The Proms

I really like Bryn Terfel. I come from the same part of north Wales and my parents still live there. I used to see him at Bangor train station quite often. His Faenol festival was always really good.



I'm particularly keen to see the Bach day.



Have you ever queued for day tickets? What are the chances of getting in? I really want to go to the two matinees of the Brandenburg Concertos at the Cadogan Hall, but they're sold out.
 
My mum can relate a whole load of reuses of R&H pieces like "June" where they had a top-heavy member of her local operatic society... apparently when this lady was pregnant - this number from Carousel was used...
 
It's one night we're allowed to be proud to be British (though personally I'm also proud to be European).

If foreigners find it offensive, they can always watch something else. Besides we're just celebrating Britishness, it's not like they're going to be burning Korans at the end.
 
Wow, the audience in the arena look unbelievably close to him. (although this could be the camera angle) Nowadays I don't think they'd have a pianist surrounded by Prommers, who in any case conjure up an 'invisible line' to ensure people don't go up to the front of the enclosure.

There'll be Lizst's 1st piano concerto on the Proms radio broadcast which starts shortly. It's a re-creation of a 1962 prom complete with the new work they launched that year, the intriguingly named 'la navette' which means bus I think in French.

There'll be the Britten/Shostakovich Prom from earlier in the week on BBC4 at 7:30 but while it was atmospheric it didn't do much for me and the new work sounded like cats being skinned.
 
Terrible camera work by the BBC tonight on the BBC2 show. Usually I listen to the Proms on the radio, but as I was home this evening, I decided to watch and was disappointed by the camera work particularly during the Rachmaninov when the only close-ups of the soloist's hanRAB were during the quieter passages for the piano. When the piano part reached the most challenging sections, the camera showed either his face or the rest of the orchestra. In the symphony the camera also failed to focus on the woodwind and brass soloists in their key moments, which is surely the only way in which a TV performance can be better than a radio one?

It reminded me of watching Strictly Come Dancing when the camera often shows the dancers' faces instead of their feet. Infuriating and surely unnecessary.

However, it was still a wonderful performance by RLPO and the soloist, bravo! :)


xx
 
I'd forgotten how nice the Scheherazade sounded. And there was a beautiful solo piano encore after the Lizst. I hope this concert gets shown on TV at a future date.
 
I've tried listening to "Fantastique' a number of times, but musically it doesn't move me. So I don't think it is fantastic.It always seems all over the place, a bit like Pictures At An Exhibition, by Mussorsky, except that isn't considered to be a symphony, but more a series of musical sketches so that has an excuse... But I do like his Christmas carol A Shepherd's Farewello. That is gorgeous.
 
Make sure you listen/watch tonight at 9pm BBC2: Simon Rattle and the BPO, which is fair enough, but one of the works being performed is Strauss's glorious, impossibly beautiful Four Last Songs, IMHO the most sheerly beautiful music ever written. You can probably turn off for the Berg and Webern after the interval but the Four Last Songs are an absolute must.
:)
 
Yes they still do, for soloists like that, I went to one I think the year before last that had a small stage right in the middle of everyone, where the pond usually is.

I am sure I went to a late night prom within the last five years or so that had a jazz band on a small central stage rather than the main orchestra stage as well.
 
Ive been several times since the 60s Elanor. I had the pleasure of hearing and seeing some fabulous and world class musicians. The atmosphere is always electric. You must go next year, pick your concert carefully. A big choral work is always brill for your first time. Anyway, enjoy this season.:)
 
Back
Top