Today at the Proms - Prom 60

Continuing our daily coverage of what's on at The Proms 2019, Susan Omand has a quick look at the programme for Prom 60: Vienna Philharmonic and Bernard Haitink ...

Properly full on "just known by their numbers" classical music tonight, starting with a piano concerto from Beethoven. Called "the most admirable, singular, artistic and complex Beethoven concerto ever" in an early review, the concerto was dedicated to Archduke Rudolph (who was, apparently, not a red nosed reindeer - Ed) and saw Beethoven's own final performance on stage as soloist in 1808.

After the interval we get a farewell of another kind and Bruckner's Symphony No 7, the second movement of which was written around the time of Wagner's death, a cymbal clash at the climax of the movement allegedly representing Bruckner hearing the news of the death of his ‘dearly beloved Master’. However, the use of percussion at all in the symphony was removed in some later versions of the printed score, although it had been reinstated in the Nowak version being performed tonight, although the cymbal clash is sometimes not played, even if it is in the score! It will be interesting to hear whether or not it makes an appearance. But, just in case it doesn't, here's what the cymbal clash should sound like, thanks to the London Phil...

Here's the full programme for this evening's Prom which you can listen to live from 19:30 on Radio 3 or on the iPlayer 

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No 4 in G major(34 mins)

INTERVAL

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No 7 in E major(65 mins)(ed. Nowak)
Image - Photo © Chris Christodoulou