Royal Albert Hall, Saturday 23 July 2016

Wagner and Tippett may not seem an obvious combination but, in the event, certainly made sense. Chunks of Wagner are equally rare these days, where we have got used to whole evenings given over to complete works. There is however some mileage in whole scenes, as this was, giving us the final half of the third act of Die Walkure. I did wonder if we were going to get the whole of the opening to the act as we launched into the Ride of the Valkyries though the subtle seque into the final scene was successfully accomplished without any obvious change of gear.

Tamara Wilson had impressed last season at ENO and proved her worth here as Brunnhilde. The voice is large when it really needs to be but she showed great sensitivity to the text and the growing relationship with Wotan in the final minutes. James Creswell is a familiar Wotan, his often gravelly tones mellowing as he gives in to his daughter.

Mark Wigglesworth’s approach to the score was remarkably fleet, making the magic fire music at the end crackle with intensity. A fine reading – and it would be good to hear more Wagner from him.

Tippet’s A Child of Our Time drew on the BBC National Chorus of Wales as well as the Orchestra. Both were on fine form for a work which has constant dynamic challenges. James Creswell and Tamara Wilson returned as soloists and were joined by Peter Hoare as the Boy and Susan Bickley for the mezzo roles. Though the work has been staged, its psychological shifts seem to work better in the concert hall and the use of spirituals is particularly moving. More so than when it was first conceived, the yearning of the displaced, the pain of the stigmatised was all too uncomfortably relevant to the news today. The work seemed to draw together our own pain and sense of impotence, and set it alongside both the ancient Israelites and the slave communities of the 19^th century United States. It was very moving.