Proms 2017, review: BBC NOW / Søndergård

A strong sense of the organic growth that makes this compact work so mysterious
Thomas Søndergård, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ principal conductor
BBC
Nick Kimberley16 November 2017

The Albert Hall is huge, yet one of the most pleasing aspects of the BBC Proms is the feeling of intimacy that the music-making so often generates. The opening of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto is hushed, as if the soloist — last night, the young Uzbek pianist Behzod Abduraimov — was playing for himself, while demanding the unwavering attention of every audience member.

The Second isn’t the most dazzling of Rachmaninov’s concertos but, when the orchestra joins the party, there’s a risk that its exuberance will override the pianist. Abduraimov had the muscle to hold his own.

It helped that Thomas Søndergård, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ principal conductor, managed to be both firm and relaxed in controlling his musicians, balancing the layers of sound so that even the tiniest orchestral details registered.

That balance was even more apparent in Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, which, like the Rachmaninov, begins in relative calm but quickly grows anxious. In the second movement, anxiety becomes neurosis, and Søndergård didn’t soften the hard edges: even in the Albert Hall, the volume teetered at the edge of the tolerable.

Sibelius’s Seventh and last Symphony made for an unusually restrained concert-opener. At times Søndergård’s reading was more soft-centred than granitic, but there was a strong sense of the organic growth that makes this compact work so mysterious.

The BBC Proms continue until Sept 9

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in