Joanna Wos (left, no relation to Jonathan Ross) put in a stellar performance last night singing in Gorecki's Third Symphony at the Royal Festival Hall with the LPO, singing the part made famous on the million-selling recording by Dawn Upshaw. To get there, she drove for three days and nights from Poland arriving yesterday afternoon. What a trouper. It would be unfair to judge her against Upshaw in the circumstances. But I will. She didn't quite have Upshaw's power, but she was splendidly expressive. She even reminded me, strangely, at times of Victoria de los Angeles. And the LPO seemed slightly on automatic for the first section but then burst into life for the latter movements.There was a sad undercurrent to this performance, which after all is subtitled Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. It had been hoped that this would the premiere of Gorecki's Fourth Symphony, but ill health meant the composer was unable to finish it. And the performance was dedicated to the 98 victims of the plane crash that killed the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski, and his wife, Maria, whose funerals take place today. Many guests, including the Prince of Wales and Barack Obama, couldn't make it, due to volcanic ash. They should have taken a leaf from Joanna Wos's book, perhaps.
I managed to miss seeing the earlier Philip Glass premiere of his Violin Concerto No 2, as I hadn't eaten all day and went for a cheeseburger. I regret missing it, although the repetitive chewing of this all-American fast food had certain similarities to other Glass I have heard. Actually, I rate some of Glass, unlike some artsdeskers.
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