BBC Proms - 2010 - Prom 30 - BBC Symphony Chorus and London Brass

BBC PROMS 2010 Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Sara Mohr-Pietsch. Choral music with a French flavour in this Prom matinee with the BBC Symphony Chorus conducted by its Director, Stephen Jackson. Bookends to the programme are two masterworks from the 20th century a cappella choral repertoire. Daniel-Lesur's Le Cantique de Cantiques, composed in 1953, is a beautifully-shaped and lusciously-scored setting of words from the Biblical Song of Songs, in which the eroticism of the ancient texts is portrayed in music of dreamy sensuality. Poulenc's Figure Humaine confronts the dark reality of life in Occupied France and is one of the most thrilling moments in the entire choral repertoire. In between, two works for brass by Toru Takemitsu - music of harmonic elegance and dream-like stillness, and a new piece by Stephen Montague, exploring the joys of language and human utterance. Daniel-Lesur: Le cantique des cantiques Takemitsu: Garden Rain* Stephen Montague: Wilful Chants (BBC commission: world premiere) Takemitsu: Signals from Heaven* Poulenc: Figure humaine BBC Symphony Chorus Soloists from Trinity College of Music Chamber Choir London Brass O Duo Stephen Jackson (conductor) *Andrew Crowley (conductor) EXTRA NOTES: Daniel-Lesur's Le Cantique de Cantiques, composed in 1953, is a beautifully-shaped and lusciously-scored setting of words from the Biblical Song of Songs, in which the eroticism of the ancient texts is portrayed in music of dreamy sensuality. Poulenc's Figure Humaine confronts the dark reality of life in Occupied France and Composed to be performed on the long-awaited day of liberation, Poulenc's cantata - setting words by poet-turned-Resistance-member Paul Eluard - is a paean to his homeland, culminating in a hymn to liberty which is one of the most thrilling moments in the entire choral repertoire. Toru Takemitsu - though Japanese - counted Claude Debussy as a major influence and his music, like much of Debussy's, has a harmonic elegance and dream-like stillness. In contrast, Stephen Montague's new piece - a BBC commission here receiving its first performance - is an energetic exploration of the joys of language and human utterance, a virtuoso tapestry of many different world languages and even some that don't exist!