Proms programme conjures nature's wonders
Edward Gardner led the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a vivid programme at the Royal Albert Hall, taking the audience from a Norwegian forest floor to the Bavarian Alps. The concert, part of the BBC Proms, featured Kristine Tjøgersen's Between Trees, a selection of Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne with soprano Louise Alder, and Richard Strauss's An Alpine Symphony.
Squirrels and fungal networks
The evening opened with Tjøgersen's Between Trees, a nature poem that uses extended techniques and novel effects. The sound of a squirrel eating is produced by blowing into a tuba full of water. Prepared harp and strings evoke the mysterious fungal threads that connect tree roots, described as a vast natural internet.
Sun-drenched Auvergne
Louise Alder joined the orchestra for Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne. Her creamy soprano brought languid radiance to the rose-tinted orchestrations. Gardner kept the orchestra on a low light while highlighting the music's pungent elements. Alder's storytelling gift animated tales of lovelorn shepherdesses, opportunistic country lads, and conceited quails.
Strauss's Alpine Symphony
The concert concluded with Strauss's grandiose tone poem, opening with the sound of the mountain itself on four trombones and two tubas. Gardner led the orchestra with big-boned phrasing and warm romantic sweep. The LPO conjured shady woods, cascading waterfalls, and a field of cows. The storm section featured a deafening cacophony of drums, wind machine, and thunder sheet.
Delicate textures amid grand forces
Gardner found fleeting oases of calm, drawing out delicate chamber textures despite the huge forces on stage. He didn't stint the big moments, such as the organ-boosted vision on the summit. The epilogue brought a portentous return of the opening motif, suggesting that while mankind may pass, the mountain endures.
Available on BBC Sounds until 12 October. The Proms continue until 12 September.
