The 2012 Proms season

[EdgeleyRob]

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

A question I seem to ask myself every year!

[MrGongGong]

I'm also not sure what people mean by "mish mash" ?

[Hornspieler]

Exactly rauschwerk, its actually a very typical woger proms. There is a nod to the olympics in that in celebration of the eyes of the world being on London we do the Great Exhibition style big choral works (actually I was half expecting this to happen). There are the usual carrots to try to keep the British music fans off his back, whilst carefully continuing to avoid certain British composers or certain categories of works by British composers. Baroque, Classical and Early Romantic fare is totally dominiated by the big names with standard repetoire and there is a heavy concentration as usual on the period 1870-1920. The period 1920-80 is largely kept to a minimum except in relation to the odd popular classic or work by one of Woger's favoured composers of the period, composers he does not favour are largely kept out, there is the collection of more avant-garde compositions to keep these enthusiasts off his back and the usual collection of Proms commissions which are normally forgettable and will rarely be heard again.
Anniversary composers are normally the obvious ones, there is the occasional 'lip-service' piece to the less obvious ones or they snubbed altogether. Scadinavian music is normally almost exclusively confined to the 'big three' with the occasional more recent work, the same is true of Russian music post 1920, and American music is of the same period is kept to popular classics a bit of avant-garde or a favoured composer (normally John Adams). The continual virtual ignoral of a group of 20th century composers like Hindemith, Martinu, Honegger, Milhaud, Roussel for example.
The proms should be an opportunity to experiment with a whole range of composers contrasting well known works and composers of all periods with the lesser known ones.

[EdgeleyRob]

Now this is the time of the year,
When the new proms listings appear,
We’ve all been counting down the days,
Can’t wait to see what the guide says,
And yes there is lots of great stuff,
But again it’s not good enough,
I am once more very annoyed,
There’s no symphony by George lloyd.

(I thank you !)

[John Skelton]

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

Well they weren't ever a festival of British music, that I can see from the archive (there may have been more music by British composers in the past. Much of it new at the time, of course).

1912 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1910s/1912 (what a lot of Wagner!)

1922 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1920s/1922

1932 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1930s/1932

1942 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1940s/1942 (still quite a lot of Wagner! And lots of Beethoven)

1952 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1950s/1952

1962 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1960s/1962 (Pierre Boulez - Le marteau sans maître!) And Roberto Gerhard. Now there's a composer who could do with some current Proms exposure. An interesting season in many ways.

1972 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1970s/1972

1982 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1980s/1982 (The Trojans, as this year). Le marteau sans maître - keeps cropping up! Tippett Piano Concerto, Birtwistle, Triumph of Time ... Daniel Jones, Sinfonietta no. 1. Boulez, Répons (he really does do well: just 3 works by Nono in the history of the Proms, 1 by Sciarrino, 0 by Lachenmann).

1992 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1990s/1992 More Roberto Gerhard, James Dillon's ignis noster ... Bruno Maderna, Grande aulodia .

2002 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/2000s/2002 (Roberto Gerhard was rather popular with the BBC).

Were "The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts" ever "a British institution"? other than being in London and the stuff on the Last Night?

[salymap]

I haven't had time to study the Proms programmes yet but although Sir Henry's SeaSongs have apparently returned, in what order are the works played? In one list, the Sea Songs appear to be done first with about twenty various arias and other bits and pieces?
I shall look out my old LP of Hiawatha's Wedding Feast and play it with great enjoyment. George Stratton, leader of the LSO at the time, did conduct some performances of the dramatized work at the RAH and I did see it in, I think, the 1960s.

[John Skelton]

Tuesday 3 September 1912:

Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16 World premiere
New Queen's Hall Orchestra (1895-1914, Queen's Hall Orchestra) / Wood conductor

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1910s/1912/september-03/2193

What a bizarre concert!

[Nick Armstrong]

Tuesday 3 September 1912:

Schoenberg: Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16 World premiere
New Queen's Hall Orchestra (1895-1914, Queen's Hall Orchestra) / Wood conductor

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1910s/1912/september-03/2193

What a bizarre concert!

You're not kidding!

[Chris Newman]

And it began at 8pm. I wonder what time the last bus was. Timber lived right out in the sticks from what I have read.

[salymap]

And it began at 8pm. I wonder what time the last bus was. Timber lived right out in the sticks from what I have read.

He probably didn't have time to go home during the season Chris. I think musicians often stayed at the Langham Hotel and when at the RAH, the Gore Hotel or another local one.

[Barbirollians]

Considering how many hefty choral works litter this years Proms - Coleridge Taylor's Hiawatha would have been light relief from all those lumpen heavyweights .

[amac4165]

Of course von Dittersdorf suffers the neglect we have so long come to expect

That's a great line!

I have to say it assumed me greatly even though I wrote it !

[teamsaint]

First chance I have had to look at the programme.

I agree with Hornspieler, the later part of the series looks the more interesting.

I love RVW......but is 3 symphonies, (wonderful thought they all are) on one night, a good idea?

I need to decide, as its one I THINK I want to go to !!
Plenty to look forward to, though as ever, its pretty predictable.
And more Schubert would have been fine by me !

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I need to decide, as its one I THINK I want to go to !!

Go for it, teamy! It'll never happen again, and, if it does work, you'll only regret not having been there!
(I share your doubts, by the way; but we may well be proved wrong. And, after so many seasons without an RVW Symph, it seems churlish to carp!)

[teamsaint]

Go for it, teamy! It'll never happen again, and, if it does work, you'll only regret not having been there!
(I share your doubts, by the way; but we may well be proved wrong. And, after so many seasons without an RVW Symph, it seems churlish to carp!)

sound thinking.

Might even buy a seat !!