Maria Dueñas has been creating quite a buzz. Barely 20, the Spanish violinist and BBC Radio 3 New Generation artist signed to Deutsche Grammophon last year and, what’s more, she composes. This Spanish themed concert with the BBC Symphony Orchestra marked her Proms debut and she didn’t disappoint.
Despite only one composer from Spain featuring on the programme – two if you count Ravel, an honorary Basque – the idiomatic baton of Spanish maestro Josep Pons conjured an air of authenticity. His opening gambit, the brooding Interlude and sizzling Dance from Manuel de Falla’s unfairly neglected opera La vida breve, displayed an instinct for subtle grace and building dramatic tension.
