Last Night 1992

[Nick Armstrong]

The broadcast of this archive recording on BBCFour

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0021d9y/bbc-proms-1992-last-night-of-the-proms

following the Hallé prom seemed to me worthy of its own thread - it was discussed in passing in the thread about Sunday’s concert…

Fabulous performance of Shostakovich PC 2 with Tatiana Nikolayeva closed that broadcast

I absolutely agree! What a performance - marvellous to hear and see (which I didn’t at the time)

Fun to see her react to some Russian banter from the hall just before, too.

Well worth a watch before it expires in a month’s time.

(In addition, there was the ‘time-warp’ interest of seeing Richard Baker doing his avuncular thing…)

[Nick Armstrong]

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!

Yes, perfect word for it - more heft than usual, and it worked!

[LMcD]

Yes, perfect word for it - more heft than usual, and it worked!

I wasn't sure whether eighthobstruction was expressing approval or disapproval ...
I spotted the name George Mcilwham in the final credits - a reminder that the 1992 Last Night also included the Proms premiere of PMD's Orkney Wedding With Sunrise.

[smittims]

I've saved this splendid concert. Who says there was no 'golden age'?

Looking at the other Proms available on BBC4 iPlayer, I was disappointed to see how few of them are regular classical concerts. From the BBC's current attitude one might suppose that there was something wrong with just listening to a piece of music from beginning to end. I expect a lot of young poeple are growing up without this being suggested to them .

[Petrushka]

As mentioned on the Halle thread, I was in the audience for this Last Night. These were indeed the golden years of the Proms and the Last Nights of the era attracted artists of the highest renown in what was a proper concert before the usual high jinks.

Richard Baker was the ideal person to introduce the Proms. No embarrassing giggling schoolgirl nonsense in those days! He gave the facts, in a non patronising way and that's all that's needed. It wasn't about him, it was about the music and those who present today could learn how it's done to their own, and our, benefit. I met him and Sir Andrew Davis after the 1991 Last Night (also Gwyneth Jones) and that's one that really does deserve a repeat.

[parkepr]

Was it the '91 Last Night, that had Dame Gwyneth with a shield with the words printed on the reverse?

[LMcD]

Was it the '91 Last Night, that had Dame Gwyneth with a shield with the words printed on the reverse?

(61 minutes in on YouTube)

[Nick Armstrong]

I wasn't sure whether eighthobstruction was expressing approval or disapproval ...
I spotted the name George Mcilwham in the final credits - a reminder that the 1992 Last Night also included the Proms premiere of PMD's Orkney Wedding With Sunrise.

Yes, this recording seems to be the ‘BBC2 serious first half’ bit - iirc you used to switch to BBC1 for the ‘more popular’ second half, no sign of that having survived on iPlayer

(I assumed “muscular” was a from 8tho….)

PS I looked up the date of the LNOTP - 12 September 1992 - and realised why I missed it back then: I was in French Polynesia at the time

[Serial_Apologist]

Was it the '91 Last Night, that had Dame Gwyneth with a shield with the words printed on the reverse'

"Rude Britannia?"

[eighthobstruction]

:

(I assumed “muscular” was a from 8tho….)

:

Oh yes definitely loved it....and more crudely - if she could have carried the piano on her back to get it there , she would have....even Richard Baker said something about Mother Russia (I turned to my dog and said "I bet them hands have rung a few chickens necks")....given her age she would have been 17-18 during the war....she died the year after this Proms in 93 ( a short Wiki entry supplies interesting facts , which I will not spoil for those who search)....my thing is at the start of the piece there are a couple of bars that are plonking (no other word for it) of a similar cadence to that of that great maestro'isma when playing Rachmaninoff Mr Eric Morecombe....Tatiana was a perfectly excellent choice for this piece [1957] made it look robust , delivered it with delicacy (towards the 2/3 movements) _ surely she must of had some nerves at the occasion and RAH....(if for no other reason than that she perhaps knew she perhaps looked a comedy character to some in the audience....I myself would certainly has offered a "my goodness" on her entry)....

[Nick Armstrong]

Oh yes definitely loved it....and more crudely - if she could have carried the piano on her back to get it there , she would have....even Richard Baker said something about Mother Russia (I turned to my dog and said "I bet them hands have rung a few chickens necks")....given her age she would have been 17-18 during the war....she died the year after this Proms in 93 ( a short Wiki entry supplies interesting facts , which I will not spoil for those who search)....my thing is at the start of the piece there are a couple of bars that are plonking (no other word for it) of a similar cadence to that of that great maestro'isma when playing Rachmaninoff Mr Eric Morecombe....Tatiana was a perfectly excellent choice for this piece [1957] made it look robust , delivered it with delicacy (towards the 2/3 movements) _ surely she must of had some nerves at the occasion and RAH....(if for no other reason than that she perhaps knew she perhaps looked a comedy character to some in the audience....I myself would certainly has offered a "my goodness" on her entry)....

Brilliant, 8tho! (esp. the “chickens necks” reference )

[Barbirollians]

The days of a whole concerto on the last night - and this year Mr Classic FM gives us one movement .