Sibelius: BBCSO/Oramo ****
Royal Albert Hall, 29th August 2015
After a lacklustre trio of concerts traversing the seven symphonies, Sibelius’ 150th anniversary celebrations at the Proms peaked with a gripping encounter with Kullervo, his early, category-defying epic based on the Kalevala. Neither symphony nor dramatic cantata, Kullervo is five craggy tone poems hewn from Finnish myth. Having a Finnish conductor as our native guide helped – Sakari Oramo, beaming like a benevolent schoolmaster and mouthing all the words – but the crowning glory of this performance was the singing of Finland’s Polytech Choir, joining the men of the BBC Symphony Chorus, who made thrilling, chilling choral contributions.
Sakari Oramo
© Benjamin Ealovega
Read the full review on Bachtrack.