Sinfonia of London and Wilson stun with five-star Prom
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- John Wilson conducted the Sinfonia of London at the Proms in a programme of "Technicolor masterpieces" that earned a five-star rating — featuring no actual film scores despite Wilson's legendary association with the MGM golden age.
- The Sinfonia of London was hailed as "one of the finest orchestras on the planet," praised for its full-fat sound, soloistic individual playing within a unified blend, parade-ground discipline and visible delight while playing.
- Wilson's signature skill, per the review, is drawing out tiny details that "really mean something" — exemplified by the "beautifully articulated rustle of strings" underpinning the clarinet melody in the Verdi La Forza del Destino overture.
- Principal cellist Jonathan Aasgaard gave a "generous-toned, articulate and technically immaculate" performance as soloist in Walton's Cello Concerto, described as "a golden Mediterranean canvas undercut with sinister ticks and jittery cross-rhythms."
- The second half was devoted to Respighi's Roman Trilogy, with Wilson shaping the Royal Albert Hall acoustic to depict the Circus Maximus, Neptune at the Trevi Fountain, and a recorded nightingale on the Janiculum hill.
- During the Roman army procession in Pines of Rome, brass bands ricocheted across the Royal Albert Hall balcony and the audience rose as one; a Rossini William Tell overture encore closed the evening.
Why it matters: This is yet another five-star Prom for Wilson's hand-picked Sinfonia of London, reinforcing their standing as one of the world's elite orchestral ensembles after a string of acclaimed appearances. The Respighi Roman Trilogy showed how Wilson exploits the Royal Albert Hall's acoustic — brass bands physically placed in the balcony, a recorded nightingale — turning a standard concert into a spatial event.
