Prom 67: Sunday 4th September at 7.00 p.m. (Beethoven's Missa Solemnis)

[gradus]

Point taken.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I think from the first night, the last night and on most Sundays at the Proms we have heard what gradus seems to miss.

And when exactly was the last time RW scheduled a big choral work for the last night?

Erm, I rephrase that, seeing as the answer is "never" (as Best Pair of Nylons doesn't really count as big).

When exactly was the last time anybody scheduled a big choral work for the last night?

[Chris Newman]

Ah, you half caught me out, EotS. What I meant was works involving large choruses and was thinking of the Glagolitic, this year's Sunday concerts AND the BBC Symphony Chorus who always sing on the last night. Actually, I can only think of "Belshazzar's Feast" (the one with Bryn) as a biggun on a last night. The odd Te Deum and Rio Grande hardly count.

Mind you, as an aside, I have always argued in the past that I would prefer one of the big choral blockbusters instead of the last night. Although since this season I think a concert along the lines of the Budapest Festival Orchestra's late night concert would be popular instead of the present last night rag bag (with say no more than three of the set pieces to maintain "tradition"). It would probably require the Philharmonia or BBC Concert Orchestra to cope with the sight reading: no offence to other orchestras.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I think you'd find those two as capable of many of car-crash sight-reading.

Agree though that LNOP should be a major piece rather than what we get at present. But it's ratings above all...

[Prommer]

What about something like the final duet from Siegfried, with the soloists staying on to duet Rule Britannia etc? That would be big though not choral...

[bluestateprommer]

For those interested:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGtyWzCQdCQ

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22rbOfN40dk

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmTSfK9xXAY

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kui0cVQeT_U

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pa0FUreOfI

6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Sy7aS7oEk

7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIs4IMvAUws

8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5cpJwX_XiM

9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hQ-5BwlfEU

Of course, once you've started from the 1st link, you can just follow from there and not come back to this page, but this is just an OCD moment on my part to put all the links here. The one time I've seen the work live (not this performance, obviously), the conductor had the concertmaster stand for the solo, which I thought rather distracting and unnecessary in terms of visual distraction (didn't detract from the musical merits, of course).

[Chris Newman]

So did Sir Colin, who got his leader to stand. I thought his leader, Gordan Nikolitch, was very foursquare and stiff in his violin solo, but overall the Missa last year was deeply moving.