The Proms

Apart from the 9th symphony, I would agree with you. The violin concerto and the 4th piano concerto are both absolute masterpieces. I think the 'Eroica' symphony is very over-rated actually.
 
Hey, you know that English National Opera performed on Glastonbury Festival's main Pyramid stage with full orchestra in 2004, right? And the National Youth Orchestra did as well, about three years ago I think :D

I was there for both of them. Diversity and crossover is where it's at.
 
No, let's keep classical music where it belongs, only in the opera houses and only available to those who know everything about symphonic harmonies and contextual orchestrations and can understand the composer's underlying metaphoric message of the compositions and all that. Leave all the popular stuff for the plebs in the fielRAB!
 
But WHY? You said earlier that us plebs are free to go and see Proms if we want to - but now you're complaining because we're not enjoying the same Prom as you? Surely a major music festival has space for a wide range of styles, and it is by getting people interested via one sort of Prom that they may listen to something that is new to them? It is extremely disheartening and off putting to a new listener who enjoys something for perhaps the first time, to then be told that it was rubbish and stupid, and imply that they must be stupid for enjoying it. Yes, you know more about classical music than us, well done.
 
The plebs are welcome at the Proms! That's the whole point of it. If the plebs want to go to Glastonbury then fine but they can also go to the Proms! They know where it is.
 
The conductor's broken English is cracking me up. He's sort of funny and def. better than Slatkin but it does make me pine a little for Andrew Davis
 
I love all his symphonies - especially the 7th symphony - which is wonderful.

And I agree - the violin concerto is fantastic. I adore it. A great shame that it was poorly received at the first performance and he never got to know how popular it would become.
 
Not speaking for KM but its is sort of a sad reflection on the popularity of classical music that it is its poor cousin that gets the crowRAB.

And re Jamie Cullum I think it is right to ask how far you go with diversity. In Holland they have Shaggy rapping over Chopin!
 
Not that I noticed to be honest, but I wasn't really watching or listening that closely. I had it on in the background all evening, and while I don't like Wagner and wasn't following the story, I enjoyed the music. I particularly liked how expressive Bryn Terfel was, and I liked the blonde woman.

What did make me smile was Stephen Fry's bits in between - he totally reminded me of his mickey-taking radio 3-style bits on Saturday Night Fry all those years ago!
 
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