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.JPG "Berlioz: Requiem - Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Chorus - BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)") |
| Berlioz: Requiem – Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Refrain, BBC Symphony Refrain – BBC Proms (Picture: BBC/Chris Christodoulou) |
Berlioz: Grande messe des morts (Requiem); Julien Henric, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Refrain, BBC Symphony Refrain, conductor: Sir Antonio Pappano; BBC Proms on the Royal Albert Corridor
Reviewed 15 August 2026
Thrilling moments and nice visible theatre in a efficiency that mixed grandeur with management and readability, creating some remarkably intimate, austere moments and actual transcendence on the finish
Berlioz’s Grande messe des morts (Requiem) would possibly appear to have been made for the Royal Albert Corridor. Actually there are few venues in London to include it, although I keep in mind a memorable efficiency with Sir Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony Orchestra at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2012 [see my review].
On Saturday 15 August, it was Sir Antonio Pappano conducting the London Symphony Orchestra within the work on the Royal Albert Corridor for the BBC Proms with the London Symphony Refrain (chorus-master Mariana Rosas) and BBC Symphony Refrain (chorus-master Neil Ferris) with tenor Julien Henric in his Proms debut. (Was it his UK debut too? Probably).
Whereas Sir Colin Davis put the 4 brass bands within the dome and allowed the acoustic of St Paul’s Cathedral to do its thrilling worst, on the Royal Albert Corridor Sir Antonio Pappano was extra fascinated by readability. And a outstanding quantity of readability may be achieved within the venue if rigorously dealt with.
.JPG "Berlioz: Requiem - Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Chorus - BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)") |
| Berlioz: Requiem – Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Refrain, BBC Symphony Refrain – BBC Proms (Picture: BBC/Chris Christodoulou) |
The massed timpani (ten gamers in command of 19 drums) had been positioned in an arc behind the orchestra. Behind them got here two of the additional brass ensembles, with the opposite two behind the choir. This meant that Pappano had a outstanding diploma of management over his ensemble, however that we lacked the true spatial impact that Berlioz deliberate for his dramatic work.
One other level to remember is that the massed brass and timpani solely actually contribute to a few actions. Berlioz’s conception of the Requiem just isn’t certainly one of blood and thunder, and far of it’s contemplative. For most of the actions, Pappano and his forces introduced an austere readability to the piece with a particular sense of presence to Berlioz’s hanging passages comprised of simply two or three concepts, every strongly drawn. What I missed on the Royal Albert Corridor was the sense of bloom {that a} resonant acoustic like St Paul’s dropped at the work (and I have to admit that that have positively relied on the place you sat!)
Berlioz wished an orchestra of 140 and a refrain of 200, although I think we bought relatively extra singers than he wished, however we have to offset that in opposition to the difficulty of contemporary orchestras being loud. Actually, by way of steadiness Pappano and his forces didn’t disappoint, whether or not within the quiet moments or the loud ones and the loud ones had been appropriate overwhelming. Precisely what Berlioz wished, I think.
The work opened with the orchestra, quiet but very current. The refrain’s preliminary entry had a beautiful mixture of floated tone and powerful, pointed accents. There have been moments of urgency and energy, however the general really feel was quiet depth till the lastly thrilling ‘Requiem aeternam’. After which the ‘Kyrie’ was remarkably spare. All through this efficiency I discovered myself utilizing the phrases ‘spare’ and ‘austere’ relatively lots in my notes.
.JPG "Berlioz: Requiem - Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra - BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)") |
| Berlioz: Requiem – Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra – BBC Proms (Picture: BBC/Chris Christodoulou) |
The ‘Dies Irae’ started in an analogous method, creating to splendidly sturdy choral counterpoint, with Pappano pushing on with some urgency. With the positioning of the ‘off-stage’ brass in seen sight, the sound of them was very current and really thrilling. Each the sight and sound of that first second within the ‘Tuba mirum’ when the timps begin going was great. But you had been conscious that Pappano had issues on tight management. There was a beautiful mysterioso high quality to ‘Mors stupebit’, and while ‘Liber scriptus’ was thrilling, it was right here that I wished extra antiphonal results for the additional brass. The tenors and basses produced some pretty hushed tone in ‘Liber scriptus’, with Berlioz once more astounding along with his management of such few forces. ‘Rex Tremendae’ was full and grand (all these horns – eight in complete) however then surprisingly intimate and all through this motion Pappano made the a lot of the contrasts. He was in a position to attract some remarkably quiet and managed singing from his refrain. In ‘Quaerens me’ the refrain was intimate and largely unaccompanied, fairly a triumph, with some austere counterpoint. Then the ‘Dies Irae’ sequence concluded with a remarkably operatic ‘Lacrimosa’, the additional brass becoming a member of on the finish to create music of thrilling complexity.
For the ‘Offertorium’ the main focus turned to the strings, with Pappano encouraging them to offer some sturdy phrasing, and creating a terrific construct up. Within the ‘Hostias’ the beautiful choral tone was contrasted with some positively Brucknerian trombones (from the additional brass) together with some splendidly farty moments.
.JPG "Berlioz: Requiem - Julien Henric - BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)") |
| Berlioz: Requiem – Julien Henric – BBC Proms (Picture: BBC/Chris Christodoulou) |
Within the ‘Sanctus’, Julien Henric offered some nice grained tone and stylish type, together with very good projection. This contrasted with vigorous counterpoint within the ‘Hosanna’, after which within the repeat of the ‘Sanctus’, Berlioz launched eight pairs of cymbals (!) to created that shivering whoosh (apologies, I’m positive there’s a technical time period for it). The ‘Agnus Dei’ was low key with heat hushed choral tone and people Brucknerian farting trombones once more. Then because the orchestra joined in, Pappano ensured splendidly exact inserting of the refrain.
The ultimate refrain starting ‘Te decet hymnus’ had a heat gradual to it, with moments of thrilling drama and moments of intimacy, resulting in one thing like actual transcendence on the finish.
Listening to this contemporary instrument efficiency, I did have some varied ideas as regards attaining a extra genuine sound. What pronunciation of French would Berlioz have anticipated? And what devices. I do know that he wrote further brass ensembles in Les Troyens for teams of saxhorns (one thing John Eliot Gardiner did in his performances in Paris in 2013). Would Berlioz have used these for the efficiency of the Requiem?
.JPG "Berlioz: Requiem - Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Chorus - BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/Chris Christodoulou)") |
| Berlioz: Requiem – Sir Antonio Pappano, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Refrain, BBC Symphony Refrain – BBC Proms (Picture: BBC/Chris Christodoulou) |
The live performance is on the market on BBC Sounds for 57 days. There have been no TV cameras current within the corridor, alas, so we can’t relive the visible theatre.
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