PROM 15:
Lyadov,
Baba-Yaga, The Enchanted Lake, Kikimora;
Oliver Knussen,: Whitman
Settings, Detlev Glanert,: Theatrum bestiarum (world premiere);
Stravinsky, The Fairy's Kiss;
Claire Booth (soprano), BBC Symphony Orchestra, John Storgårds
(conductor), 26 July 2005 (AO)
As
soon as I read about this Prom, I knew it was going to be
interesting because there are numerous devious and subtle
connections between the works and composers.
It's a bit like a crossword puzzle; the thrill is
in guessing the hints. Lyadov
worked in Russian theatre, and was succeeded by Stravinsky,
in his first big break.
Knussen and Glanert
both write works for theatre with the same feeling for magic
and humour as inspired Lyadov
and Stravinsky. Knussen
and Glanert moreover are both
known for their whimsical works which appear to be about
simple stories but are much deeper – as were the Russians
in their own genre. Knussen
has conducted Glanert many times
and would have conducted this Prom were it not for illness. Knussen's famous “childrens operas” are to librettos by Maurice Sendak, whose drawings are on the cover of Knussen's recording of The Fairy's Kiss... and so the arcane
puzzle evolves, layer on layer!
Lyadov might have been a great composer if, like a character
in a fairytale, he had not enjoyed indolence more. The little that remains of his work is almost
magically beautiful, exquisitely crafted jewels that might
receive more recognition if they were set as symphonies
or whole operas. Each may be a relatively short piece, but is
perfect in itself. Fortunately, Storgårds and the
orchestra treated them with the dignity and delicacy they
deserve. It was a magical start to the evening. I had not really thought of Knussen's Whitman
settings in the context of fairy tale, but on relistening
to them recently, I was struck by the sense of wonder in
Whitman's texts. Whitman is not at all an easy poet to set, for
his lines are long and his phrases tortuous. Composers like Vaughan Williams countered their
bulk by writing equally big settings, for big orchestra
and chorus. Knussen marshals his
orchestra as if it were a chamber ensemble, and the songs
have a touch of mystery. Unfortunately they may remain a mystery to those
who were at this Prom, for the Royal Albert Hall is not
the kindest place for a voice as delicate as Claire Booth's.
Detlev Glanert's Theatrum beastiarum was
commissioned specially for the Proms by the BBC, and this
was its world premiere.
The role of the BBC in commissioning new music is
sadly underestimated. The corporation is much, much more than merely
a media provider. The
vision behind the Proms and the BBC was to encourage the
arts and public awareness.
Over the decades it indeed shaped the way music has
developed, and brought music to uncountable millions not
only in this country but worldwide.
The whole area around the Albert Hall is witness
to a great, idealistic vision, that Britain can and should
be a beacon of culture for the world. And long may that idealism last, even if first
night audiences are thin on the ground.
Many BBC premieres have gone on to become well loved,
and indeed Glanert's Third Symphony was well received at its Proms premiere
in 1996. I'm not
sure about this piece, however, simply because it seems
to have been tailor made for the Proms.
It deliberately makes the most of the glorious grand
organ that dominates the venue. Glanert brings it
into the music like a coup de theatre in itself. Not every venue has one.
Glanert's recent work has focussed on the darker recesses of
human nature, and it might be tempting to see Theatrum bestiarum in this context. But the music itself gives the game away.
It's just too irrepressibly vibrant and uplifting,
more a heady circus than a freak show of horrors. “Music is theatre”, says Glanert,
“imaginative, not realistic”.
Indeed, strange figures seem to scuttle across the
music, odd sounds burst forth from the oboes and strings,
as if they were the tails of creatures flitting past so
quickly you can't catch sight of them.
This is amazingly visual music, bursting with colour
and brio. It's great Proms stuff too because it uses oddities
like the contrabassoon and five percussionists, no less. There are passages of wistful “Nachtmusik” and
a burlesque march to boot. It has a great vivacity and movement,
a real party piece perfect for the occasion.
Henze would, I think, understand
what Glanert is doing, because they both believe that good music
is for ordinary people.
When the youthful Glanert
first studied with Henze, the master asked him bluntly, “Why do you compose and
for whom?” It is
a question that Glanert says he keeps thinking about and it keeps him sharp.
Royal Prince Albert himself, Sir Henry Wood, Lord
Reith and many others would endorse that passionate belief
that music has social value.
I admired the
brilliant programme planning behind this Prom.
Astoundingly, the synchronicities grow and grow the
deeper you get into the music.
Lyadov and Stravinsky were
both taught by Rimsky-Korsakov, but Stravinsky was the hard
working student who became a “prince” so to speak. The Fairy's
Kiss is Stravinsky's reworking of the story of the Ice Maiden, which he saw as an allegory
of the life of Tchaikovsky.
Into the four brief acts, he incorporates ideas from
Tchaikovsky's music and reshapes it in his own way.
It is both a tribute to the earlier composer and
a reaffirmation of Stravinsky's own musical growth. Glanert celebrated
Henze's 60th birthday
in 1986 by composing a piece illustrating in 60 bars the
course of Henze's life until then.
It is an eventful life, a turbulent youth, early
success and then scandal, Italy, Cuba... the very stuff
of opera. And Henze,
in a strange kind of reversal of the master/student relationship
with Glanert, went on to write L'Upupa, itself an imaginative,
modern take on Mozart's Magic
Flute. The performance by Storgårds
and the BBC Symphony Orchestra was exceptionally vivid and
detailed. The Tchaikovsky references were true Stravinsky,
for they were played with a real feel for Stravinsky's idiom
and sensibility. It
was remarkable. I don't know if Storgårds
composes, as Knussen does, but
it was like listening to “layers” of composers listening
to each other. Quite magical.
Anne Ozorio
