Prom 1: Sol Gabetta; BBCSO/Sakari Oramo ****
Royal Albert Hall, 15th July 2016
At the Last Night of the Proms, a colourful sea of flags billow in the Arena of the Royal Albert Hall. For the First Night of the 2016 season, two flags – both unfurled by the same gentleman – greeted the evening’s soloists: Argentinian for cellist Sol Gabetta; Russian for mezzo Olga Borodina. Another – the French Tricolore – was projected across the organ as the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sakari Oramo opened proceedings with a stirring account of La Marseillaise, in tribute to those who had lost their lives in Thursday’s horrific attack in Nice.
Sakari Orami conducts La Marseillaise
© BBC | Chris Christodoulou
Read the full review on Bachtrack.