Reviews are starting to appear for the CSO’s concerts in the UK, including the famous BBC Proms. Photo: Chris Christodoulou
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is basking in the glow of positive reviews for its debut performances at both the Edinburgh International Festival and the BBC Proms in Royal Albert Hall, the first leg of its three-week tour of six nations. Geoff Brown of The Times wrote that the orchestra’s program for the 58th Proms showed them “what we have been missing.”
“There’s that almost inordinate precision and sparkle, best experienced in its encore, Bernstein’s ‘Candide’ overture; and an intense clarity of colour and line, so telling in the early stages of Copland’s ‘Lincoln Portrait.’ And how about the sonic ballast, partly fuelled by the muscular buzz of double basses, placed on risers, facing the front?” he wrote.
By the way, it looks like the editors have corrected their initial spelling of our fair city (Cincinatti).Read More »
Did you hear it? The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Sunday evening debut in London’s Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms was met with deafening cheers and applause from the Proms audience, estimated at 5,000 to 6,000 people.
The enthusiastic audience for the Cincinnatians in Royal Albert Hall. Photo: Chris Christodoulou
I think the response surprised even the announcer on the BBC’s Radio 3, which was airing the concert live from Royal Albert Hall.
And what a concert it was. The program opened with Bernstein’s suite from the film, “On the Waterfront,” followed by Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” which was premiered by the CSO in 1942. The celebrity narrator was British actor Charles Dance, who spoke Lincoln’s words with a bit of an American accent.
A capacity crowd of an estimated 6,000 for the CSO’s debut at the Proms in Royal Albert Hall, London. Photo: Chris Christodoulou
The announcer remarked that the piece had not been performed in the U.K. since 1943, when Sir Adrian Boult led its U.K. premiere at the Proms. At the intermission break, the broadcast continued with a panel discussion about Lincoln – interesting to hear from the British perspective.
A thrilling performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth had the Brits cheering. Photo: Chris Christodoulou
The second half featured Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, given a high-voltage performance led by Louis Langrée. For an encore, Langrée and the orchestra delighted the crowd with Bernstein’s splashy Overture to Candide.
Note the microphones over the CSO in their BBC Proms debut, broadcast live all over the UK and streamed live to the world. Photo: Chris Christodoulou
The broadcast was also notable because it was the first time that Cincinnatians could hear their orchestra, live in concert on tour across the Atlantic. I was impressed by the quality of the pickup – it was so clear and balanced, they could have been playing in downtown Cincinnati. But then the BBC obviously has lots of experience at recording and broadcasting.
If you missed the show, you’ll find it archived at BBC Radio 3 for another 30 days. In addition, Cincinnati’s WGUC-FM 90.9 is planning to air the American portion of the Proms broadcast, locally at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6. (WGUC will also air the fabled Last Night of the Proms on Sept. 26).
