Reviews: BBC Prom 16

“The combined Hallé Choir and BBC Symphony Chorus... rose neatly at a single baton-twitch from Mark Elder. A pointed finger temporarily spotlit single instrumental lines; a grin coaxed luxuriously rich sound from the strings; tiny hand movements kept sprawling, rhythmically complex textures absolutely together. Reins don’t come much tighter than this.”

“Elder and the Hallé relished Rachmaninov's broad palette in a luxurious performance, the plush strings and sunset glow of the postlude particularly moving. ”

“Can there be a current British orchestra with a better string sound? The sheer finesse they brought to Shostakovich’s fifth symphony was ravishing, particularly in their wondrous handling of the pianissimo passages in the first movement and the central largo. The romping bombast of the finale was terrifying, but again it was the glistening pianissimos within that movement that really impressed.”

“Rachmaninov's modernity was felt everywhere in Elder's interpretation. Drawing superbly colourful playing from the orchestra, his performance was a reminder that while the score is rooted in Russian musical tradition, it dates from the same year as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.”

“The Largo, which so moved the symphony’s first Russian listeners, saw Elder’s sheer gravitas and pinpoint attention to the textures of its eight string groups produce a sound of cultivated splendour, with magical tremolos and tenderly expressive contributions from the woodwinds (above all, Stéphane Rancourt's oboe).”