First Night of the Proms

The Proms kicked off last night with an unscheduled piece – La Marseillaise. The Prommers were of course already standing but the rest of the packed Albert Hall rose to their feet for this mark of respect to France. 

The Proms are linked for me to the Royal Albert Hall but when these concerts started in 1895 they were at the Queen’s Hall and only shifted to the RAH when this venue was destroyed in an air-raid in 1941. It was home to the BBC Symphony Orchestra who were playing last night. Before the interval we heard Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy-Overture Romeo and Juliet and Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor. The latter has been a Proms staple since its composition in 1919. It was on the programme for four consecutive years in the early 1960s played by Jacqueline du Pre.

The Proms are a chance to hear unfamiliar pieces often requiring a large number of performers. After the interval last night the BBC Symphony Orchestra was augmented by the BBC National Chorus of Wales and the BBC Symphony Chorus for Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky cantata. This piece is essentially his score for Sergey Eisenstein’s first sound film of the same name. It was released in 1938 and tells the story of the medieval prince of Novgorod (Nevsky) and his victory over Teutonic crusaders in a decisive battle on the frozen Lake Peipus, between Estonia and Russia, in 1242. (I had to be reminded that Eisenstein’s most famous film is The Battleship Potemkin, also released in 1938.)  Stalin, who had been doubtful about Prokofiev’s loyalty, thoroughly approved of this timely piece of anti-Nazi propaganda. This chorus gives an indication of the tone he adopts.

We shall never surrender our Russian land.

Those who invade Russia will meet death.

Arise, Russia, against your enemies,

rise to arms, proud Novgorod!

This was sung in Russian so it’s fortunate that Ned’s lovely wife treated me to a programme which has been jolly helpful in jogging my memory of last night’s concert. Ned did wear his Union Jack tie and treated us to dinner afterwards at Daquise, a Polish restaurant near South Kensington. It was significant for me as it was where I was taken by my uncle and aunt after they took me to my first Prom when I was a teenager.

I hope you are not bored of the Proms as I’m going to two more next week.