Revolution poster 1917 Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
REVOLUTION at the Proms
There’s Revolution in the air at the BBC Proms this week. In fact, the whole Proms season this year has the thread of revolution running through it – due to the fact that 2017 marks the centenary of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. So expect to hear a lot of music by Russian composers such as Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich.
This week, there’s plenty for fans of Shostakovich including his 10th Symphony – which was described by one writer as “48 minutes of tragedy, despair, terror and violence and two minutes of triumph”.
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård perform Shostakovich’s Symphony No 10 and are later joined by Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti for one of several works Shostakovich wrote to commemorate the revolution, his Violin Concerto No 1 - written right after WW2, (but not premièred until after Stalin’s death).
Monday 7 August 2017
7pm Music Alive
BBC Proms 2017
Hammer and Sickle Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Behzod Abduraimov (piano), BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Thomas Søndergård
SIBELIUS: Symphony No 7 in C Op 105; RACHMANINOV: Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Op 18; SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No 10 in E minor Op 93 (recorded by the BBC, Royal Albert Hall, London)
Tuesday 8 August 2017
7pm Music Alive
BBC Proms 2017
Nicola Benedetti at the Proms Photo: BBC
Nicola Benedetti (violin), BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Thomas Søndergård
SHOSTAKOVICH: October Op 131; SHOSTAKOVICH: Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor Op 77; SIBELIUS: Symphony No 2 in D Op 43 (recorded by the BBC, Royal Albert Hall, London)
Wednesday 9 August 2017
7pm Music Alive
BBC Proms 2017
Tom Service (presenter), Aurora Orch/Nicholas Collon
STRAUSS: Metamorphosen; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 3 in Eb Op 55, Eroica (excerpts); BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 3 in Eb Op 55, Eroica (recorded by the BBC, Royal Albert Hall, London)
Thursday 10 August 2017
10am BBC Proms 2017
City of Birmingham SO Youth Chorus, BBC Scottish SO/John Wilson
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphony No 9 in E minor; HOLST: The Planets Suite (recorded by the BBC, Royal Albert Hall, London)
Friday 11 August 2017
(none)
Saturday 12 August 2017
(none)
Sunday 13 August 2017
10am BBC Proms 2017
From Kalevala to Kaustinen: Finnish folk and Baroque music
Anu Komsi (soprano), Kreeta-Maria Kentala (violin), Andrew Lawrence-King (harp, kantele, psaltery), Eero Palviainen (theorbo, guitar), Milla Viljamaa (harmonium) (recorded by the BBC, Cadogan Hall, London)
