Review from The Guardian
Wednesday 15 August at 19.30
Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London
On radio iPlayer
On BBC TV iPlayer
I don’t know – you wait for women conductors to be featured at the Proms and two come along at once! Hot on the heels of Susanna Mälkki’s Prom on Monday now we celebrate Marin Alsop who was recently appointed Chief Conductor to the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and another woman composer! You can still hear a broadcast of Woman’s Hour which deals exactly with these points.
Music from both American hemispheres features in this Prom. First the masterpiece through which the Bohemian Dvořák, resident in New York, sought to establish an American musical identity, a symphony exuding nostalgia for his own native woods and fields.
Later comes Copland’s iconic Fanfare and highlights from Ginastera’s best-known score. Joan Tower, whose childhood was spent partly in Bolivia, celebrates ‘women who take risks and are adventurous’, while distinguished Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire returns to the Proms to play one of Villa-Lobos’s most attractive compositions.
BBC radio iPlayer time now expired Link to BBC for video clips
19.30 – Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, ‘From the New World’
20.10 – INTERVAL Marin Alsop and Cathy Graham of the British Council discuss the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra and its place in Brazilian musical life.
20.30 – Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man
Joan Tower - Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
Villa-Lobos - Momoprécoce
Ginastera - Estancia – suite
This Prom will be repeated on Thursday 30 August at 14.00
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Founded in 1954, the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra is the leading and largest orchestra in Latin America with 115 musicians and 52 singers. The orchestra performs over 100 concerts every season at its home, the Sala São Paulo, a restored train station, inaugurated in 1999 as a 1500-seat concert hall, and tours throughout Brazil and abroad. It also runs a publishing house dedicated to the works of Brazilian composers, and a composer in residence program, the most recent incumbent of which is Magnus Lindberg. The orchestra is dedicated to musical education – their outreach programmes were attended by 87,000 children and teenagers last year alone.
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The other women conductors featured at the Proms are:
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No idea about the technicalities but am rather enjoying this. Heard her on radio 3 breakfast show has a nice maternal feel for her orchestra or maybe wifely ??
Got in last night just in time to see Marin rocking the encores.
Cast a swift eye over the recording I made and agree about the caring relationship she seems to portray – and the way the section bows were done.
Love the jacket!
Love the rapport with pianist but the piece itself did nothing for me.
Enjoy the conducting style which some commentators have described as “muscular” although her face did not reflect the relaxation of her body.
Did you watch the whole thing?
Yes didn’t intend to watch all of it but got hooked then remembered your post so had another look. With my untutored ear/eye I enjoyed the Dvorak , the fanfares and the encores. Couldn’t really get into the Villa Lobos. 😊
I don’t think eye/ear needs to be tutored to form opinions. Gut reaction is just great & I often leave behind all my tutoring as it can cloud the issue.
And next Saturday we have Jane Glover – if you have a stomach for G&S. I actually like it and have had some great productions to enjoy – particularly outdoors!