Prom 59: Monday 29th August 2011 (Hooray for Hollywood)

[Chris Newman]

Echoing Ferretfancy, I thought the first half was great fun. The bits from The Student Prince, Guys and Dolls and West Side Story and the encores made up for the slide in musicality in the second half: not the performers fault though. Most modern musicals are rubbish compared with the good old Hart, Romberg and Gershwin. Wish I could have been there but I am saving my pennies for Sunday's big Beethoven and the Weber/Berlioz.

[Ferretfancy]

Just for the record, I understand that the lady who walked across the stage was in a distressed state and was taken to hospital, let's hope that she was OK.

[Ravensbourne]

Just for the record, I understand that the lady who walked across the stage was in a distressed state and was taken to hospital, let's hope that she was OK.

Tonight's Evening Standard reports that it was Jenny, 29, from Putney. It sounds like she's OK.

[Ravensbourne]

Any bets as to what pieces will be omitted from tonight's BBC Two transmission?

[Tristan Klingsor]

I thought it was Satchmo. And 9 million others.

I've always found Tovey's essay on bad 'good' music and good 'bad' music quite illuminating; using the terms loosely to speculate that there is plenty of popular music that is more successfully realised than some more 'serious' work.He was of course referring to the likes of Johann Strauss and Arthur Sullivan who would probably have been 'not quite the thing' in his day. Personally I am struck by the sheer invention, melodic richness and harmonic sophistication of the Hollywood and Broadway scores of the 'golden age' and would be delighted were they to remain an annual feature of the Proms; as Gilbert and Sullivan nights used to be...

[bluestateprommer]

Hearing it non-stop for an hour and a half (albeit with an interval) is too much of a good thing - especially when the [performances] are as shouty as they were in the concert (I only managed about 15 minutes, so there might have been more subtle perfromances at other points).

I had the "Hooray for Hollywood" Prom (made it all the way through) on as background listening while working on something else at the writing table of the moment. I agree with Flosshilde's general assessment, in that the entire concert seemed pitched at one very extrovert emotional level. This isn't to deny the great skill of the musicians and John Wilson's huge work in restoring these scores to a performable state. But even the "slower" numbers eventually built up to the same high-adrenaline climaxes that seemed to be running the whole night, at least on iPlayer. Like with any orchestral concert, one really had to be there, I suppose.

Besides seeing scattered names from the BBC SO and the Philharmonia on the John Wilson Orchestra roster, it was droll to see present and past members of the Belcea Quartet among the names. Evidently Andrew Haverson and John Wilson are old school friends, hence the connection and appearance here.

[hmvman]

I've just watched this concert via the iplayer. I wouldn't normally have gone for this concert but I downloaded it for my 84 year-old mum who'd asked me to record it. We sat together watching it and she so enjoyed it, often singing along to some of the tunes. I enjoyed the orchestrations and orchestral sound (I'm a great admirer of John Wilson's work).

It'll be a cherished memory for me of a lovely Sunday afternoon.

[barber olly]

This orchestra and its soloists represent the acceptable face of crossover at the Proms. This and the BBCBB Kenton tribute have been up there with the besrt at this year's proms.