Review: BBC PROMS: PAPPANO CONDUCTS BERLIOZ’S ‘REQUIEM’, Royal Albert Hall

First performed at Les Invalides in Paris in 1837, Hector Berlioz’s Requiem (“Grande messe des morts”) is music and spectacle on a grand scale. Originally written for 450 performers, this Prom saw roughly 400 musicians and singers gather across the Royal Albert Hall stage and Choir Stalls sections to perform this epic piece; this total included roughly 250 singers, four brass ensembles, 20 timpani, and a full orchestra - plus tenor soloist Julien Henric joined the other performers for the ninth movement. Who better to oversee such a task than the London Symphony Orchestra and their Chief Conductor, Antonio Pappano?

In any other concert hall this would run the risk of looking and feeling cramped, but in the Royal Albert Hall it just looked natural - the only slightly unusual sight for regular Proms-goers being the small ensembles of musicians sat up in the Choir Stalls next to the two choruses.

As you might expect, the sound generated by such an extraordinary collection of musicians was quite something to behold, the rumbling of timpani feeling like an infernal roar. In this composition so full of extremes, this also allowed the quiet moments to speak louder than they ordinarily would; the precision with which the musicians navigated this left the audience awestruck and all but holding their breath.

It was difficult not to be left transfixed by Pappano’s bare-handed conducting, as he sought to utilise every last muscle twitch to get the most he possibly could from his musicians. The expression with which he guided both the orchestra and the two choruses (BBC Symphony Chorus and London Symphony Chorus) added to the innate theatricality of the piece; not only keeping tempo, but also giving little flourishes to further direct the ensemble.

In writing his “Grande messe des morts”, Berlioz was both following in the tradition and scale of works that were produced during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic years, whilst also being inspired by the likes of Shakespeare and Goethe - and also rearranging the Catholic requiem to suit his narrative about Judgement Day and the end of time. Hearing and seeing this in the middle of a fifth heatwave and with conflict of various kinds crashing all around us was a profound experience, Berlioz speaking to our times across the centuries with this grandiose work.

The contrast between the quiet, a cappella Quaerens Me and the steady increase in instruments in Lacrimosa is stark, and a good example of the extremes with which Berlioz played. Another highlight came in the ninth movement (Sanctus), when the tenor joined the already assembled musicians; instead of coming front and centre, Henric was positioned in front of the organ - in between the male and female sections of the chorus, almost as if bridging the gap between them. It was also a thrill to witness just how innovative the performers can be with their instruments, whether the string players using their bows in different ways, or percussionists subtly sliding cymbals against each other to create a light effect.

Spending approximately 90 minutes sat in communion with this piece is one of the things which makes the Proms great. World class musicians and conductors gathering in front of around 5,000 people, enthralling them from start to finish - and in a room with great sightlines and the ideal acoustics for a piece of such scale. A true event at the heart of this year’s Proms schedule.

The BBC Proms run at the Royal Albert Hall until 12 September

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