Proms 2010: Europe unites with purpose

They come from all over Europe but played with a unity not always associated with things European.
Conductor Herbert Blomstedt had his 12 double basses ranged behind and above the rest of the orchestra; in terms of sonic architecture, though, they formed the foundation of a mighty edifice. Yet they were anything but granitic.

During pizzicato passages, their movements suggested a corps de ballet; then, in the furious hammering of the scherzo, they might have been the galloping horsemen of apocalypse.

Basses alone do not a Bruckner symphony make, and every section had its moment in the sun. The overall blend may not have been as silky smooth as the top orchestras but there was a sense of virtuosity within a framework of shared purpose that gave the symphony both force and grace.

If the other pieces on the programme worked on a smaller scale, they were no miniatures. The opening chord of Hindemith’s Symphony "Mathis der Maler" was wobbly, the only moment in the whole concert that suggested youthful inexperience. At times the weight of the string-playing had an organ-like quality while the myriad woodwind solos were bewitching: if there is such a thing as a magic flute, we heard it here.

The orchestra was reduced for Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfaring Lad, a cycle which requires chamber intimacy in support of the soloist. Baritone Christian Gerhaher’s singing, conversational in tone and weight, was at times so quiet that it seemed a miracle that he could fill the hall’s farthest corners. Yet in a performance of barely contained intensity, his range of vocal expression, never exaggerated, delivered warmth, rage, desolation and even a hint of madness.

Repeated BBC Four, September 3; Radio 3, September 16. bbc.co.uk/proms

Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester: Prom 62
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP