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Telegraph
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Claudia Winkleman to host BBC Traitors Prom
The BBC will stage a Traitors -themed Prom to attract new audiences to classical music. Almost 10 million people watched the series finale of the hit game show in January, and Proms organisers aim to capitalise on the popularity of the programme. The annual season of summer concerts will feature a Traitors Prom hosted by the show's presenter Claudia Winkleman. She will wear a cloak and guide concert-goers through an evening of classical music focussed on themes of deception and betrayal. The show, filmed at a Highland castle, follows contestants in a game of lies and investigation, as they attempt to win £120,000 by trying to identify who among them are 'traitors'. It is understood that a former contestant, opera singer Linda Rands, may feature in the Prom. The Traitors Prom will have an afternoon and an evening performance, and will feature the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Singers. The Singers will reportedly be dressed in the distinctive, long cloaks that feature in the series. The betrayal-themed concert is the latest in a series aimed at attracting a broader public to classical music. In 2024, the BBC raised eyebrows by scheduling pop star Sam Smith to perform during the Proms season, despite some of the singer's previous shows being criticised for having sexualised costumes and choreography. Suzy Klein, the BBC's head of arts and classical music TV, said: 'We know the Traitors is a massive phenomenon. 'We see this as very much hardwired into the DNA of the Proms, which is about reaching the widest and broadest possible audience with classical music. 'Using BBC Proms is a really important thing for us.' Sam Jackson, the head of BBC Radio 3, announced that the first 'all-night Prom' since 1983 had been also scheduled to target a more youthful audience. Mr Jackson added that 'some people may bring sleeping bags'. The radio executive said: 'I would imagine that some people would come, maybe they'll have a small pillow and they'll want to have a lie down.' Other concerts will include a CBeebies Prom, a celebration of the Shipping Forecast, and a Soul Revolution Prom. This event, hosted by Trevor Nelson, will feature songs of protest and politically-themed soul music. BBC bosses have committed to a patriotic Last Night of the Proms, after debates surrounding the potentially colonialist messaging of the finale, which is famed for performances of Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory. The conductors and soloists for the concert will be all-female for the first time in Proms history. The BBC will not weigh in on international conflict, and Russian performers will be welcome at the Proms. Following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there had been some moves to boycott Russian performers, and works by Russian composers. The Royal Albert Hall, and not the BBC, will be responsible for policing political messaging and protest during the season. Last year, the Telegraph revealed that the Hall banned 'protest flags' at the Last Night. The patriotic finale is typically filled with audience members carrying the Union Jack, or the flag of the EU. Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, ticketholders were told that 'flags related to protest' and 'hatred' would be confiscated.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Proms 2025 features first overnight Prom in almost half a century as part of an eight-week celebration of music
The 2025 BBC Proms season brings together many of the world's finest international artists and orchestras, featuring more than 40 outstanding ensembles from across the UK - a series of concerts that can only be experienced at the world's greatest classical music festival The BBC's own orchestras and choirs form the backbone of the Proms, making nearly 50 appearances throughout the season. The BBC Singers will perform at 11 Proms, including the First and Last Nights, showcasing their broad range of repertoire. Sakari Oramo conducts the First Night of the Proms, with tenor Caspar Singh, baritone Gerald Finley, violinist Lisa Batiashvili – including the world premiere of The Elements by Master of the King's Music Errollyn Wallen, commissioned by the BBC. The Last Night of the Proms will be conducted by Elim Chan and features trumpeter Alison Balsom and soprano Louise Alder, with two world premieres, by Camille Pépin and Rachel Portman: the latter being the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The BBC Proms makes its debut in both Bradford, as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, and Sunderland, bringing the festival to new audiences. The Proms also returns to Bristol and Gateshead for two three-day weekend residencies, and a special Prom in Belfast marks the centenary of Radio 4's popular Shipping Forecast. The season features a compelling line-up of international orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Major soloists include pianists Yunchan Lim and Sir András Schiff, violinists Hilary Hahn and Janine Jansen, and soprano Golda Schultz Nineteen world, European or UK premieres will be performed, including 10 works commissioned by the BBC, showcasing an extraordinary range of contemporary composition. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Chineke! Orchestra for the first time, in their tenth-anniversary year. Anna Lapwood co-curates the first overnight Prom since 1983, featuring pianist and YouTube sensation Hayato Sumino, cellist Anastasia Kobekina, the Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge and the boundary-crossing Norwegian ensemble Barokksolistene. The Proms marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Shostakovich with eight of his works performed during the season, including Aurora Orchestra playing Symphony No. 5 entirely from memory. Other composer anniversaries include Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Luciano Berio, Pierre Boulez and Arvo Pärt. Legendary Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi makes his Proms debut, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in his symphony inspired by the tragic events of Hiroshima: The End of the World. Across the season there is a wealth of opera, including a collaboration between the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the ENO for The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Shostakovich – only performed in its entirety once before at the Proms. Glyndebourne brings their new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro to the festival, and Puccini's Suor Angelica is performed by the LSO with Chief Conductor, Sir Antonio Pappano. Large-scale choral repertoire features throughout the season, from Ralph Vaughan Williams's rarely performed oratorio Sancta civitas on the First Night, to Striggio's Mass in 40 Parts from Le Concert Spirituel. There is also a Proms debut from Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra and Chorus, with Handel's Alexander's Feast. The Proms continues its tradition of collaborating with other BBC brands. In addition to the 100 Years of the Shipping Forecast Prom in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra and Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Claudia Winkleman hosts The Traitors Prom at the Royal Albert Hall, exploring themes of treachery and betrayal in classical music. Concerts for children include a new CBeebies Prom: A Magical Bedtime Story as well as the CBeebies Prom: Wildlife Jamboree in Gateshead. The Proms continues to welcome non-classical artists, presenting their music in new orchestral settings – this year hosting the multi-Grammy winning musicians St. Vincent and Samara Joy. Trevor Nelson presents the Soul Revolution Prom and Anoushka Shankar makes a welcome return to the Proms with the world premiere performance of her new album. Every Prom will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds. BBC Television and BBC iPlayer will broadcast 25 programmes, with nine Proms across BBC One and BBC Two, demonstrating the BBC's commitment to reach the broadest audiences for classical music. The Proms continues its commitment to accessible ticket prices with seats from £10 and half-price tickets for under-18s (plus booking fees), and Promming day standing tickets at £8 (inclusive of booking fees). Read more: The BBC Proms 2025 - Everything you need to know about the world's greatest classical music festival Add the BBC Proms to your iPlayer Watchlist Full Season Information There will be 21 visiting ensembles, with leading orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic with Franz Welser-Möst, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra with Andris Nelsons and violinist Hilary Hahn, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Klaus Mäkelä and violinist Janine Jansen, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe with Robin Ticciati and soprano Golda Schultz, the Orchestre National de France with Cristian Măcelaru, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Iván Fischer, mezzo-soprano Dorottya Láng and bass Krisztián Cser. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, led by Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo, performs in the First Night of the Proms alongside the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Singers, tenor Caspar Singh and baritone Gerald Finley. In suitably celebratory fashion, the First Night opens with the Birthday Fanfare for Sir Henry Wood, composed by Sir Arthur Bliss, who died fifty years ago this year. Mendelssohn's overture The Hebrides follows, and the first half concludes with the Violin Concerto by Sibelius, performed by the revered Lisa Batiashvili. The world premiere of The Elements by Master of the King's Music Errollyn Wallen, commissioned by the BBC, opens the second half, and the concert closes with Ralph Vaughan Williams's Sancta Civitas, completed a hundred years ago. The Last Night of the Proms features a stellar lineup of artists, with Elim Chan conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus and the BBC Singers, and trumpeter Alison Balsom and soprano Louise Alder leading the festivities. Classical music's biggest party will include two new commissions, by Camille Pépin and Rachel Portman: the latter being the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The BBC continues to champion new music: 19 world, European or UK premieres will be performed, including 10 works commissioned by the BBC. British composers receiving premieres this season, in addition to Errollyn Wallen and Rachel Portman, include Tom Coult with his Monologues for the Curious performed by tenor Allan Clayton, Mark Simpson's ZEBRA (or 2-3-74; The Divine Invasion of Philip K. Dick) performed by guitarist Sean Shibe, and a new piece from Sir John Rutter, written for the BBC Singers. International composers Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Anthony Davis and Sofia Gubaidulina, who passed away in March this year, also receive premieres this season. The Proms marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Shostakovich with eight of his works, including Aurora Orchestra playing Symphony No. 5 entirely from memory. Ensemble intercontemporain pays tribute to 20th-century giants Pierre Boulez and Luciano Berio, both of whom were born a hundred years ago, and there is a special Late Night Arvo Pärt at 90 Prom. The first overnight Prom since 1983 is guest-curated by organist Anna Lapwood, and runs from 11pm to 7am. It features a captivating line-up of artists: pianist and YouTube sensation Hayato Sumino, cellist Anastasia Kobekina, the Chapel Choir of Pembroke College, Cambridge and the boundary-crossing Norwegian ensemble Barokksolistene with their violinist/director Bjarte Eike, with more guests to be revealed soon. There will be 14 Proms at venues across the UK, with three-day Proms weekends at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead and at Bristol Beacon, including a welcome return from Paraorchestra in collaboration with folk duo The Breath. There are first-time visits to Bradford, marking the city's status as 2025 UK City of Culture, with Grammy Award-winner and celebrated 'Queen of African Music' Angélique Kidjo, and to Sunderland for a special edition of the nightly Radio 3 jazz programme 'Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch. The Prom in Belfast with the Ulster Orchestra –100 Years of the Shipping Forecast – includes a new commission and performance from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and his band LYR, presented in collaboration with Radio 4. Sam Jackson, Controller, Radio 3 and BBC Proms, says: 'With 86 concerts across eight weeks, I am delighted to be announcing the 2025 BBC Proms season. Our summer of live music will see us host the greatest international orchestras and the best of British talent, in repertoire that ranges from the much-loved to the entirely new. World-famous soloists such as Hilary Hahn and Sir András Schiff sit alongside some of today's brightest young classical stars: from Yunchan Lim, to Aigul Akhmetshina, to Louise Alder, who performs at the Last Night of the Proms. As ever, every note will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds, with 25 programmes featuring across BBC TV and iPlayer. And with tickets for every Prom available from just £8, we look forward to welcoming concert-goers old and new to the magic of this unique and very special festival.' The BBC Proms plays a central role in supporting British music, and this year there will be a televised Great British Classics Prom celebrating composers from Benjamin Britten, to Samuel and Avril Coleridge-Taylor, to Grace Williams. Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Chineke! Orchestra for the first time, in their tenth-anniversary year; Rattle also conducts the wind, brass and percussion of the London Symphony Orchestra for a series of folk-song arrangements by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Percy Grainger and Malcolm Arnold. Opera highlights include the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra collaborating with English National Opera under John Storgårds for The Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, by Shostakovich – only performed in its entirety once before at the Proms. In addition, Glyndebourne bring their new production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer perform Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle, and the London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus are conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano for a concert performance of Puccini's Suor Angelica. Choral music includes Ralph Vaughan Williams's Sancta Civitas, which closes the First Night of the Proms; Kahchun Wong making his first Proms appearance as the Hallé's newly appointed Principal Conductor with Mahler's Symphony No. 2; and Sir Mark Elder conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Delius's A Mass of Life. The award-winning Baroque dynamos Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra & Chorus make their Proms debut with Handel's Alexander's Feast, and Le Concert Spirituel performs Striggio's Mass in 40 Parts. With themes of treachery, betrayal and deceit having run through classical music and opera for centuries, the Proms unveils a collaboration with The Traitors, as Claudia Winkleman hosts two very special concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. The Traitors Prom will feature a range of famous classical works, alongside new arrangements of some of the music from this hugely popular BBC programme. Legendary Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi makes his Proms debut, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in his symphony inspired by the tragic events of Hiroshima: The End of the World. The programme also includes Steve Reich's The Desert Music, a work not heard at the Proms for nearly 25 years. Fifty years after the death of one of Hollywood's most acclaimed composers, the BBC Concert Orchestra celebrates the great Bernard Herrmann with a special Prom devoted to his film scores, many of which saw Herrmann collaborate with the director Alfred Hitchcock – including Psycho and Vertigo. The BBC Proms continues its tradition of orchestral collaborations with non-classical artists and tributes to different musical genres. Multi Grammy Award-winners St. Vincent and Samara Joy make their Proms debuts: St. Vincent performs brand-new symphonic arrangements of tracks from her back catalogue with Jules Buckley and his orchestra, and Samara Joy, who won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2023, brings her octet to the Proms to showcase iconic standards from the Great American Song Book with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Trevor Nelson presents the Soul Revolution Prom, which traces a path from spirituals through gospel to soul and reveals the role of these genres in supporting the Civil Rights movement. Sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar performs the world premiere of her new album Chapter III, alongside her previous albums Chapters I and II, with the London Contemporary Orchestra and Robert Ames. More than 80 artists make their Proms solo debuts, showcasing an exciting range of musical talent. Among them are Canadian pianist Bruce Liu, who burst onto the world stage in 2021 when he won the International Chopin Piano Competition, and Bashkir mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, who received widespread acclaim when, aged 21, she starred in the title role of Carmen at London's Royal Opera House in 2018. Akhmetshina sang Carmen last year at the Metropolitan Opera, becoming the youngest artist to have performed the role in both houses. The season is also packed with home-grown talent: Nicholas McCarthy, the world's only professional one-handed pianist, makes his Proms debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and conductor Mark Wigglesworth in Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand – in the composer's 150th-anniversary year. It will be the first time this concerto has been played at the Proms by a one-handed pianist since the soloist it was composed for, Paul Wittgenstein, performed it in 1932. BBC Radio 3 will once again enable the festival to reach millions of people by broadcasting every Prom. Other BBC Radio networks will broadcast highlights. Twenty-five Proms will be broadcast on BBC TV and iPlayer with nine Proms across BBC One and BBC Two, demonstrating the BBC's commitment to reaching broad audiences for classical music. For the first time, two Proms in the North-East of England will be televised. Performed at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Robert Ames conducts the concert on Friday, with guest artists soon to be announced, and Dinis Sousa conducts Saturday's concert of works by Bach and Mendelssohn, both with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. The Proms continues its commitment to accessible ticket prices, with Promming day standing tickets remaining at £8 (inclusive of booking fees), seats starting at £10 and half-price tickets available for under-18s (plus booking fees). About the BBC Proms As the world's biggest classical music festival, the BBC Proms offers eight weeks of world-class music-making from a vast array of leading orchestras, conductors and soloists from the UK and around the world. Across 86 concerts, the festival offers a summer of music that allows for the most diverse and exciting musical journeys. One hundred and thirty years after it was founded, the driving factor in building a festival of this scale is to offer exceptional music-making at the lowest possible prices, continuing founder-conductor Henry Wood's original ambition of bringing the best classical music to the widest possible audience. With every Prom broadcast on BBC Radio 3, available across multiple platforms and 25 Proms programmes televised on the BBC, the Proms reaches far beyond the Royal Albert Hall. This year's BBC Proms season runs from Friday 18 July to Saturday 13 September 2025. FE / JH
The Guardian
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
BBC announces 2025 Proms lineup – including first female-fronted Last Night
The BBC today announce its eight-week Proms season featuring 86 concerts in London, Bradford, Belfast, Bristol and Gateshead. A record number of female conductors will be at the podium – 15 – and the Last Night will be the first to feature an all-female lineup of conductor and soloists: Elim Chan will conduct, with trumpeter Alison Balsom and soprano Louise Alder, plus the evening will feature two world premieres, by 34-year-old French composer Camille Pepin, and Rachel Portman, who was the first woman to win an Oscar for best original score, both making their Proms debuts. Also making her Proms debut will be Claudia Winkleman, who, fully cloaked, will present a Traitors Prom featuring a mix of symphonic pop and classical music exploring timeless themes of intrigue, treachery and betrayal. Suzy Klein, the head of arts and classical music TV at the BBC, promised that the concert would evoke all the drama of the Highland castle where the hugely popular reality TV show takes place. There won't be gameplay or interaction, she added, but 'it is going to be shaped and curated as a dramatic evening. There's so much music featured in the series that we wanted to take some of that and say to people, 'Welcome to the world of classical music, you're already listening to it and loving it without realising it!'' Winkleman will be joined by the BBC Scottish Symphony and the BBC Singers, with other guests and the full programme to be announced. Will season three fan favourite Linda Rands, a retired opera singer, be taking part? Potentially, said Klein. Successful BBC brands will also be giving shape to the children's concerts: a CBeebies bedtime story prom and the return of the Wildlife Jamboree Prom in Gateshead's Glasshouse Centre for Music. The Ulster Orchestra will perform a concert celebrating the centenary of the Shipping Forecast with music inspired by the sea and a new work composed and performed by poet laureate Simon Armitage. And, although not quite a Proms first (1983's season featured an all-night prom of Indian classical music), the first overnight prom of the 21st century will run from 11pm to 7am and, curated and conducted by organist Anna Lapwood, will also feature Japanese pianist and YouTube sensation Hayato Sumino alongside the much loved Norwegian ensemble Barokksolistene. 'We want it to be very engaging, there will be a real breadth of repertoire,' said Sam Jackson, the controller of BBC Radio 3 and the Proms. 'There's something very special about classical music at night time. The intimacy of certain repertoire really lends itself to that kind of immersive listening,' he continued. 'But the intention is not simply to put people to sleep for eight hours, although audiences can of course come and respond to the music in whatever way you want!' Blankets and pillows will however not be allowed into the Royal Albert Hall, the venue confirmed, nor will the seating be reconfigured. 'The only time Lapwood gets to practice the RAH organ is usually between midnight and four in the morning, because it's the only time when somebody isn't getting in or getting out for another gig. She absolutely knows how to unleash energy at that time of the day!' added Klein. Among some notable anniversaries honoured this year, there will be a focus on the music of Shostakovich, who died in 1975, and a complete performance – only the second ever at the Proms – of his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, with the chorus of the English National Opera. Proms regulars Aurora Orchestra will perform his fifth symphony by heart following a dramatic exploration of its troubled origins and meaning, and Chineke! will celebrate their 10th birthday with guest conductor Simon Rattle leading the Black and ethnically diverse orchestra through a programme that includes Shostakovich's 10th symphony. Ravel – born 150 years ago – features on the opening weekend: his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand will be played by Nicholas McCarthy, which will be the first time the concerto has been played at the Proms by a one-handed pianist since it was performed by the man it was composed for, Paul Wittgenstein, in 1932. Boulez, whose centenary is celebrated this year, features in three proms including a late-night one performed by the Ensemble intercontemporain (the group he founded), which places his modernist music alongside Luciano Berio's, whose centenary it also is. Other international orchestras include the Royal Concertgebouw with their chief conductor designate Klaus Mäkelä, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Twenty-five proms will be televised – more than ever before, said Klein. 'We had record breaking numbers last year, over 5m streams on BBC Sounds, and across TV and iPlayer we reached nearly 13 million people.' The Royal Albert Hall was full to 96% capacity for evening Proms in 2024, said Jackson. He confirmed that the Last Night will end in its now traditional style, with Rule, Britannia among the closing pieces. 'The Last Night always evokes strong opinions and discussion. There are some people for whom it's a really important tradition, and there are some who say it's now part of how they would like to celebrate in the summer,' he said. 'Our job is to cater for as broad an audience as possible, but also to ask, how can we continue to develop this festival? What can we do differently? How can we introduce new music? And how can we over the course of 86 concerts make sure that there's a real breadth of repertoire of artists? And then there's something for everybody.' The Proms will run from 18 July to 13 September. General booking opens at 9am on 17 May.
The Guardian
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Oramo review – Carwithen comes in from the cold
Doreen Carwithen's concerto for piano and strings is emerging blinking into the light from half a century of oblivion, and one suspects that the return to life has further to go. Premiered at the 1952 Proms, when it was the only music by any female composer that season, the concerto languished until after Carwithen's death in 2003. Now the 30-minute piece has been recorded twice, received its German premiere last month, and, in the latest step in its reawakening, was the centrepiece of the latest Barbican Hall concert by Sakari Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Carwithen's champions, who include the soloist in both this and the German performances, Alexandra Dariescu, make large claims for concerto and composer alike. Despite Dariescu's unstinting performance, however, Carwithen's piece does not entirely justify them. The concerto is accomplished for sure, with neatly crafted moods veering between late romantic and neo-classical, but more is hinted at than is achieved, even in the intimacy between the piano and a solo violin in the slow movement. The closest the concerto comes to a crux or a moment of revelation is in the thundering solo cadenza in the final movement. It took only a few bars of Malcolm Arnold's fifth symphony, which took up the second half of the concert, to encounter the colour and incisiveness missing from the Carwithen. Arnold's writing memorialises four friends who had all recently died when the symphony was written in 1961. There is undoubtedly darkness in the scoring but, for the most part, the symphony brims with contrast and confidence. There is a serenity in the slow movement and a jauntiness in the two that follow that make a strong case for treating this as Arnold's most successful orchestral work. Oramo has long been a committed advocate of it, which this performance confirmed, and he brandished the score for its own round of applause at the end. Right at the start of the evening, the BBC Singers joined Oramo and the orchestra for a ravishing performance of Vaughan Williams's Serenade to Music . The setting of part of the scene between Lorenzo and Jessica in act five of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice is one of Vaughan Williams' most transcendent achievements. In today's grim times it poured even more balm than usual into the soul.
The Guardian
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Total Immersion: Pierre Boulez review
It's hard in our current climate to imagine any other iconoclast of musical modernism being celebrated as energetically as Pierre Boulez is to mark his centenary year. But even amid fear and funding cuts, it remains impossible to imagine postwar classical music without him. There is, in theory, a Boulez for everyone: revelatory conductor, director of a major French research institute, rhetorical troublemaker – 'blow up the opera houses,' he famously suggested – and, of course, composer of intricate, horizon-shifting scores. Boulez's own music was centre-stage for the BBC Symphony Orchestra's latest total immersion day, the audience modest but passionate. ('To start, find 200 fanatics,' he once urged on the question of engaging people with new music.) The closing concert crackled abruptly into life, the first of his Deux Études – Musique Concrète for Tape griping and whirring from overhead speakers with the stage still empty. In the second, semi-recognisable pitches rush past in flurries, all attack and ending. More than 70 years since Boulez created them, such sounds remain refreshingly alien. Pianist Tamara Stefanovich's back-to-back performances of 12 Notations and Incises should be required listening for anyone still concerned about the 'mathematical' qualities of Boulez's music. Yes, she captured minute details, her tone utterly lucid. Her hands executed their own mesmerising ballet, while her pedalling was impossibly subtle. But it was the performance's overwhelming musicality that made it unforgettable: Stefanovich's absolute sense of line and direction, with melodic riffs clicking into a groove and complex textures gifted perspective. The rest of the programme struggled to reach that high bar. Under Martyn Brabbins, BBC Singers were fearless (and armed with tuning forks) in Cummings ist der Dichter, but the orchestral texture lacked shape and drive. Pli Selon Pli – Boulez's largest work – suffered similar problems. Soprano Anna Dennis provided a much-needed focal point and real communicative urgency, her upper register slicing laser-like through its instrumental surrounds. But too many of the orchestral passages felt like a battle with the barline: the challenges of simply keeping up, keeping together and getting the notes right left too little space for enchantment, never mind the momentum and musicality of the bigger picture.
