The BBC orchestra visits Nottingham for a first for the world-famous Proms.
When a Radio 3 presenter walks on stage at the beginning of a concert, you know it is a little out of the ordinary. Indeed, it was. This was the BBC Proms' first ever live broadcast from Nottingham and the Royal Concert Hall. And the presenter needed to talk the audience through the niceties of joining the nation live.
The BBC Concert Orchestra at the Proms kicked off with Overture for the 1954 movie, The Men of Sherwood Forest, by Doreen Carwithen. It was all very symphonic and orchestral. The music conjured up images of arrows and swordfights, of the sheriff’s men stomping through Sherwood Forest. But it was pretty much standard fare for Hollywood classic in the 1950s.
Next up was a unique commission by the BBC, specifically for this special Nottingham broadcast. Nottingham’s industrial past was the inspiration for Lace Machine Music, by Dr Elizabeth Kelly, Associate Professor in Music Composition at the University of Nottingham. Imagine those enormous-sized looms, drawing in reams of lace and churning out intricate patterns. These vast, complex behemoths were controlled by tiny punch cards, pre-runners of our modern computers. And Dr Kelly’s composition evoked all of that machinery with recurring melodies. Her piece ended up with bells, to symbolise Little John, the deep chime of the Council House’s clock.
In fact, so well received that Clare was called upon to provide an encore.
Local pianist, Clare Hammond, came onstage afterwards for Sergei Rachmaninov’s infernally catchy Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. This was undoubtedly the best-known entry in tonight’s programme and well received by the audience. In fact, so well received that Clare was called upon to provide an encore.
After the intermission, the orchestra tuned up to play The Adventures of Robin Hood by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. This was the movie score for the 1938 Errol Flynn version of the Robin Hood myth and arguably the most loved. Korngold skilfully employed catchy, quirky motifs for characters from the tales such as Friar Tuck, Little John Richard and King Richard. Immediately, the melody was more recognisable than its 1950s counterpart and was a lot of fun.
The last item was Jean Sibelius’s Third Symphony. This is often described as a transitional orchestration between his first two conventional symphonies and his later more experimental work. Sibelius was a great advocate for his native Finland and this piece draws upon Finnish folklore in its refrain.
Tonight’s conductor was Anna-Maria Helsing, a native Finn herself, and hence the choice of Sibelius. She did a stirring job at the podium and it was easy to see why her career is in the ascendant.
Overall, Nottingham’s first-ever live Proms broadcast was a success, with Stravinsky and Sibelius topping the bill.
The BBC Orchestra played the Proms at the Royal Concert Hall on September the 9th 2024.
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