91Èȱ¬

Live at the 91Èȱ¬ Proms: the 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra and 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Chorus, conducted by Sakari Oramo, in Debussy's twilight Nocturnes, and a rare chance to hear Ethel Smyth's Mass.

Presented by Petroc Trelawny, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Claude Debussy: Nocturnes

20.05
Interval: The music historian Leah Broad joins Petroc Trelawny to explore Smyth's choral writing.

20.25
Ethel Smyth: Mass in D major

Nardus Williams (soprano)
Bethan Langford (mezzo-soprano)
Robert Murray (tenor)
Božidar Smiljanić (bass-baritone)
91Èȱ¬ Symphony Chorus
91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra
Sakari Oramo (conductor)

Ethel Smyth wasn’t especially religious: the text and images of the Catholic Mass simply thrilled her. ‘What words! What words!’ she exclaimed, and her monumental Mass in D major is one of the crowning glories of the British choral tradition. Following their widely admired 2019 recording (‘fiercely committed, highly persuasive’ – 91Èȱ¬ Music Magazine) Sakari Oramo and the 91Èȱ¬ Symphony Orchestra give the first Proms performance since the composer’s own lifetime, with rising operatic star Nardus Williams heading an impressive quartet of soloists. Debussy’s Nocturnes begin the evening in a very different, but no less beautiful world – blurring the edges of sound itself to create music that seems to glow in the dark.