartfelt tribute to Davis, a conductor highly esteemed in British music circles and the BBCSO’s chief conductor for over a decade, well-known for his memorable speeches at the Last Night of the Proms.

Elgar’s Enigma Variations and the Ritual Dances from Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage were performed, highlighting Davis’s deep affection for British music. Though these pieces were newly included in the program to honor Davis, the concert’s first half remained unchanged. Brabbins opened with a vigorous and sharp rendition of Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements, preceding the UK debut of a BBC co-commissioned piece, Steve Reich’s Jacob’s Ladder.

Composed during the pandemic, Jacob’s Ladder, like Reich’s Traveler’s Prayer, is based on Hebrew texts from the Old Testament. The composition focuses on four verses from Genesis where Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching heaven. A modest ensemble of strings and woodwind backed the two sopranos and two tenors from Synergy Vocals. While the vocalists conveyed the text, the instruments largely dominated, driven by the persistent pulse of a vibraphone. The piece featured bright, buoyant textures with occasional darker hues, reflecting Reich’s most joyful and serene style.

The following afternoon, another captivated audience filled the hall for a chamber music recital with Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma. The trio performed piano trios by Brahms and Beethoven in Prom 54. The Royal Albert Hall, however, is not an ideal setting for such intimate music. Those seated in the stalls facing the platform experienced imbalanced sound, with Ma’s cello often lost and Ax’s delicate piano playing only intermittently audible.

Nevertheless, Ax, Kavakos, and Ma deserve commendation for not amplifying their performances to match the vastness of the venue. Their renditions of Brahms’s C major Trio Op 87 and Beethoven’s Archduke Trio Op 97, enhanced by the serene encore of Schubert’s B flat Trio slow movement, maintained a refined and thoughtful quality. Attempting to adjust for the vast space could have compromised the subtlety that defined the evening. Despite the unsuitable venue, this concert remains a memorable highlight.

Available on BBC Sounds. The BBC Proms continue until 14 September.

Source: The Guardian, BBC