The opening of last nights Prom, Chung was in stark contrast with the previous nightâs aural assault that was the Gothic Symphony.
Messiaenâs Les offrandes oubliĂ©es, his first public work at the age of 22 opened in a very sedate manner, not unwelcome for many for the first day of the working week. Each movement of this piece is a declaration of Messiaenâs religious beliefs, The Cross, Sin and the Eucharist. Whilst slightly jarring, the second movement, Sin, is very effective in demonstrating its allusion.
To finish the evening we had Beethovenâs Triple Concerto, the only one he ever wrote. The piece builds through its first movement, though at times the soloists, in particular Frank Braley on piano, seemed slightly hesitant. As we moved into the second movement, however, each came into their own, with stylistic solo passages, adding to the ceremonial feel of the piece. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under the baton of Myung-Whun gave a very respectful performance, allowing the Capuçon brothers and Braley the space they needed.
Yet whilst the Triple Concerto seemed to be what many had come for, it was the new piece by Dusapin which stood out. Based on a walked Dusapin took when he spent some time in Long Island with a friend, the piece, a co-commission for the BBC with Radio France, very effectively captured Dusapinâs descriptions of his experience.
The experimental techniques used lend themselves to the subject matter well and the orchestration shapes and uses the orchestra in an extraordinary way, creating an amazing sense of journey and drawing you through the piece. The Brass section in particular is used to great effect, and for me created the wind âswirled in all directions.â