For its return visit to the West Country this summer the BBC Proms gave us a weekend of ensembles that we should consider national treasures. The Britten Sinfonia and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera have had tough times over the past few years after deep public funding cuts, but for now they play on — and brilliantly. Whatever struggles remain, how good it was to hear them at Bristol Beacon.
The hall’s seats were full, but the Bristol audience hasn’t entirely taken Promming to its heart yet, leaving the arena looking a little sparse (although some Prommers enjoyed their yoga mats and cushions). Still, traditions can take time to grow, and offering standing tickets feels like an important part of the Proms ethos. As did the bank holiday programme’s celebratory, eclectic mood, including the Paraorchestra, the Danish National Vocal Ensemble (who sang with cool beauty and utter composure) and a classical DJ set — which, from the snippet I heard, the presenter Georgia Mann made far less awkward than that sounds.
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The Britten Sinfonia, directed by its new leader Zoë Beyers, was mesmerising in Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa, its soloists Beyers and Miranda Dale finding a crystalline purity that stilled the room. Also notable was Gavin Higgins’s Rough Voices, a Proms pandemic commission, conducted here by Tess Jackson. A cry of anger at how the poorest were affected by Covid, this uncomfortable piece’s message still rings true, expressed as a tussle between dissonant outbursts and serene strings.
Still, nothing was quite as dramatic as the dazzling performance of Rossini’s William Tell overture by the WNO orchestra (on fiery, flexible form) and the conductor Carlo Rizzi. It opened an “Under the Italian Sun” evening that crackled with energy and didn’t always go for the obvious.
Instead, we had early Puccini, heady Respighi and the piquant orchestrations of Berio’s Folk Songs, sung with chestnut warmth and tongue-twisting eloquence by the mezzo-soprano Virginie Verrez. Elgar’s In the South (Alassio) blended swagger and wistfulness, with exquisite viola solos by Dunia Ershova.
★★★★☆
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