Highlights so far

[EdgeleyRob]

Has anyone got any thoughts on highlights of the Proms so far.Obviously this will more than likely change as the season progresses.

Maybe limiting it to a top 3 mine would be -

Brian / Gothic Symphony
Janacek / Glagolitic Mass
Elgar / Violin Concerto

[Thespian]

The Rite of Spring and the Elgar Violin concerto

[Anna]

Well, I find it impossible to listen to every Prom, but so far

Prom 6: Brahms and Stravinsky: Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Myung-Whun Chung. The Capuchon Bros in the Brahms Double Conc were (to me) amazing and the Rite was one of the best I've heard.

Friday's televised Mahler 2 obviously - followed by Nigel Kennedy!

[makropulos]

Has anyone got any thoughts on highlights of the Proms so far.Obviously this will more than likely change as the season progresses.

Maybe limiting it to a top 3 mine would be -

Brian / Gothic Symphony
Janacek / Glagolitic Mass
Elgar / Violin Concerto

Glagolitic Mass - yes, above all because it gave us a chance to hear a new version of Janacek's original thoughts - so that was fascinating.
Romeo & Juliet as played by the NYO last night - I found it extraordinarily moving (and the Britten was wonderful too).
Mahler 2 - reservations aside, it was extraordinary.
Verdi Requiem conducted by Bychkov.

[amac4165]

Orchestral top 3 and no particular order

LSO - Gergiev (Prokofiev & Dutilleux)
Royal Stockholm (Sibelius Grieg & Nielsen)
Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester


Choral
William Tell - Pappano & St Cecilia Rome
BBCP Noseda Rachmaninov (The bells etc)
BBCSO Britten concert


most disappointing concerts
Mahler 2 Simon Bolivar ( over hyped rubbish)
Verdi Requiem ( look good on paper - sadly wasn't performed on paper)

noble failure
Gothic No1 (well i have seen it - at that is something to tell the grandchildren)

[kcostell]

My own highlights so far (I'm close to a week behind on iPlayer by now) include:

-Sally Beamish's / "Reed Stanzas" (PCM 2)
-Alexander Nevsky (Prom 21)
-The late night Steve Reich prom (Prom 36)
-The Shostakovich Violin Concerto (Prom 44)
-The Brahms Proms with Haitink.

[BetweenTheStaves]

Top orchestral

LSO - Gergiev (Prokofiev & Dutilleux)

Top choral

Elijah


most disappointing concerts
Mahler 2 Simon Bolivar ( over hyped rubbish)
Verdi Requiem ( look good on paper - sadly wasn't performed on paper)

[PhilipT]

Best concert: Gustav Mahler Jungendorchester, especially the Tchaik 4
Proxime accessit: Elijah

Worst disappointment: Gothic Symphony, which was great for the first 15 minutes and then got unbearably tedious (not the fault of the performers, I hasten to add)

Most sorry I missed it: Steve Reich

[Chris Newman]

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER
Orchestral:
PROM 8 Dvorak/Smetana BBCSO/Belohlavek
PROM 44 Shostakovich/Stravinsky/Tchaikovsky Philharmonia Orchestra/Esa-Pekka Salonen
PROM 49 Brahms Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Ax/Haitink
PROM 54 Stravinsky/Ravel/Tchaikovsky Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester/Sir Colin Davis
PROM 56 Strauss/ Mahler BBCSO/Bychkov
PROM 60 Mozart/Bruckner Nederlands Radio Philharmonic/Jaap van Zweden

Choral
PROM 1 JanaceK Glagolitic, BBCSO/Belohlavek
PROM 13 Verdi Requiem BBCSO Bychkov
PROM 22 Rachmaninov Mariinsky Chorus, BBCPO/ Noseda
PROM 50 Britten/Matthews/MOZART Polyphony, CoLS/Layton

Opera
PROM 2 Rossini/William Tell/O & C Academia Santa Cecilia, Rome/Pappano

Biggest disappointment
PROM 32 Tchaikovsky/Swan Lake O Mariinsky Theatre/Gergiev

Overall, I think it has been a splendid Proms Season with very high standards set. At risk of confounding my assertion that these concerts are in no particular order of merit I have to say that PROM 44 with the Philharmonia must be the finest orchestral playing I have ever heard since I began listening in 1961. That includes the big name American and European orchestras. The Philharmonia did Britain proud.