I recorded the BBC Four showing of this prom where, unfortunately, they omitted Sean Shepherd's 'Magiya' and Joshua Bell's encore. I was, however, able to see the two big works of the prom, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and Shostakovich's 10th Symphony. Whilst I know these works well, it was interesting to see Valery Gergiev's interpretation of them.
What always strikes me about Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is the length of the melodic line; sometimes you free that one idea has been developed into a 5 minute long phrase, but it seems easy and natural. The sound Joshua Bell was able to produce was amazing and the clarity he gave to the virtuoso passages was stunning.
Shostakovich's 10th Symphony is probably my favourite symphony, partly because of its historical significance, but mostly because of what he is able to do with texture. You go from exposed solo wind passages in the 1st movement to a massive, whirling, full orchestral sound in the second movement. A seemingly empty texture returns in the 3rd movement; there are some haunting solos where you really feel you are reaching deep into the composer's soul and seeing his pain and anguish first hand. Given the numerous references to the DSCH motif it is clearly a very personal movement. The 4th movement begins similarly, but then erupts like the second movement into a dizzying climax, with one of my favourite timpani solos echoing the DSCH motif.
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