Prom 76 (8.9.12): Last Night of the Proms 2012

[verismissimo]

Beautiful voice, but I don't like his vibrato much: you could park a bike in it.

Fluttery AND wide. Quite a combination.

[teamsaint]

What a set of grumpies many of you are. Some of you, it appears, will allow us who enjoy the last night to do so, but I resent your gracious condescension. And I feel sure that you are making strenuous attempts to spoil our enjoyment. Can you not keep quiet?

lots of people post lots of negative comments on these boards, because they genuinely feel something is wrong .
I don't see why the Last Night should be different. personally, I think it is an awful end to a great festival of music, and one that does the series few favours, but if lots of people do like it, then so be it.
Its easy enough to let things go without being condescending..indeed its very important to do that. But criticism is still valid.

[Nick Armstrong]

Beautiful voice, but I don't like his vibrato much: you could park a bike in it.

Pop it alongside my car...

[Nick Armstrong]

I wouldn't want to drop what's become the traditional stuff. I always enjoy the Last Night rendition of Rule, Britannia!, including the fact that yes, there's a healthy dose of genial self-parody there to temper (but not, I think, entirely negate) the genuine emotions of the piece. What's wrong, after all, with the proud statement that "Britons never never will be slaves"? And I think the Sea Songs is a fine listen, incorporating some truly memorable melodies. I don't care as much for Jerusalem, possibly because I really don't understand just what building the titular foreign city in England's green and pleasant land is actually meant to entail or what good it would do, but it's a fine sing and a rousing tune and some of the text is quite splendid too (though there again, puzzlement abounds: just what are arrows of desire and what does one do with them?).

A cycle ride was taken out of Chateau Caliban into Hyde Park last night, shorts and t-shirt weather at 10pm

It was hugely regretted to begin with - getting there too early for the final peroration, the Park Prom is a horrible pop concert with a Minogue (not sure which one) singing and Wogan burbling. Just in time, Sir Terence "threw" to the RAH... As mentioned earlier, it's fun and spooky in equal measure to hear 'Rule Britannia' and 'Land of Hope &c' bellowed by 30,000 odd in the darkness - always makes me think that PG Wodehouse's fabulous creation Sir Roderick Spode has managed to unite his 'Black Shorts' for a nocturnal rally just alongside Park Lane (just a quick toddle from Mayfair, old fruit).... Still, cycling away along the North Carriageway with 'Jerusalem' and the Britten version of the National Anthem manages to be rather magical, under a cloudless, starry sky - the trees and rolling parkland really do seem to be part of a 'green and pleasant land'.

It's nonsense, it's absurd. But I wouldn't ban it.

[mangerton]

...............Old Lang Syne, though I wish they'd get the words right.

Actually, it's "Auld". But quite. And the actions, and the pronunciation. It can't be so hard, surely, even for the clowns who seem regularly to infest the last night.

They are an embarrassment.

[Bert Coules]

Actually, it's "Auld".

Whoops. Apologies.

Bert

[kernelbogey]

.... What's wrong, after all, with the proud statement that "Britons never never will be slaves"? ...

While we're at it, the words are 'Britons never, never, never shall be slaves': a quite different statement. (Sorry, Bert.)

A. Pedant

[EnemyoftheStoat]

Sometimes round here I wonder if boarders and I have been watching the same thing. But then of course I've never experienced such a ball so I guess I must bow to superior knowledge

I thought I was watching a very mixed, fairly international audience enjoying themselves, and even sending themselves up, in a somewhat OTT fashion. Don't think many of them will be setting out to refound the British Empire today, or even be under any illusion that Britannia really ought still to be ruling the waves.

Lighten up guys???

Agreed. Where's the "like" button on here?

[VodkaDilc]

I've now watched a fair chunk of the second half. Sea Songs is still a good piece, if the audience can be ignored, but a shame that a few good bits were cut - e.g. the fanfares at the beginning and the lovely clarinet cadenza. I thought the singer in Rule Britannia was dreadful (ahead of the beat, or was it my imagination?) and the procession of winners led to my use of the fast forward button. Haven't got as far as the Elgar yet.

BUT....what is Walk Alone doing at this occasion? Nice song, but completely out of place. At least in was in 4 time, not the footballers' 3 - and we were spared the football crowds' melismata on the long notes of the chorus. ("Walk on, walk o-o-o-on")

[LeMartinPecheur]

I've now watched a fair chunk of the second half. Sea Songs is still a good piece, if the audience can be ignored, but a shame that a few good bits were cut - e.g. the fanfares at the beginning and the lovely clarinet cadenza. I thought the singer in Rule Britannia was dreadful (ahead of the beat, or was it my imagination?) and the procession of winners led to my use of the fast forward button. Haven't got as far as the Elgar yet.

BUT....what is Walk Alone doing at this occasion? Nice song, but completely out of place. At least in was in 4 time, not the footballers' 3 - and we were spared the football crowds' melismata on the long notes of the chorus. ("Walk on, walk o-o-o-on")

Yes, Calleja was often well ahead of the beat, and not just in Rule Britannia. Excessive enthusiasm??

I specially missed Spanish Ladies from Sea Songs, though as my daughter was severely against her parents singing along with anything this may have found favour with her Can somebody please list the songs in Sir H W's original version? - I'm thinking of buying a nice steady CD version with every note in and no late additions or extraneous noises. Is there a HIPP recording? Non-vibrato by Norrington??

[VodkaDilc]

Yes, Calleja was often well ahead of the beat, and not just in Rule Britannia. Excessive enthusiasm??

I specially missed Spanish Ladies from Sea Songs, though as my daughter was severely against her parents singing along with anything this may have found favour with her Can somebody please list the songs in Sir H W's original version? - I'm thinking of buying a nice steady CD version with every note in and no late additions or extraneous noises. Is there a HIPP recording? Non-vibrato by Norrington??

One highpoint, which I must listen to again, was Stephen Bryant's "variant" on one of the quiet lines of the Hornpipe. Designed to make the audience shut up and listen, perhaps.

[Bert Coules]

While we're at it, the words are 'Britons never, never, never shall be slaves': a quite different statement. (Sorry, Bert.)

True, I stupidly wrote two nevers instead of my intended three, but actually, if we're really being pedantic, we could both be said to be wrong.

The original 1763 words by James Thomson were

Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
Britons never will be slaves.

With the last line possibly intending to be sung ne-e-e-e-ever and the penultimate one r-u-ule.

I agree that pretty much everyone today gives us Never, never, never... ("a corruption" according to good old Wikipedia) and many follow that with ...shall be... but an audible minority definitely stick to "will". You could hear it last night, and see it too on the subtitling. I'm not sure that there could actually be said to be a definitive version any more.

Bert

[kernelbogey]

I agree that almost everybody today gives us Never, never, never shall be... ("a corruption" according to good old Wikipedia) but regardless of the number and note-setting of the nevers an audible minority definitely stick to "will". You could hear it last night, and see it too on the subtitling. Bert

Well, given our current defence status and resources I think that's probably the more appropriate verb!

BW, kb

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

While we're at it, the words are 'Britons never, never, never shall be slaves': a quite different statement. (Sorry, Bert.)

A. Pedant

No, actually in the original the word is "will", but usage has changed this.

[Bert Coules]

And, on reflection, modern usage diminishes almost to the point of extinction any difference between the two words anyway.

Bert