Prom 4: MacMillan/Mahler, Hallé/Hallé Choir & Youth Choir & Children’s Choir, Elder

[LMcD]

Presenters in quite a lot of factual programming going out of fashion - largely to save money. You’re right they are trying to goad us into an enthusiasm we don’t necessarily share . Richard Bakers old school presentation might be a tad sombre but it’s literate , well observed and he’s actually commenting on what he sees. So he’s either looking at a monitor and improvising or , more likely, he’s prewritten a script and the OB team have lined the shots up, What he’s not doing is wittering -he does a scene set , a bit of a side tangent on the roof mushrooms , a few pithy remarks about the promenaders , intro the leader , Andrew D and off we go…a consummate pro .

The prommers don’t join in with the A any more - nor are there any witty exchanges between arena and gallery.
i remember the Arena in days of yore being a bit of a riot. .

(If I may add a little story from the late 1960s about about the fountain. It was still playing when the orchestra was clearly ready to start the 2nd half of the programme, so a few of us in the Arena turned and 'shushed' it very loudly, I'm pleased to report that it stopped immediately).

[eighthobstruction]

....watching the 92 Last Night I was amazed by the prommers around the fringes....From the look of their ;dress, dress sense (since then C&A has gone into recievership), age, demeanour, class stereotyping, blaa blaa they looked more like a group of people from the 60'/70's. They did not look like people I was mixing with in 1992 (ordinary fine people of course).. So, I'm trying to see if there has been a shift; is the 2024 audience the 2024 audience or are they from 2004 - beyond that even, will the 2044 audience give hoot or will all their attention be on not tripping over zimmer frames....

[Ein Heldenleben]

....watching the 92 Last Night I was amazed by the prommers around the fringes....From the look of their ;dress, dress sense (since then C&A has gone into recievership), age, demeanour, class stereotyping, blaa blaa they looked more like a group of people from the 60'/70's. They did not look like people I was mixing with in 1992 (ordinary fine people of course).. So, I'm trying to see if there has been a shift; is the 2024 audience the 2024 audience or are they from 2004 - beyond that even, will the 2044 audience give hoot or will all their attention be on not tripping over zimmer frames....

Thing is the for the last night the arena deliberately dress up - so don’t read too much into the suits , pearls, make up etc

but seriously wasn’t every one thin !

[Ein Heldenleben]

(If I may add a little story from the late 1960s about about the fountain. It was still playing when the orchestra was clearly ready to start the 2nd half of the programme, so a few of us in the Arena turned and 'shushed' it very loudly, I'm pleased to report that it stopped immediately).

Used to be a fountain in the middle of Television Centre that most of the offices overlooked . They had to switch it off because in executives of a certain age it induced a constant need to use the loo.

[vinteuil]

Used to be a fountain in the middle of Television Centre that most of the offices overlooked . They had to switch it off because in executives of a certain age it induced a constant need to use the loo.

... it's still there (I walk past it several times a week)

https://www.fountains.co.uk/project/helios-fountain-television-centre

.

[Ein Heldenleben]

... it's still there (I walk past it several times a week)

https://www.fountains.co.uk/project/helios-fountain-television-centre

.

Can’t go past it on the H and C line without a pang, The best designed TV studio complex in the world paid for by licence fee payers and sold to the highest bidder . The New BH is an awful place to work - not enough desks for a start and poxy studios .
Thankfully some excellent boozers unlike Shepherd’s Bush . I would say I had a lot of fun there but being Network TV it was constant stress and 14 hour days. .

[Darkbloom]

Mind you the amount of alcohol consumed in the Arena has shot up…

I noticed that too. Although in both Proms I've attended there has been no inter-movement clapping or signs of inattention. It's a trend that's happened post-Covid, I think, and it's very noticeable in theatres.

[Darkbloom]

The last banter between Arena and Gallery I can recall must have been 20 years ago and went something like this.

Arena (to Gallery): 'Let's play a game. Ping!'
Gallery: 'Pong!'
Arena: 'Why do you always pong?'

[oliver sudden]

My second thoughts aligned more with you and Dryden in terms of metrical patterns. Then, like Humpty Dumpty I had a fall and... you know the rest.
Full marks to Oliver and nul points to Ed

Marks not required and it would have been an entirely valid choice to go for the extra syllables for comprehension, especially in a choral setting! I was only curious.

[burning dog]

I have just listened to the Mahler and think it was superb.

[LMcD]

Yes, I did see that, muscular at times

I've been trying to find the word that best describes her playing in the outer movements in particular, but now my search is over - thank you!

[Pulcinella]

I'm not sure that bsp's link is a shareable one, but this should be:

https://www.thetimes.com/article/e5a5370b-9a49-47d0-a3ad-1295644efb76?shareToken=a8d541bcfb2baa72628d8bd8e3f5b3ac

[smittims]

I don;t know if it was mentioned but Mark Elder's connection with Manchester went long before his Halle appointment . In 1977 for instance I saw him conduct a splendid Salome at the Palace Theatre , with Josephine Barstow one of the few Salomes who looked as well as sang the part .

[gradus]

I caught only the Mahler 5 and was mightily impressed with the playing of the Halle especially in the Scherzo, the RAH is absolutely perfect for this piece. For me up there with the great Abado/Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester Proms performance as the best I've heard from the Proms.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I caught only the Mahler 5 and was mightily impressed with the playing of the Halle especially in the Scherzo, the RAH is absolutely perfect for this piece. For me up there with the great Abado/Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester Proms performance as the best I've heard from the Proms.

It seemed very carefully prepared this performance - so many subtleties in the orchestral textures . The Hallé have set a standard in this major symphonic work that the rest of the season might well not surpass and there are some illustrious names coming up. It wasn’t about orchestral sheen or superficial virtuosity but something a lot deeper than that - esp the strings.