BBC Proms 2026: Turnage, Britten and Sibelius with Guy Johnston and Sakari Oramo

Last night’s concert at the Proms was varied both in its programming and its effect. A line-up including composer Mark-Anthony Turnage’s orchestral suite drawn from his opera Festen, Britten’s Cello Symphony and Sibelius’s second symphony brought a range of colour and style, as well as some inconsistency in commitment and execution.

The evening started with the UK premiere from Turnage of a series of vignettes from the composer’s disturbing psychological drama, Festen. Though off to a rhythmically uncertain start with some initial balance issues (the not-inconsiderable stringed forces totally outdone by the yet heftier brass), the overall result was evocative, evidencing Turnage’s signature jazz inflections. Almost Holstian sustained chromaticism contrasted with slippery Latin rhythms, lyrical dialogues and dissonant big band. A sense of perfunctoriness in conductor Sakari Oramo’s interpretation nonetheless yielded highlights including undulating clarinet and saxophone melodies from the opera’s second act and a gorgeously mellifluous cello ensemble passage. An eerie, percussive conga, an overt jazz section with aggressive brass licks and later overlapping double bass, bass clarinet and horn compounded to create the deep sense of unease that characterises the opera.

Next was Britten’s knotty Cello Symphony, headlined by British cellist Guy Johnston. Oramo’s leadership felt once again lacking in energy in the opening movement, but things got moving in the menacing Presto Inquieto. Johnston was masterful throughout, performing both beautiful phrasing and bristling technique. The cello-timpani dialogue at the start of the Adagio was majestic, with an intimate cadenza into the final movement, which eventually resolved the pervasive tension and brought a sense of quietly triumphant relief. An easily merited encore followed from Johnston: the Passacaglia from Britten’s third cello suite, which held the audience absolutely rapt. 

After the interval, Oramo came into his own with Finnish compatriot Sibelius’s Symphony No 2. The strings effected soaring richness all the way through, and attention must be paid to the timpani heroics from Antoine Bedewi. Oramo’s second movement once again wanted for a sense of urgency (not speed!), though the accelerando was exceptionally well executed. Following it, the Vivacissimo finally brought the animation that had been missing, complemented by tight dynamic contrasts. The ensuing Lento e Soave had a lovely keening quality, particularly in principal oboist Tom Blomfield’s playing. To close, the last movement brought a well-earned pay-off with its famous grand theme, allowing the brass to shine in a glorious finale that elicited raptures from the crowds in the Royal Albert Hall.

Alexandra Fletcher
Image: Mark Allan

The BBC Proms 2026 are on from 17^th July until 12^th September 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall. For further information and future events, visit the BBC Proms website here.