Inventive orchestrations and wistful solo lines in a satisfying and accessible work.
Programme
Copland Billy the Kid
Kahane Clarinet Concerto
Stravinsky Petrushka
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Conductor: Ryan Bancroft
Clarinet: Anthony McGill
Monday 17 August 2026 · 7-9pm
Royal Albert Hall
Listen on BBC Radio 3 / BBC Sounds
Review
Gabriel Kahane’s Clarinet Concerto filled the space but made few demands. In this European premiere of a BBC co-commission the score leans heavily on percussion with some interesting combinations of tuned and untuned instrumentation, atmospheric string writing, and extensive wistfulness from the clarinet. Nothing scares the horses in a harmonic palette that dabbles in pop, and the lightest of jazz, occasionally pushing harmonies to gently subvert and delight. The twenty two minutes is generously populated with inventive material but is light on development. This was Anthony McGill’s second appearance at the Proms – a big deal given the full-on PR push for his Mozart Concerto in 2024, presumably to prepare the ground for this premiere. Materially, Kahane’s concerto works for the audience Radio 3 is courting. I’m just not entirely convinced it works as a concert piece. It feels more like a studio work. After the virtuosic pizazz of Martin Fröst yesterday, I’d have liked to see the McGill sweat just a little more.
The defining feature of the Stravinsky was the visible trust between orchestra and conductor and the delights that emerged from this vast powerful machine. Bancroft’s conducting style is generous and unfussy, gifting trust to his ensemble and seeing it return in innate musicality created in the moment. Stravinsky’s soloistic score provides plenty of opportunity for this, throwing responsibility on the ensemble to conjure characters through colour and timbre. The woodwinds are frequently a warm bath, the strings attack. When the score demands the pull of the bow is long and resonant. The ensemble at its height creates a vast sound discernible even on the radio broadcast. In addition each principal player is a captivating sight in performance – a visible illustration of the investment all have placed in Bancroft’s swansong. The principal cello in particular, head down when the energy requires it to rattle out a line. In a similar way, one heartbreaking moment came when a technical fault with his instrument saw the tuba cue drop out. Quite apart from the technique on display, that such detail can evoke the empathy of a stranger in the audience, says something about what Bancroft creates on stage. Leadership without flourish, without spectacle, without ego. We’ve seen how trusted (and less trusted) direction brings about electrifying performance this season. Quite who BBC NOW will replace him with as Principal Conductor remains an open question.
This review will be updated in due course.
Gallery
The gallery will be updated when photos are available.
