A wild night opened the 123rd season of the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts – The Proms – with the host BBC Symphony Orchestra’s performance of the short, fresh, invigorating world premiere of St John’s Dance by 29-year-old British composer Tom Coult. The piece starts with a stutter in the strings then flings lightly at manic, constantly changing speeds and rhythms like one inflicted by the compulsive twitching syndrome believed in medieval times to have been sent as a curse by St Vitus or The Baptist.
19 July 2017, The Tablet
Lord of the Dance: mind games on the first night
MUSIC
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login