Review: BBC PROMS: PAPPANO CONDUCTS PUCCINI AND STRAUSS, Royal Albert Hall

How better to welcome the London Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor to this year’s Proms than with an opera-themed programme? Sir Antonio Pappano is a vibrant character in the world of classical music, and the Royal Albert Hall felt like a fitting venue for him to showcase his continued passion for the artform; two powerful 20th century operas were the order of the day, performed to a packed out auditorium.

Richard Strauss wrote his opera Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without A Shadow) between 1914 and 1917, but returned to it in his later years - the resulting ‘Symphonic Fantasy’ distilled the essence of the opera into a 22-minute orchestral piece. Possibly because there was a three-decade gap between the two compositions, it has the feel of a musical stepping stone; there are moments where it sounds incredibly modern and stark, but others where it’s more lush and reminiscent of earlier eras of classical music.

Pappano guided the orchestra through this fascinating piece with a blend of exuberance and pinpoint precision, making it difficult to take your eyes off him and his expansive hand movements. The original opera flopped because audiences at the time were supposedly bemused by the libretto, but this composition shows that Strauss was surely right to give the music another chance.

Puccini’s Suor Angelica is a one-act opera which was originally intended as the middle of “Il trittico” - a musical form of an altarpiece triptych, with Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi either side of it. The three operas are rarely performed as this set, due to the length of the evening and the casting that is involved, and Suor Angelica has historically been the one to be completely missed out - despite it being the only entirely original libretto.

It tells the story of a disgraced noblewoman who has been forced by her family to take the veil after giving birth to an illegitimate child. She spends her time in the convent hoping that they will get in contact with her, and that she will be able to see her son again soon - even though she’s been waiting for years to no avail. When her sister arrives and brutally imparts the news of her son’s death, Sister Angelica resolves to poison herself with some deadly herbs, before realising that she has committed a mortal sin and therefore won’t be reunited with her son in heaven; all that remains is for her to pray for salvation.

A suitably dramatic narrative for an opera, although it isn’t without its lighter moments, such as Sister Dolcina confessing to her desire for some sweet foods to eat, and Sister Genovieffa recalling her life as a shepherdess and admitting that she misses the lambs.

Pappano used the Italian word ‘morbidezza’ in the programme to describe the sound you make when you perform works by Puccini: “a certain softness…a sweet intensity”. It certainly seemed an apt description of much of Suor Angelica, particularly the very beginning in which the church bells were imitated with the use of tubular bells - and the piccolo up in the gallery demonstrating a birdlike quality.

Several of the soloists were making their Proms debut, and all acquitted themselves brilliantly, but Carolina López Moreno gave an absolutely stellar performance as Sister Angelica. Her rendition of the famous aria “Senza mamma” was beautifully controlled, with a crystal clear quality to it - and the emotion that she imbued into the final moments, as Angelica tried to rectify her mistake, was spine-tingling. A Proms performance for the ages.

This was a truly memorable night, and another example of why the Proms are so vital. Pairing these two compositions was an inspired decision, and the London Symphony Orchestra and Antonio Pappano conspired to create a real feast for the senses.

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