Friday, June 26, 2015 Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide Symphony orchestra’s show


LITTLE more than a century ago, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring inspired a revolution in classical music – and left the audience rioting. Hopefully the same won’t happen again when the leg- endary Russian composer’s masterpiece is performed again by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Symphony Orchestra at St David’s Hall on Wednesday, July 1. However, you can still ex-


pect the musical voltage to be just as high when conductor David Jones leads the ensem- ble through the ultimate or- chestral showpiece. Also on the programme is


Tchaikovsky’s heartbreaking Fantasy Overture from Ro- meo and Juliet, and Lutoslaw- ski’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini – impeccably performed by piano soloist Richard McMahon. Relive the classical revolu-


tion at St David’s Hall. Tickets are priced £12, and


visit


£6 for under 25s. To book your seats, please stdavidshallcardiff.


co.uk or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.


RIOTOUS: Hear Stravinsky classic live In The Spotlight By GERAINT DAVIES


Contest delivered despite a slow start


SO that’s it for another two years. The biennial sing-fest that is the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World is over and some significant new careers are launched. This time last week I had heard


the first two heats and was, if I am honest, rather underwhelmed by it all. The remainder of the week certainly sawthings warmup con- siderably with at least two singers that made an overwhelming im- pression. Try as I might it was sometimes


difficult to escape some enduring national stereotypes. We had the rather glamorous American performers; the stoic (and stupendous) Mongolian bari- tone; the more flamboyant Medi- terraneans including a first-ever finalist from Malta; the German bass who sang (predictably) main- ly Wagner. Wales will be proud of Swansea’s Celine Forest who acquitted her- self well but was up against some strong opposition. The two finals were close-run


affairs though the same three singers dominated each and one


guesses that this contrasting trio will be in worldwide demand for a very long time to come. It was significant that South


Korean bass Jongmin Park is the singer who already has the most established career. He was as- sured and polished and his ren- ditions of Schubert’s Wer sich Einsamkeit ergibt and Der Atlas – both depictions of abject mis- ery (one praying for the peace of the grave; the other carrying the weight of the world on his shoul- ders) won him the Song Prize. His choice of a comic aria


(Rossini’s ‘slander’ aria from The Barber of Seville) showed a very different side in the final which otherwise contained renditions that were very short on laughs. For me however it was two other


voices that provided the abiding memories. The Mongolian baritone (though


in truth his voice had all the rounded timbre of a bass) of Am- artushvin Enkhbat won the Audi- ence Prize. This extraordinary voice and


dignified delivery touched many though he would seem to lack the variety of physical expression and the easy communication of many others. He will have come far closer to winning the main prize with a stunning opening (the prologue from Pagliacci) and Verdi’s Eri tu (Un Ballo in Maschera). He may have chosen less wisely in Wag- ner’s O Star of Eve (Tännhauser). The other stand-out performer,


and winner of the main prize in a close run final, was the Belorus- sian soprano Nadine Koutcher. Here was a singer who im- pressed with her mix of poise, musicianship (most clearly heard in unforgettable Rachmaninov and Debussy in the Song Prize), characterisation (most obvious in Marfa’s aria The Tsar’s Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov) and vocal technique. For many she clinched Sunday’s


final with her performance of De- libes’ Bell Song (Lakmé). Here was ‘high-wire’ brilliance at its most dazzling.


Array of talent set for stage


THE Gwent Music 2015 Sum- mer Showcase Concert returns to St David’s Hall for another spectacular show on Monday at 7pm. Once again the concert fea- tures thrilling performances from across the local authori- ties of Blaenau Gwent, Mon- mouthshire, Newport and Tor- faen.


Sharing the stage will be an


array of talent of all ages from massed choirs and Greater Gwent youth ensembles to rock groups performing hits such as We Will Rock You. Don’t miss a diverse and ex- citing night of live music with the Gwent Music 2015 Summer Showcase Concert at St David’s Hall. Tickets are still available, priced £10. To book your seats, please


visit www.stdavidshallcardiff. co.uk or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.


Proms in its 120th year


BBCNational Orchestra and Chorus of Wales (BBCNOW) are set to continue at theBBCProms with several perfor- mances at the Royal Albert Hall as well as leading Last Night celebrations at Proms in the Park in Swansea. Now in its 120th year, the BBC Proms


takes centre stage at the Royal Albert Hall, with the BBC National Chorus of Wales at the First Night of the Proms. The Chorus will performthe first choral piece of the 2015 season, Walton’s mas- terpiece Belshazzar’s Feast, under the di- rection of conductor Sakari Oramo with BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Symphony Orchestra. BBC NOWhighlights this year include


Welsh composer Grace Williams’ Fair- est of Stars for soprano and orchestra featured as part of the British Compos- ers Prom on the August 5. And the world première of Pan will be performed on September 3, written by the orchestra’s own composer-in-association, B Tommy Andersson. Poulenc’s Organ Concerto on July 21


will be performed alongside the classi- cal masterpieces Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 Jupiter and Haydn’s Te Deum in C Major. East meets west on the July 29 with Qigang Chen’s Iris dévoilée pairing Chinese instruments with western har- monies, complemented by Rachmani- nov’s Symphony No.2 in E Minor and Prokofiev’s Symphony No.1 in D Minor, conducted by Xian Zhang. With learning at the heart of BBC


NOW’s work, the orchestra will be per- forming two Ten Pieces Proms on July 18- 19. More than half of the UK’s primary schools have already engaged with BBC Music’s Ten Pieces, which was commis- sioned and produced by BBC Learning and delivered in conjunction with the BBC Performing Groups. Joining the Last Night of the Proms live


from Swansea, theBBCNational Orches- tra and Chorus of Wales will perform at the ever-popular Proms in the Park at


Singleton Park. BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall


July 17, 7:30pm – Prom 1: First Night of the Proms Broadcast live on BBC Two and BBC Radio 3


July 18, 6:30pm and Sunday 19 July 19, 11am - Prom 2 & 3: Ten Pieces Prom Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3


July 21, 7pm - Prom 6: Poulenc, Stravinsky, Haydn & Mozart Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3


July 29, 6:30pm – Prom 15: Prokofiev, Qigang Chen & Rachmaninov Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3


August 5, 6:30pm – Prom 26: British Compos- ers Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3


September 3, 6:30pm – Prom 64: Nielsen, B Tommy Andersson & Mahler Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3


September 12, 4:30pm – Proms in the Park, Sin- gleton Park, Swansea


&Collectors’ Fair MalvernFlea Up to 400 inside &outside exhibitors.


Sunday,28thJune Entrance: 7.30am-3.30pm - £4


ThreeCounties Showground, Worcs. WR13 6NW.


Tel: 01636 676531 www.b2bevents.info


5 Culture


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