Friday 9 August was an evening of celebration, as young conductor Chloe Rooke made her BBC Proms debut leading London Sinfonietta and members of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in a performance of Heiner Goebbels' Songs of Wars I Have Seen at the BBC Proms.
Designed to place the female musicians at the forefront of the audience's mind through staging and the addition of spoken excerpts of Gertrude Stein's Wars I Have Seen. The work still proves to be harrowing, poignant and consoling all at once. Seventeen years after its world premiere performance the visions of life during war have scarcely been more relevant.
The staging of the piece, creates an important visual element to Goebbels' work. Having the male musicians at the back in black hidden in the shadows whilst the female musicians are the focus, it highlights the separation of roles and the continuation of domestic life during World War II.
Using this unique staging set up, Goebbels' wanted to evoke the perception of a quiet reading hour. The late night Prom creating the perfect mood as it is normally a time when you pick up a book.
"Now we are confronted with wars which come closer and closer and which also probably enable us to imagine more what it means. But I didn't want to imitate that. I just want the audience to be inspired to work with their own imagination," Goebbels said.
The effect of war on women. The Late Prom is ‘Songs of Wars I have Seen’ by Heiner Goebbels, wartime diaries of Gertrude Stein read by players from @theoae with @Ldn_Sinfonietta in a 1940s living room conducted by Chloe Rooke. Ingenious, quietly devastating, live 2230 @BBCRadio3 pic.twitter.com/eYHHEMkKDP
— Andrew McGregor (@andrewCDmcg) August 9, 2024
It always feels special to be back at the @bbcproms @RoyalAlbertHall, but last night's haunting performance of Heiner Goebbels 'Songs of Wars I Have Seen' was something else. A moving and unforgettable start to this year's proms season @Ldn_Sinfonietta @theoae @conductingchloe pic.twitter.com/ecNVhtlG3W
— Emily Hazrati (@Hazrati_Emily98) August 10, 2024
Gallery 1, photo credit: Monika Jakubowska
Gallery 2, photo credit: Mark Allan
Published: 12 Aug 2024
