Main Performers | Valentine Dyall - speaker, Elsie Suddaby - vocal |
Choirs | BBC Singers, BBC Choral Society, Croydon Philharmonic Society, Choir of children from the Thomas Coram Schools |
Conductors | Sir Adrian Boult, William Walton |
Set List | 'Overture' from The Consecration of the House, Beethoven, 'Symphony No.9 in D Minor' (Choral), Beethoven (BBC Singers, BBC Choral Society, Croydon Philharmonic Society), INTERVAL 'Thanksgiving for Victory', Vaughan Williams (Elsie Suddaby, Valentine Dyall, BBC Choral Society, Croydon Philharmonic Society, Thomas Coram Schools), 'Suite From Henry V', William Walton (BBC Choral Society, Croydon Philharmonic Society) |
Performance Notes | Premiere of 'Suite from Henry V' by William Walton. Premiere of 'Thanksgiving for Victory', Vaughan Williams.
'Sir Adrian Boult secured a fine performance on the Ninth Symhpony , which only fell short of greatness for lack of the last degree of tension. Yet it is not so many years ago that the symphony with its choral finale was a matter reserved for high days and holidays. New choruses - on this occasion the Croyden Philharmonic and the BBC Choral Societies - take its high B's in their stride, as though it were any easy cantata for beginners at a competition festival. The solos are a more difficult problem, and the solution offered on this occasion, when two of the BBC singers were allotted to each part in the quartet, was not entirely satisfactory, though they sang well together. The presence of the chorus afforded the opportunity of performing the 'Thanksgiving for Victory' composed by Vaughan Williams for broadcast performance on the day of Germanys surrender. He has again risen to a great occasion with a noble melody. His 'Thanksgiving ' consists as is the fashion, of an anthology of poetry drawn from various sources - the Bible, Shakespeare's Henry V and Kipling - set for solo soprano (Miss Elsie Suddaby), chorus and orchestra, with an orator (Mr Franklyn Dyall).' (The Times, 17 September 1945) |
Related Archival Material | Proms Guide (RAHE/1/1945/104), Programme (RAHE/1/1945/152) |