BBC Proms 23: Swan Lake
My favourite childhood movie that I watched on repeat, almost religiously, was definitely Barbie’s Swan Lake. The music performed by the British Philharmonic Orchestra entered into my heart at the age of 3 and has never left.
Three different composition pieces were performed at Proms 23: Overture ‘Peterloo’ Op.97, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43 and of course, excerpts from Swan Lake. The different pieces were thematically tied together by the theme of tragedy, which conductor Ben Gernon describes as “really quite a rollercoaster”.
The evening opened with Overture ‘Peterloo’ Op.97, a musical artefact commemorating the Peterloo Massacre on St Peter’s Field in Manchester on 16th August 1819 (the bicentenary of which is celebrated later this month). The crescendo of the strings and horns combined with the rhythmic percussion beat evoke a sense of panic, accurately relaying the feeling of what the chaotic battlefield must have felt like. This composition feels as if you are stepping back in time, with Composer Malcolm Arnold stating “This overture attempts to portray these happenings musically but, after a lament for the killed and injured, it ends in triumph…”
“...we, especially as the younger generation, need to cherish classical music and pieces like this, as they are more than music, they are historical artefacts...”
This piece beautifully demonstrates why we, especially as the younger generation, need to cherish classical music and pieces like this, as they are more than music, they are historical artefacts that evoke the feeling of being caught in a 19th century British battlefield. When we go to museums we often feel disconnected from the events that took place many years ago, but music is an immersive experience, allowing us to deeply connect with the emotions the music is portraying.
The battle piece was followed by Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43, composed by Sergey Rachmaninov. Described by the Conductor of BBC Proms 23 as “a moment of pure delight” this piece may seem out of place with the two pieces it connects, but musically it links the two seamlessly with its use of strings and horns. Rachmaninov was certainly not the first or last composer of this piece, and his orchestration “is lucid and luminous, with colours sharply defined.” Whilst Rachmaninov never performed at the Proms, he did in fact perform his own Second Piano Concerto at Henry Wood’s Jubilee concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
After the interval, the auditorium was filled with an even bigger buzz then when we had first arrived. It was clear: we were all here to listen to the extraordinarily beautiful composition that was Swan Lake. Like most famous pieces of art, Swan Lake was a failure during Tchaikovsky’s life, only reaching phenomenal popularity after the whole Russian Ballet sector was revamped.
In 1875, Tchaikovsky’s friend head honcho of a theatre in Moscow Vladimir Begichev asked the composer to write music for a ballet inspired by a German fairy tale, and various other legends. Tchaikovsky agreed, partly for the money, but also because he wanted to try his hand at writing a ballet.
Conductor Gernon chose specific extracts of Swan Lake to perform. Being a classical fan favourite it would have been challenging to select the right pieces of composition to please the audience, but in all honesty, I think Gernon did a fantastic job. The most popular excerpts of the ballet were included, intertwined with more sparse music to build up the audience’s anticipation of the Swan Lake Finale.
Continuing with this theme of honesty, when I heard the oboe making the entrance into the final minutes of Proms 23, I was felt humbled. Humbled that I was privileged enough to be able to listen to music so wonderful it was beyond description, and humbled that the BBC was continuing this legacy of celebrating classical music by holding the Proms each and every year. I’m not ashamed to say that I had tears in my eyes when every single musician in that orchestra played to perfection the myriad of instruments to produce the symphonic bliss that was the Swan Lake Finale.
Unlike other forms of art, it is my belief that classical music is not highly subjective. There is a common thread between us as human beings, a thread that is woven deeply into our hearts and souls. Outstanding music triumphs such as Swan Lake keep the thread strong, reminding us of the beauty and wonder that is the life we live.
BBC Proms 23 will be repeated on Monday 12th August on BBC 3 at 2pm, and is also available for purchase at the end of the Proms season from the BBC Proms 2019 soundtrack. (All quotes are quoted from the BBC Proms 23 Programme).