Prom 73: The Last Night, BBC SO / BBC SC / BBC Singers, Blue / Hough / Oramo

[Darkbloom]

It summed up what I was feeling . After 3.5 hours of this tediothon I watched out of habit I’m now with the forumites I took issue with at the beginning of this thread . They were right- I was wrong . The Last Night badly needs a fundamental rethink. There was too much bitty medium quality music last with the two new commissions rather weak - despite some excellent performances . Too much American music - when the two best British pieces are the Elgar Parry orchestration and the Britten National Anthem you know you have a quality problem . I’m also not a big fan of Stephen Hough’s arrangements - he has a habit of using very wide piano voicing -low bass , high treble that never sounds right to me and I don’t like his reharmonisations . Either stick with the original four chord stuff or really go for it. Phenomenal pianist obviously though and I did like that encore.

You're more familiar with the BBC than I am, but I can't understand the thinking. They are always banging on about the Proms being about more than the Last Night, but they take their major shop window (we know that far more people watch it than any other concert) and fill the whole thing with the most meretricious stuff imaginable. They have an ideal opportunity to put something substantial in the first half and completely muff it. I guess they see the figures, that more people tune in for the second half, so they turn it into one giant second half. I can only imagine how many people fell into a diabetic coma after that relentless diet of bon bons.

[Barbirollians]

Last full concerto I think was Benjamin Grosvenor - then we had instrumental soloists playing short pieces - The Lark at least twice - but this is the first time the barrel was scraped.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I liked Angel Blue’s singing a lot. Hough defended the one movement thing on Twitter back in the spring - saying that the choice of that Andsnte was his - when asked would he not rather have played the whole concerto especially with the finale that probably would have gone down a storm he did not reply .

I think she had a pretty impossible task - a lot of difficult stuff widely spaced. Vissi D’Arte without Act 1 and 2 to warm up - a lot of vibrato there I thought. The spirituals , which she usually sings magnificently, well she seemed not at ease. She absolutely stormed the Zarzuela- looking and sounding really comfortable . Then Rule Brit - too fast and just not her cup of tea.

[Ein Heldenleben]

You're more familiar with the BBC than I am, but I can't understand the thinking. They are always banging on about the Proms being about more than the Last Night, but they take their major shop window (we know that far more people watch it than any other concert) and fill the whole thing with the most meretricious stuff imaginable. They have an ideal opportunity to put something substantial in the first half and completely muff it. I guess they see the figures, that more people tune in for the second half, so they turn it into one giant second half. I can only imagine how many people fell into a diabetic coma after that relentless diet of bon bons.

They are trying to please everyone and in a fragmented culture that is well nigh impossible. At least with Mozart , Gershwin , Duke Ellington , Eric Coates they’d have quality music in range of genres but some of the stuff last night was just not up to it …

[beckus]

A curious evening. The hall was like a zoo, even in the first half and I wish somebody would take the 'character' aside who decides that poppers and screaming balloons are appropriate almost from the start of proceedings. Some other lunatic felt the need to clap first even before the conductor had dropped their hands. What is it with such people?

Sat in the rear stalls, I was only too aware that most of the box fraternity were not regular concert goers. Incessant chatter throughout the music and bottles being noisily removed from ice buckets even during quiet orchestral moments marred the first half. Incredibly, a lady in front of me got 20 seconds into Portsmouth Point before removing her phone from her handbag and scrolling through WhatsApp messages.

The programming of the first half was just - well - strange. The gaps between the items was interminable, although no doubt this was to accommodate the whitterings of the TV broadcast. Whoever thought it was sensible to programme last a piano concerto movement as the last item of the first half needs their professional credentials examining. The changeover lasted forever and a reasonable chunk of audience retired to the loos and bars thinking that the first half had ended. Embarrassing for all concerned!

I'm afraid I don't agree that a ten minute concerto movement then 'deserves' an encore (however wonderful it was), given that the first half was already 90 minutes long!

Second half was better from my point of view actually. The clinkers behind me must have run out of booze because there were less visits to the back of the box. The theatrics of some of the musical items was relatively engaging and of course we got to sing out loud and proud and battle the organ for supremacy.

If reading this you conclude I am a grumpy old man who should consider himself lucky that he got tickets in the ballot, then you have a point.

For those of you who consider the penultimate night of the Proms the true last night, I have a lot of sympathy for that point of view!!

[Ein Heldenleben]

A curious evening. The hall was like a zoo, even in the first half and I wish somebody would take the 'character' aside who decides that poppers and screaming balloons are appropriate almost from the start of proceedings. Some other lunatic felt the need to clap first even before the conductor had dropped their hands. What is it with such people?

Sat in the rear stalls, I was only too aware that most of the box fraternity were not regular concert goers. Incessant chatter throughout the music and bottles being noisily removed from ice buckets even during quiet orchestral moments marred the first half. Incredibly, a lady in front of me got 20 seconds into Portsmouth Point before removing her phone from her handbag and scrolling through WhatsApp messages.

The programming of the first half was just - well - strange. The gaps between the items was interminable, although no doubt this was to accommodate the whitterings of the TV broadcast. Whoever thought it was sensible to programme last a piano concerto movement as the last item of the first half needs their professional credentials examining. The changeover lasted forever and a reasonable chunk of audience retired to the loos and bars thinking that the first half had ended. Embarrassing for all concerned!

I'm afraid I don't agree that a ten minute concerto movement then 'deserves' an encore (however wonderful it was), given that the first half was already 90 minutes long!

Second half was better from my point of view actually. The clinkers behind me must have run out of booze because there were less visits to the back of the box. The theatrics of some of the musical items was relatively engaging and of course we got to sing out loud and proud and battle the organ for supremacy.

If reading this you conclude I am a grumpy old man who should consider himself lucky that he got tickets in the ballot, then you have a point.

For those of you who consider the penultimate night of the Proms the true last night, I have a lot of sympathy for that point of view!!

Not at all - you sat through 3,5 hours of it and deserve a glass of champers…

[Darkbloom]

The phone scrolling is becoming increasingly common. Someone pushed their way to the front for Messiah after the interval. Beer in one hand, gets bored after ten minutes and starts checking his phone. I saw someone do it during a play a few months ago too. Note they don't tell people to turn off their phones in the RAH now, merely turn them to silent. It's maddening.

[LMcD]

Yes well I take issue with everything Schaffer says about Mozart in that play. Mozart was wise , witty , charming , popular - arguably one of the greatest musicians (and dramatists ) of all time capable of an insight into human beings that ranks with Shakespeare and Verdi.

Key text Swafford The Reign Of Love - must get round to actually reading it rather tHan skimming.

Shaffer and Forman set out to create an entertaining 'fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri'. Once one takes that on board the film can be judged on its non-biographical merits. Nothing will ever diminish my admiration of Mozart's genius. Talking of which, there's a new series called 'Mozart: Rise of a Genius' starting tomorrow night on BBC2 at 9.00 p.m.

[Petrushka]

A curious evening. The hall was like a zoo, even in the first half and I wish somebody would take the 'character' aside who decides that poppers and screaming balloons are appropriate almost from the start of proceedings. Some other lunatic felt the need to clap first even before the conductor had dropped their hands. What is it with such people?

Sat in the rear9 stalls, I was only too aware that most of the box fraternity were not regular concert goers. Incessant chatter throughout the music and bottles being noisily removed from ice buckets even during quiet orchestral moments marred the first half. Incredibly, a lady in front of me got 20 seconds into Portsmouth Point before removing her phone from her handbag and scrolling through WhatsApp messages.

The programming of the first half was just - well - strange. The gaps between the items was interminable, although no doubt this was to accommodate the whitterings of the TV broadcast. Whoever thought it was sensible to programme last a piano concerto movement as the last item of the first half needs their professional credentials examining. The changeover lasted forever and a reasonable chunk of audience retired to the loos and bars thinking that the first half had ended. Embarrassing for all concerned!

I'm afraid I don't agree that a ten minute concerto movement then 'deserves' an encore (however wonderful it was), given that the first half was already 90 minutes long!

Second half was better from my point of view actually. The clinkers behind me must have run out of booze because there were less visits to the back of the box. The theatrics of some of the musical items was relatively engaging and of course we got to sing out loud and proud and battle the organ for supremacy.

If reading this you conclude I am a grumpy old man who should consider himself lucky that he got tickets in the ballot, then you have a point.

For those of you who consider the penultimate night of the Proms the true last night, I have a lot of sympathy for that point of view!!

Poppers and screaming balloons, clinking bottles and other various noises off is pretty much normal behaviour from a Last Night audience.

I'm with EH in wanting a radical rethink for the Last Night and have been saying so for several years now. I've no objection to the traditional items to conclude the evening though the Henry Wood Fantasia would be better as he wrote it or it should be ditched. I'm less sure on the form that a radical rethink should take, just that one is needed!

And, yes, the best music and performance last night was the Britten arrangement of the National Anthem!

[french frank]

Yes well I take issue with everything Schaffer says about Mozart in that play. Mozart was wise , witty , charming , popular - arguably one of the greatest musicians (and dramatists ) of all time capable of an insight into human beings that ranks with Shakespeare and Verdi.

Key text Swafford The Reign Of Love - must get round to actually reading it rather tHan skimming.

One might add that as a very young man - a boy - he was also a bit silly, but it was that Mozart that Schaffer gave us as the great composer. Mozart, even as a young man, was much more a representative of the Austrian Enlightenment - a bit boring, really, for the highly-placed organisers, programmers and managers who are today's cultural elite.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Shaffer and Forman set out to create an entertaining 'fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri'. Once one takes that on board the film can be judged on its non-biographical merits. Nothing will ever diminish my admiration of Mozart's genius. Talking of which, there's a new series called 'Mozart: Rise of a Genius' starting tomorrow night on BBC2 at 9.00 p.m.

Trouble is people have taken it as gospel truth . Overheard by me on leaving the National Theatre “until seeing that I didn’t realise the Commendatore was really Mozart’s Father. “

What a lot of sub-Freudian twaddle.

At a dinner party “ of course Mozart had Asperger’s and Tourette’s. “

Me : “ No he didn’t - there’s no evidence other than Schaffer’s mis-interpretation of his letters.The 18th century was scatalogical…

“How do you know ?”

“well I’ve read 10 biographies of him for a start “

[Serial_Apologist]

I liked Angel Blue’s singing a lot. Hough defended the one movement thing on Twitter back in the spring - saying that the choice of that Andsnte was his - when asked would he not rather have played the whole concerto especially with the finale that probably would have gone down a storm he did not reply .

Presumably he went off in a huff.

[Roslynmuse]

There are at least three standalone concertante pieces for piano and orchestra by Saint-Saens that would be more fitting to hear than one mt of the 5th concerto - Africa, Rhapsodie d'Auvergne and Wedding Cake Caprice.

[Ein Heldenleben]

There are at least three standalone concertante pieces for piano and orchestra by Saint-Saens that would be more fitting to hear than one mt of the 5th concerto - Africa, Rhapsodie d'Auvergne and Wedding Cake Caprice.

The Schoenberg piano concerto is 20 mins long .

Instead we had a great pianist commemorating (inaudibly) the giant of 20th Century music that is Henry Mancini.

I would defend the BBC in most circumstances but something is seriously wrong at R3. What is it for ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

On TV, a little bit of Nicky Spence is going a long, long way. And if any classical artist is over-exposed these days then it's Anna Lapwood.

In my view, Anna was the only one of the “Special Guests” who wasn’t an utter embarrassment, and as for Katy Derham - is she getting worse??? But I do agree about over-exposure, which is part of the BBC’s DNA: Jess Gillam, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Laura Kuenssberg, Nigel F, Chris Woodhead and many others over the years…