Main Performers | Frank Titterton - vocal, Myra Hess - piano |
Orchestra or Band | London Symphony Orchestra |
Conductors | Basil Cameron, Sir Henry Wood |
Set List | 'Symphony No.35, i D' (Haffner), Mozart, Aria, 'Il Mio Tesoro' from Don Giovanni, Mozart, 'Piano Concerto No.2, in B Flat', Brahms (Myra Hess), 'Symphony No.25, in G Minor, K.183', Mozart, 'Symphony No.4, in E Minor', Brahms |
Performance Notes | "The public has shown decisively that it has no intention of looking a gift horse in the mouth, even though it has the mouth of an elephant. The public does not look, it jumps in, and the larger the mouth the more it will hold. That is the advantage of the elephantine Albert Hall over its predecessor. It's floor space has been filled on each night this week, not uncomfortably but still full enough to prevent actual promending. No one wants to walk about; the audience is one absorbed and silent listeners. On Wednesday night Mr Basil Cameron conducted Part 1 for the first time, Sir Henry Wood reserving himself for part II, but in this Programme of Mozart and Brahms the two parts were of equal musical substance. Each contained a Mozart Symphony; part 1 contained Brahm's piano concerto in B flat played by Dame Myra Hess, which was balanced in Part II by Brahm's Fourth symphony. A song "Il mio Tesoro' by Mozart was sung by Mr Frank Titerton between the instrumental works of Part 1. In the last few years Mr Basil Cameron has fully established his reputation as a skilful and sympathetic conductor, and the latter quality was speially remarkable in the thorough mutual undersatnding obtained bewteen the solo player and the orchestra in the concerto. This was a beautiful perrfomance in which exuberance and sensitiveness were combined. There are some people who say that the Albert Hall now has no echo because they cannot hear it; others who say that it has, because they can hear it. Apart from echo the resonance of the Hall certainly added something to the romantic colour of the first movement, while it has made clear by the slow movement that sensitive phrasing is by no means lost labour on its vast spaces. The orchestra seems to have got into its stride, and gave some fine playing in both Mozart and Brahms." (The Times, 18 July 1941) |
Related Archival Material | Proms Guide (RAHE/1/1941/3A), Programme (RAHE/1/1941/7) |