Prom 1: BBCSO/ Oramo ****
Royal Albert Hall, 13th July 2018
This year, the BBC Proms season marks centenaries such as the birth of Leonard Bernstein and the death of Claude Debussy, but it was something non-musical – the end of the First World War – which was commemorated on this all-British First Night. Plenty of composers served on both sides – Paul Hindemith, Maurice Ravel, Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth (killed on the Somme in 1916) – but the BBC opted for a young, contemporary voice for this anniversary. Anna Meredith’s Five Telegrams, a dazzling son et lumière collaboration with 59 Productions, proved a powerful, often surprisingly upbeat, commission.
Sakari Oramo
© BBC | Chris Christodoulou
Read the full review on Bachtrack.