Spanish National Orchestra/Afkham review – Proms debut sees orchestra’s celebrations kick off early

Royal Albert Hall, London
Outgoing chief conductor David Afkham brought Spanish repertoire, castanets and a certain team’s football scarf in a programme heavy with national treasures

What a night for Spain. No, not because of sporting happenings in New Jersey, but because – nearly 90 years since their founding – their National Orchestra finally made their Proms debut under chief conductor David Afkham to a packed Royal Albert Hall. It was a beginning, but also a celebratory end: Afkham hands over the baton to Kent Nagano next season. They came prepared, suitcases stuffed with Spanish repertoire and castanets – oh, and a certain team’s football scarf, as modelled by Afkham during the encore.

Afkham’s more than a decade with the orchestra hit its heights with Spanish repertoire, building on a legacy that earned the ensemble a Latin Grammy for best flamenco album under Josep Pons in 2010. Afkham didn’t stray far from the formula here in a programme heavy with national treasures, though noticeably lacking in Spanish contemporary music.
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