Main Performers | Sol Gabetta - cello, vocal, Olga Borodina - vocal |
Choirs | BBC National Chorus of Wales, BBC Symphony Chorus |
Set List | 'La Marseillaise' (French National Anthem), (BBC Symphony Orchestra), 'Overture' from Romeo and Juliet, Tchaikovsky (BBC Symphony Orchestra), 'Cello Concerto in E Minor', Elgar (Sol Gabetta, BBC Symphony Orchestra) ENCORE 'Dolcissimo' from Gramata Cellam, P Vasks (Sol Gabetta) INTERVAL 'Alexander Nevsky - Cantata', Prokofiev |
Performance Notes | Tchaikovskys ravishing Romeo and Juliet overture launches our celebrations marking 400 years since the death of Shakespeare. Argentine soloist Sol Gabetta makes her Proms debut in Elgars hauntingly lyrical Cello Concerto, the first in a series of works throwing a spotlight on the instrument. Prokofiev delivered a score of new directness and clarity for his friend Sergey Eisensteins patriotic film Alexander Nevsky: the cantata he fashioned from it features the dramatic Battle on the Ice.
First half of concert filmed and broadcast live on BBC Two and second half live on BBC Four television.
The audience stood as 'La Marseillaise' was played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the start of the Prom, whilst the organ front was lit in blue, white and red, as a mark of respect to the victims of the Nice tragedy.
Breaking with Proms tradition soft applause broke out between movements during Elgar's cello concerto. Director of the Proms, David Pickard commented, "I loved it...if you're listening to something and you think it's exciting you applaud it." (The Times, 23 July 2016) |
Related Archival Material | Proms Guide (RAHE/1/2016/50), Programme (RAHE/1/2016/51), Mini-Guide (RAHE/6/2016/45), Poster (RAHE/2/2016/32), Digital Photographs |