Review: BBC PROMS: BEETHOVEN’S FIFTH, Royal Albert Hall

With a program featuring one of the world's most beloved symphonies, a stunning piano concerto allowing pianist Alexandre Kantorow to show off his prowess, and a fascinating contemporary piece by Scottish composer Jay Capperauld, the 10th BBC Prom 2025 marks a triumph for conductor Maxim Emelyanychev and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

A suite of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera-ballet Les Indes galantes marks the beginning of the concert. First staged in 1735 and revised again in 1736, it features a splendidly diverse and well-orchestrated selection of music with a focus on spectacle and dance in regular performances. This suite highlights effectively the glorious variety with numbers reaching from calming and sonorous tunes to whimsical, almost pastoral sounding melodies. The pieces are selected to present impressions from Peru, Turkey, Persia and America and constitute an excellent opening to the concert.

The second piece of the evening is Saint-Saëns’ "Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major", nicknamed the “Egyptian”. A challenge for a virtuoso, it offers pianist Alexandre Kantorow  ample opportunity to demonstrate his skill: seemingly effortlessly, he conjures the most amazing sounds out of the instrument, whether delicately subtle or majestic and dramatic. The concerto is technically demanding and was a great hit at its premiere in 1896.

After the Allegro animato presents two competing themes in a complicated back-and-forth which results in a soothing coda, the Andante continues with a surprisingly bombastic opening and then fuses into an impressionistic evocation of the Nile. The Molto allegro, finally, represents a highly energetic and dramatic finale with a complicated piano part that finishes the concerto spectacularly. An amazing performance by Kantorow throughout.

After the interval, Maxim Emelyanychev treats the audience to a new piece by Jay Capperauld: "Bruckner’s Skull". Premiered in Glasgow earlier this year, the piece - as suggested by its title - is a homage to Bruckner and his obsession with death. It’s a fascinating piece always dark, broody, and restless to the extent of becoming uncanny. Much of the score consists of musical excerpts not only by Bruckner, but by Schubert and Beethoven, too. It’s a musical take on the shoring of one’s fragments against one’s ruin with a dramatic buildup from the almost Ligeti-like opening to the dissonant ending.

Finally, "Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in C minor" marks the end of the concert, and what a spectacular finale it is. The Fate Symphony, premiered in 1808, barely needs any introduction. The main theme of the Allegro con brio is instantly recognisable, beloved, and always a joy to hear. Emelyanychev is truly in his element: with expert tempo, embellishment and attention to the dramatic development, it’s a beautiful performance. Likewise, the contrast of the more lyrical Andante con moto feels both soothing and calming in a perfect setup to the darker Scherzo: Allegro and the majestic finale of the Allegro in C major. It’s a stunning performance, masterfully conducted by  Emelyanychev.

Indeed, Emelyanychev’s general performance is a joy to watch. Not only is his musical understanding and directing of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra pristinely astute, but the way he composes himself in the pit is equally brilliant, sometimes playfully bouncing on his feet, at others putting on a grimace of horror at dramatic moments. He delivers a wonderful success in a greatly conceived prom.

The BBC Proms continues at the Royal Albert Hall until 13 September