My first in situ prom of the season was a solo recital by the British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. The nightly live Proms broadcasts remain the most addictive form of summer listening. I suspect you had to be there for that one, but the mood communicated itself on TV or, better still, radio.
The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, fizzing and smiling, directed by the Puck-like genius of violinist Pekka Kuusisto, showed how Finnish folk could slap hands with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. By the end of the weekend, a northern soul night had recalled the pleasures of Wigan Casino c.1975.
Paul Lewis was the agile and imaginative soloist in Grieg’s Piano Concerto, making it decidedly more interesting than usual, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dalia Stasevska, who wooed the crowd. The mixed-fare opening programme (instead of the traditional choral blockbuster) could have sat comfortably in any mid-season event, but this wasn’t a time to complain.
