The CBSO and Andris Nelsons capture the full glory of Beethoven

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Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) is a serious challenge to interpreters, if only on account of its ubiquity. But Nelsons’ freshly conceived reading had us listening with new ears, whether to the mood-setting epigraphs that preface each movement, the sweeping waltz rhythms of the Trio section, or the black despair that lingered over the latter stages of the finale.

According to Nelsons, the work is so suffused with Dvorak’s homesickness for Bohemia that "you have to perform it with tears in your eyes". Whether the exhortation was taken literally or metaphorically, his handling of the poignant Largo, with its final broken phrases, was heartstopping.

Wagner’s Rienzi Overture, steeped in the bombastic style of French grand opera, often sounds at best vulgar, at worst ridiculous. But Nelsons brought both mystery and genuine nobility of spirit. I’m still not sure how he did it.

Repeat R3 Aug 3, also available on BBC iPlayer; bbc.co.uk/proms

Proms 2010: CBSO/Nelsons
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP