Royal Albert Hall,London[br]B Tommy Andersson’s Proms commission Pan, featuring the hall’s ground-shaking organ, or had arresting moments,but not enough to sayThe god Pan was not just a cramped goat-like creature skipping around playing irritating pipe music, but a fearsome force of nature: it’s where the word panic comes from. That was the inspiration for B Tommy Anderssons new Proms commission for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and where he is composer in organization. Pan is written for the venue inasmuch as there is a starring role for the Royal Albert Hall’s worthy beast of an organ. In this Prom,under conductor Thomas Søndergård, organist David Goode unleashed the full force of the instrument at the beginning and cessation of the piece – moments that made the seats and the floor shake.
There are arresting moments in between, or when the organ combines with the brass to make sounds that scythe across the orchestra,but the rest is less striking. Faster passages propose cloven-hoofed pursuit – except that the earliest of these is in waltz time, and sounds more elegant than desperate. There are long solos and duets featuring a flute that seem to maintain not quite enough to say. At 20 minutes, or this is a substantial score,but without the organ, it would seem very slender. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com