What is your verdict on this year's Proms?

[Serial_Apologist]

I can't even remember what I had for my lunch, yesterday, Ferret!

[Ventilhorn]

Feel very out-of-place among all these chummy old gentlemen... think I'll try getting into chick-lit. Clothes! Fashion! Unless I'm living it already. But don't we all share a love of classical music? No? Oh... bye then. For now.

We "chummy old gentlemen" have heard more, seen more and played more than most; to add to our collection of memories.

More of value to our fellow message boarders, I think, than bragging about our collection of equipment.

I suggest that if, as a comparative newcomer to these boards, you show a little more humility, you might learn something to add to your own awareness of what is the vast landscape of musical knowledge and experience.

Ventilhorn

[Chris Newman]

Jayne,
As one of your "Chubby old gentlemen" (in my dreams!) please do not take offence. We just like to converse and three of us had not done so nor pulled each other's legs since November last year when the Beeb flushed us down the pan and No 3 suddenly popped back up on the boards yesterday. It just occurred in the middle of our (your's and mine) discussion and must have appeared as a snub: the last thing intended. Actually one of the three is a lady/woman (note: I have to be careful, PC even) but I can imagine her chuckling. So stay with us and do not take the banter to heart. We all love music: that is what counts.
Chris.

[pilamenon]

We "chummy old gentlemen" have heard more, seen more and played more than most; to add to our collection of memories.

More of value to our fellow message boarders, I think, than bragging about our collection of equipment.

I suggest that if, as a comparative newcomer to these boards, you show a little more humility, you might learn something to add to your own awareness of what is the vast landscape of musical knowledge and experience.

Ventilhorn

What an unnecessarily unpleasant, and highly patronising, message, VH.
A total over-reaction to Jayne's message in my view.

[salymap]

It seemed to me that the patronising came from the rather cavatina like 'jayne'. Who is she to try and censor other's posts?

[mercia]

oh dear, I wish I hadn't introduced the word patronising to the messageboards a few days ago. Now everybody's using it. :dove-of-peace:

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Jayne, me old chum,

We seem to have started on an uneccesarily beligerent tone: I do apologize for my "pall-ly" greetings to much-missed friends; do you mind if we try again?

I notice you included the Birtwistle Violin Concerto amongst your own list of "highlights": this was one of mine, too; in fact the work I was most looking forward to in the entire season. I loved the way HB wrote so idiomatically for the Violin without compromising his unique voice, and the way the work teetered between gentle lament and aggressive rhythmic propulsion - often simultaneously (those long searing melodies "accompanied" by shards of flinty dissonances familiar in his works from Earth Dances onward). Tremendous stuff!

And did you hear the Music Matters special from the Boston premiere of the work. Tom Service at his finest, that "enthusiastic schoolboy" mask combined with relentless probing of HB's responses ("Yes, but what exactly does that mean?") and offering his own ideas leading to the ultimate accolade from HB; "You should be a composer." I could hear Service's face go red!

Best Wishes.

[BillyR]

THE BLOODY AWFUL RADIO SOUND

If you think the sound you get in the UK is "bloody awful," "You ain't heard nuthin'" like the sound at 48 kbps that people in the rest of the world get. That's why I've stopped listening and won't resume until I can get a listenable stream, not necessarily 320 kbps but at least 128. Many of us who live abroad have been pressing for a fee-based subscription scheme whereby we could pay for a good stream, but so far to no effect.

[johnb]

.... However, I also get annoyed with the geeks in the caravans who love their sliders. Listen to the beginning of this from last Friday's Der Freischutz.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/showcase/collections/p00b9xn8#/clips/p00kdhbs/in/collection/p00b9xn8

The engineer (presumably reading the score) becomes aware that there will be some gun shooting going on. What does he do? He/she damp down the entire thing. The volume of the chorus, orchestra, sound effects, Uncle Tom Cobley and all slide up and down. That happened on HD and the iPlayer. I am puzzled. We both seem to agree it goes on but you keep shooting me down for mentioning it. As far as I am concerned the mess is very typical of most Prom broadcasts this year....

I was curious so I listened to the start of that clip and then went to the full recording of the Prom. Please forgive me if I am wrong but I can't hear the damping down at the start of Act I that you refer to. Perhaps my hearing isn't as acute as yours but the start of Act I is marked as a gradual crescendo from pp to ff (though not using as large forces as the closing bars of the overture). The HD sound seems to reflect that.

As far as the gun shots are concerned I would have thought that such things are impossible to 'control' and the engineers might well have relied on the soft limiting that, I assume, automatically happens in any case.

[jayne lee wilson]

Didn't want to say more, won't say much now but - thankyou, fhg, pilamenon, Chris, and S-A, for your friendly response. It means a lot.
johnb - keep up the close listening. I certainly will.

As the former Governor of California once said, "I'll be back".

[johnb]

"I'll be back".

I hope so! I've enjoyed your contributions to the forum.

By the way - I exempt myself from the "chummy old gentleman" label - I'm much more of a curmudgeonly old fart.

Best wishes

J

[salymap]

Jayne, good morning, I bear nobody any illwill and am sure your contributions are as welcome as anyone's.

Perhaps as a newcomer you don't realise that,although we try to stay on topic, two or three conversations usually go on simultaneously on any popular thread. I hav e many times been ignored or passed over for the main subject of the thread but usually get back in there later. No-one meant to upset you but you did rather spoil a touching reunion with FHG. As the chummy old woman/lady that dear Chris referred to, I can assure you that music means as much to me as anyone, having spent my life working in the music world.
Please relax, we all need these MBs and speaking for myself it is my link with a past life. Okay?

[Flosshilde]

We "chummy old gentlemen" have heard more, seen more and played more than most; to add to our collection of memories.

More of value to our fellow message boarders, I think, than bragging about our collection of equipment.

I suggest that if, as a comparative newcomer to these boards, you show a little more humility, you might learn something to add to your own awareness of what is the vast landscape of musical knowledge and experience.

Ventilhorn

WEll, I've never bragged about my equipment - I'm too much of a gentleman.

I don't see why newcomers should 'show humility', unless it's to bolster the egos of some of the rather more pompous members. Who knows, a necomer to the board could be one of the most distinguished performers - even more distinguished than Ventilhorn.

[Badger]

Badger

I found them generally distinctly lack-lustre, apart from a light music evening and a hollywood evening, which went off after a very few minutes.

They do seem to be losing their way...

I really do believe the message given to Roger Wright by the BBC for 2008 onwards must have been to widen the appeal of the Proms to more people. Hence for purists and traditionalists a proportion of what is now really an 'arts festival' including poetry, light music, even turntable 'scratching' with orchestra and comedy/fringe performers, with the big screen and live simultaneous Last Nights around the UK, is bound to disappoint and appear to lower standards.

[salymap]

I really do believe the message given to Roger Wright by the BBC for 2008 onwards must have been to widen the appeal of the Proms to more people. Hence for purists and traditionalists a proportion of what is now really an 'arts festival' including poetry, light music, even turntable 'scratching' with orchestra and comedy/fringe performers, with the big screen and live simultaneous Last Nights around the UK, is bound to disappoint and appear to lower standards.

Very true Badger. Nothing to be done now it's here I suppose. Welcome, by the way