Rachmaninov and Copland

Live at the BBC Proms: The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Joshua Weilerstein and clarinet player Martin Fröst play Rachmaninov, Copland, Artie Shaw and Elsa Barraine.

Presented by Katie Derham, live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Elsa Barraine: Symphony No. 2
Aaron Copland: Clarinet Concerto
Artie Shaw: Clarinet Concerto

c.7.15pm
Interval: The writer Leah Broad transports Katie Derham from the Royal Albert Hall to the thrum of urban America, talking about the jazz scene, and discussing the rich contribution that European composers like Rachmaninov made to the American musical scene.

c.7.35pm
Sergey Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances

Martin Fröst, clarinet
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Joshua Weilerstein, conductor

The thrum of urban America – jazz clubs and bustling sidewalks, pulsing Latin rhythms and night-time lights – runs through this Prom given by Joshua Weilerstein and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Rachmaninov’s enigmatic final masterpiece, the Symphonic Dances, blends Russian soul with bold colours from the composer’s adopted homeland. Copland’s Clarinet Concerto draws on the virtuoso skills of jazz legend Benny Goodman, while bandleader Artie Shaw wrote his Clarinet Concerto for his own considerable skills as a player. Elsa Barraine’s tautly lyrical Symphony No. 2 opens the programme.