The 2012 Proms season

[David Underdown]

It appears to be pure unadulterated Wood. Whether Rule Britannia actually gets left that way we'll see (though with Calleja as soloist, it may do). Already people moaning that it's not listed, not realising it's the end of the Sea Songs...

[MrGongGong]

It appears to be pure unadulterated Wood. .

Plenty of opportunity for the dicks to do the old "heave ho" nonsense then

[grandchant]

Absolutely excellent; the first season I've felt enthusiastic about since 2003 with a great mix of the familiar with the 'unfamiliar but promising' to broaden horizons. Concerts and performers truly of festival class. I'll be listening to every performance (except the jazz). Despite my loyalty to Barenboim and his band, I think Boulez should have been given the ninth to present the whole cycle himself.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

No thank you..we have had quite enough of Schubert to last us well into 2017.

Have "we"? Are "we" also boycotting Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, and Mozart?

[aeolium]

There seems to be a belated reaction against the 2009 anniversary composers - no Purcell, 1 Haydn symphony, 1 Mendelssohn concert, 1 major Handel concert (and a popular evening one). Still, I suppose they do get quite a lot of coverage elsewhere in the year and I'm definitely looking forward to the Judas Maccabeus (I have the wonderful Mackerras recording of that). As with Guillaume Tell last year, there's a very ambitious opera production with The Trojans which I'll definitely tune in for.

[Brixton Dave]

Why no Coleridge-Taylor???
With the BBC being so "inclusive" and all that I am shocked at this omission. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, mixed-race contemporary of Elgar - and appreciated by Americans when they hadn't even heard of Scott Joplin.
Dad a doctor from Sierra Leone, mother a single parent who brought Samuel up in Selhurst (Croydon).
The first part of Coleridge-Taylor's Scenes from the Song of Hiawatha - Hiawatha's Wedding Feast - was staple fare for choral societies between the wars, culminating with annual performances with the choirs in costume at the Royal Albert Hall.
Sir Malcolm Sargents 1962 HMV recording of Hiawatha's Wedding Feast was one of HMVs most popular early stereo recordings.
I can't think of a more appropriate work to be given this year than Hiawatha's Wedding Fest. Coleridge Taylor deserves more than this - considering the 100th anniversary of his death is 1st September 2012.
Royal College of Music are doing some things in Croydon over the next month - but not Hiawatha unfortunately.

Roger Wright has missed an opportunity here. With Radio 3's obsession with anniversaries, how did they manage to miss the only "black" classical composer with almost universal appeal?

[amateur51]

Why no Coleridge-Taylor??? ....

Roger Wright has missed an opportunity here. With Radio 3's obsession with anniversaries, how did they manage to miss the only "black" classical composer with almost universal appeal?

Now's me chance! This would be political correctness gone mad!

[Brixton Dave]

2012 is the centenary of the death of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. His work was championed by Malcolm Sargent, who between 1928 and 1939 conducted ten seasons of a costumed ballet version called The Song of Hiawatha at the Royal Albert Hall with 800 singers and 200 dancers. The work was much admired outside London and was rivaled only by Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

Nice to know Sir Malcolm (and the King and Queen) were sooo politically correct in the 1930's!
(Info courtesy Musician's Benevolent Fund)

[french frank]

2012 is the centenary of the death of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Mr Wright is accepting comments on the R3 blog, Brixton Dave. Looks as if it was a toss-up between the 2012 centenaries of the death of Coleridge-Taylor and the birth of George Lloyd. (And you can't say he hasn't been even-handed ... )

[Roehre]

First response, looks a typical underwhelming mish-mash. Only two concerts stand out for me the RVW Symphonies 4-6 and the Howells Hymnus Paradisi with Elgar 1. Nice to see Ireland's These Things Shall Be, but there's nothing else in his anniversary year (why no Piano Concerto???) and no Daniel Jones, who R3 have snubbed so far this year in his centenary. I'm no big fan of Delius (some of his works are OK though) so not too interested in that. The Beethoven symphonies 'yawns', plenty of bog standard repetoire, nothing of interest for a lover of American music like me (except the Bernstein Mass) and the usual ignoring of composers such as Hindemith & Honegger. So maybe 3 concerts worth listening to and some of a 4th, apart from that I'll give the rest a miss I think, plenty of CDs to keep me company.

Generally speaking my opinion too

[Suffolkcoastal]

Yes I'd forgotten to mention Coleridge-Taylor yesterday, how was Hiawatha missed? Plus the beautiful Violin Concerto and the once popular Petite Suite de Concert. Though R3 likes anniversaries RW is very selective with them, if your an 'in' composer you'll get plenty of exposure, bit if not, you may get a token if your lucky, or be ignored. As I mentioned Daniel Jones has suffered too this year in his centenary year. You'd have though that the BBC NOW would have included something by him in their proms, I wonder if the conductor or RW put a block on it. I dont think RW is much of a fan of certain Welsh composers as both Jones and Hoddinott have virtually disappeared off the radar under his regime and Mathias has been largely reduced to short accessible works.

[aeolium]

You want to get to the Gower Festival in July, sc. It has four works by Daniel Jones, including two quartets, as well as a BBC film about him "Fortissimo Jones" (free entry)

[Suffolkcoastal]

Would certainly be interested in seeing the film thank aeolium, though don't think there is much chance of me getting across to the other side of the country in July, which is a pity. At least I now have all of his symphonies so may have a Jonesfest in his honour one weekend in preference to one of the Essential Classics proms.

[EdgeleyRob]

Mr Wright is accepting comments on the R3 blog, Brixton Dave. Looks as if it was a toss-up between the 2012 centenaries of the death of Coleridge-Taylor and the birth of George Lloyd. (And you can't say he hasn't been even-handed ... )

I live in hope that a George Lloyd symphony,his Symphonic Mass or indeed a concerto of his will feature at the proms one day.

[Hornspieler]

Is it the centenary of Pierre Boulez's birth?
Do we have to have Beethoven symphonies two-at-a-time in chronological order?

Looking at the first 14 days of the 2012 season, I despair.

The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts are a British institution. Where are all the British composers whose works are ignored year after year?

Maybe it would be worth trying French Radio (RTF) and Deutsch Rundfunk for those weeks!

HS