0:00:26 > 0:00:29APPLAUSE
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Sex, death, despair and drugs.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37It could only be an evening at the BBC Proms.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Good evening, or rather g'day, and welcome to this prom
0:00:39 > 0:00:42by one of the great orchestras of the southern hemisphere,
0:00:42 > 0:00:44the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47They are conducted by the British chief conductor
0:00:47 > 0:00:50and all-time Proms favourite, Sir Andrew Davis.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52They have travelled across the globe to bring us
0:00:52 > 0:00:56three pieces exploring the extremities of human emotion
0:00:56 > 0:00:59from obsessive love to unimaginable loss
0:00:59 > 0:01:03as the orchestra from down under make their Proms debut.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Tonight they will be performing Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10telling the story of the opium-fuelled despair
0:01:10 > 0:01:12of an unhappy lover.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14We've also got Elgar's autumnal Cello Concerto,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17written after the horrors of the First World War.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21But first, we continue the 150th birthday celebrations of Richard Strauss
0:01:21 > 0:01:23with his tone poem Don Juan.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Strauss was just 24 when he rocketed onto the international scene
0:01:27 > 0:01:32with this work, based on the old Spanish legend of the notorious womaniser.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Strauss was inspired by a version of the story by the Austrian poet Nikolaus Lenau,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39in which the Don's promiscuity isn't just for fun
0:01:39 > 0:01:43but simply shows his determination to keep on looking
0:01:43 > 0:01:46until he finds the ideal woman, who obviously doesn't exist.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48The Don gives up, disillusioned,
0:01:48 > 0:01:50and allows himself to be killed in a duel.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52APPLAUSE
0:01:55 > 0:01:57So dramatic stuff in store, then,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00and to conduct it, Sir Andrew Davis,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
0:02:02 > 0:02:05in Richard Strauss's Don Juan.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26APPLAUSE
0:19:39 > 0:19:44That sweeping and dramatic performance of Richard Strauss's Don Juan.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
0:19:49 > 0:19:52in their Proms debut, here at the Royal Albert Hall.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Notoriously difficult music, Don Juan.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57After the first ever rehearsal,
0:19:57 > 0:20:00a horn player apparently came up to Strauss,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03sweat pouring from his brow, and said, "Good God,
0:20:03 > 0:20:04"in what way have we sinned
0:20:04 > 0:20:07"that you should have sent us this scourge?"
0:20:13 > 0:20:15SHOUTS OF "BRAVO!"
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Cheers for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22brought to their feet by their chief conductor, Sir Andrew Davis, there.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Obviously enjoying every minute.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27They were showing off their command
0:20:27 > 0:20:29of this gorgeously voluptuous music, weren't they,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32depicting Don Juan's love conquests.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35The composer told the musicians at the first rehearsal,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37"I would ask those of you who are married to play
0:20:37 > 0:20:40"as if you were engaged, then all will be well."
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Sir Edward Elgar was 57 when the First World War was declared.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47He was too old to serve.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50But the horrors of the war affected him deeply
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and when he came to compose a cello concerto in the summer of 1919,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56what resulted was a masterpiece suffused with sadness.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58At the end of the score, Elgar wrote "RIP"
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and this proved to be doubly moving,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04referring not just to the millions who lost their lives in the war
0:21:04 > 0:21:08but also putting a seal on the end of his long composing career.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10In the remaining 15 years of his life,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12he never finished another substantial work.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Yesterday in rehearsal,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Sir Andrew Davis went walkabout
0:21:16 > 0:21:20with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's Australian associate conductor,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Ben Northey, to discuss the work.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26With the Cello Concerto, there's this wonderful...
0:21:26 > 0:21:28um...
0:21:28 > 0:21:32melancholy about it,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36this sort of tenderness that I think is...
0:21:36 > 0:21:40very English quality and it's certainly a very Elgarian quality.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I always feel it's sort of private.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48He is sort of baring his soul,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51almost more than any other piece that he wrote.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55- Yes. Very inward...inward looking. - Yeah.- And introspective.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06It is very sparse, isn't it, actually, in the way that it opens.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- Absolutely.- You know, this openness of that first movement,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11of course, the slow movement.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Yes, and actually,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15the orchestral colours
0:22:15 > 0:22:18are very much more severe, in a way...
0:22:18 > 0:22:22The opulence of the symphonies is a thing of the past.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Hearing Elgar in Australia which,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39as you know, is rich in numbers of British expatriates
0:22:39 > 0:22:44and, you know, people who have had experience with this music at home,
0:22:44 > 0:22:49- you can see the effect that that has on British people...- Yes.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50But interestingly,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53it has a very similar effect on Australians as well.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56They feel very bonded to this music because of the great traditions
0:22:56 > 0:22:59that we have and all of those things that we share,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01all of those...the wartime experiences...
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Yes, and which is also, you know,
0:23:04 > 0:23:09the First World War had really affected him very profoundly.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13You can see that from the letters and this sense that he saw this,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- the world as he knew it, sort of crumbling around him.- Yes.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21And Elgar sort of became part of a generation that was no longer
0:23:21 > 0:23:23relevant to a lot of people.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31This was clearly the end of a big chapter in English music, wasn't it?
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Well, it was sort of the end of a chapter in world history, really.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39And Elgar reflects that in a very touching way, I think.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43It's a piece that says goodbye to a world that he had known
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and it does open a new chapter,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49just because of the intimacy of the piece
0:23:49 > 0:23:50and the scaling down of the piece,
0:23:50 > 0:23:52it kind of looks towards the future.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54It is, indeed, the end of an era.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58APPLAUSE
0:24:01 > 0:24:05And here comes tonight's soloist, the Norwegian cellist Truls Mork,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08with Sir Andrew Davis to conduct
0:24:08 > 0:24:12the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Elgar's Cello Concerto.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:53:51 > 0:53:55It never fails to touch and stir the emotions, that, does it?
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Elgar's Cello Concerto, performed there by Truls Mork,
0:53:59 > 0:54:03visibly moved, frequently, throughout the performance,
0:54:03 > 0:54:06as, indeed, were many of the audience.
0:54:06 > 0:54:11Sir Andrew Davis conducting the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Elgar began work on his Cello Concerto in 1919
0:54:20 > 0:54:24but it had been on his mind for a while.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28In 1918 he'd had an operation - not a minor one, either.
0:54:28 > 0:54:30When he came round from the anaesthetic,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33he asked for a pencil and paper and he sketched down
0:54:33 > 0:54:37what was to become the first theme of his Cello Concerto.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43APPLAUSE
0:54:48 > 0:54:51You know, he always says that he thinks the cello is basically
0:54:51 > 0:54:56a singing instrument, the instrument that mimics the human voice most closely,
0:54:56 > 0:54:59having the same register, the same melodic qualities.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01And he certainly made it sing tonight.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20HE BEGINS TO PLAY A SOLO PIECE
0:59:28 > 0:59:29APPLAUSE
0:59:39 > 0:59:41That was a piece called Declamato,
0:59:41 > 0:59:45the first movement of Benjamin Britten's Cello Suite Number 2,
0:59:45 > 0:59:48Truls Mork's encore here at the BBC Proms.
0:59:56 > 1:00:00Written in 1968, almost 50 years after Elgar's Cello Concerto,
1:00:00 > 1:00:04the second Cello Suite was dedicated to Britten's great friend,
1:00:04 > 1:00:07the Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.
1:00:14 > 1:00:18The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is Australia's oldest orchestra,
1:00:18 > 1:00:19founded in 1906.
1:00:19 > 1:00:21It has a long, distinguished history
1:00:21 > 1:00:24and, as you can see from this remarkable photo from 1913,
1:00:24 > 1:00:27they've always had a very enlightened approach.
1:00:27 > 1:00:29I think there are more women than men,
1:00:29 > 1:00:33an unusual state of affairs for an orchestra even today, let alone 100 years ago.
1:00:33 > 1:00:37And it might surprise you that despite tours to the USA
1:00:37 > 1:00:39and Canada and Japan and China and all over Europe,
1:00:39 > 1:00:42this is the very first time they have performed at the Proms.
1:00:42 > 1:00:45Well, earlier today, I met up with a couple of the players
1:00:45 > 1:00:47from the orchestra during a break in the rain
1:00:47 > 1:00:49here at the Royal Albert Hall.
1:00:49 > 1:00:52How would you describe the sound of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
1:00:52 > 1:00:54to people who haven't heard them before?
1:00:54 > 1:00:58Well, the first word that comes into my mind is warm.
1:00:58 > 1:01:05- A warm sound.- And free. I think free. - Warm, embracing.- Yes.
1:01:05 > 1:01:08It must exciting being here with your new chief conductor, Sir Andrew Davis.
1:01:08 > 1:01:11We have a wonderful relationship with Sir Andrew,
1:01:11 > 1:01:14a beautiful relationship, so it's great to celebrate that here.
1:01:14 > 1:01:19- Has he changed the way the orchestra play, do you think?- Absolutely.
1:01:19 > 1:01:23I think there's incredible trust between the orchestra and Sir Andrew
1:01:23 > 1:01:26and I think everyone feels free and...ecstatic.
1:01:26 > 1:01:29We're going to hear you perform the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique,
1:01:29 > 1:01:31which is a great orchestral showpiece.
1:01:31 > 1:01:34Tell me what the highlights are for you in this fantastic piece.
1:01:34 > 1:01:38It's such a fascinating journey from the moment it starts until the end.
1:01:38 > 1:01:42It just involves the audience as well as all the players,
1:01:42 > 1:01:45up to such a level. It's just incredible.
1:01:45 > 1:01:48And when you come out onto the stage at the Albert Hall
1:01:48 > 1:01:51- for the first time, what are the feelings going to be? - I think I'll be...
1:01:51 > 1:01:55It'll be pretty hard to keep the tears back, I think.
1:01:55 > 1:01:58So the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra finish off their Proms debut
1:01:58 > 1:02:01with Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.
1:02:01 > 1:02:03It is music with a story behind it,
1:02:03 > 1:02:06a sort of sonic novel in five chapters,
1:02:06 > 1:02:09telling of an artist who falls in love with
1:02:09 > 1:02:13the ideal woman - no doubt the same one Strauss's Don Juan was after.
1:02:13 > 1:02:17Berlioz's hero is tortured by her vision at a grand ball
1:02:17 > 1:02:20and he tries to escape to the countryside.
1:02:20 > 1:02:24He dreams of her murder before finally poisoning himself with opium.
1:02:24 > 1:02:27But the dose is too weak and he has a ghoulish hallucination
1:02:27 > 1:02:31of his love dancing with witches at a devilish orgy.
1:02:31 > 1:02:34And if you think that sounds crazy, wait until you hear the music.
1:02:34 > 1:02:37Berlioz brings every ounce of his epic imagination
1:02:37 > 1:02:40and inspired ambition to this score,
1:02:40 > 1:02:42pushing the boundaries of what an orchestra can do
1:02:42 > 1:02:44and what a symphony can be.
1:02:44 > 1:02:46APPLAUSE
1:02:47 > 1:02:51And it's time to strap yourselves in for one of the strangest,
1:02:51 > 1:02:53most remarkable pieces of music ever written -
1:02:53 > 1:02:58Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique conducted by Sir Andrew Davis.
1:53:55 > 1:53:57APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
1:54:05 > 1:54:08A triumphant flourish there from Sir Andrew Davis
1:54:08 > 1:54:11at the end of that wonderful performance
1:54:11 > 1:54:15of that extraordinary work, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique,
1:54:15 > 1:54:20performed with obvious delight by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
1:54:20 > 1:54:23in this, their Proms debut.
1:54:28 > 1:54:31It is Sir Andrew Davis's 70th birthday this year.
1:54:31 > 1:54:34You would never guess it, having seen him conducting.
1:54:35 > 1:54:38And you'll remember that we last saw him here
1:54:38 > 1:54:40on the first night of the Proms, conducting Elgar.
1:54:42 > 1:54:45But what a performance from the Melbourne Symphony
1:54:45 > 1:54:50and listen to the response they've got here in the Royal Albert Hall.
1:55:08 > 1:55:11CHEERING
1:55:11 > 1:55:15Sir Andrew Davis bringing all the different sections to their feet.
1:55:18 > 1:55:22They said to me earlier how much they love playing for their new chief conductor.
1:55:36 > 1:55:38CHEERING
1:56:21 > 1:56:23LIGHT-HEARTED ORCHESTRAL PIECE BEGINS
2:00:27 > 2:00:29APPLAUSE
2:00:38 > 2:00:41And most appropriately, that was a piece by Melbourne's
2:00:41 > 2:00:44most famous musical son, Percy Grainger,
2:00:44 > 2:00:47his portrait of Handel In The Strand,
2:00:47 > 2:00:52and it was arranged by Sir Henry Wood, the co-founder of the Proms.
2:00:57 > 2:01:00Well, that is it for now at the BBC Proms.
2:01:00 > 2:01:03Tom Service will be back here on BBC4 on Thursday
2:01:03 > 2:01:06with a programme of 20th-century masterworks
2:01:06 > 2:01:09played by the National Youth Orchestra.
2:01:09 > 2:01:14But for now, goodnight from all of us here at the Royal Albert Hall.