The Albert Hall
Saturday night: a mammoth Prom in a sweltering Albert Hall. A fantastic and bonkers programme: a rare version of Mussorgsky's A Night on the Bare Mountain for chorus, bass and orchestra; excerpts from Boris Godunov (sung by St John Tomlinson); Prokofiev's first Piano Concerto.
At its heart, a performance of Thomas Adès' Tevot, the major new orchestral work of his that was premiered in February this year. This was a two-interval concert, and Tevot came between them. I half expected a large proportion of the audience to disappear for the nasty modern music then return for the final third having had an extended breath of fresh air and a drink. Instead, the full complement of 6,000 sat (or stood) rapt and gave the work an uproarious reception. Is the British public finally learning to love new music - or at least Adès' new music?
