Prom 32 (6.8.12): Bernstein – Mass

[Simon Biazeck]

Having decided to give this Prom a miss (more to do with catching up with others) it now appears that it was a bad mistake on my part.

Many thanks for all the reports

Its on the TV on Sep. 6!

[prokkyshosty]

One small thing was striking: not having been to a Prom for a few years I was aware that the Prommers looked older. Where are the young people who used to form the backbone of the nightly audience?

The young people are over in the day queue side. The prommers on the season pass side are so old they've worn their footprints into the floor over the course of decades in their chosen favourite spots. Sometimes the front rail, from stage left to stage right, looks like the seven ages of man.

[Mary Chambers]

Completely, HS: hence my mentions of Grimes etc. I was thinking during the concert that he sounded like a bass-bari version of Pears. And in music that is often Britten-influenced.

I wonder if BB would have approved...

Bernstein was a great fan of Britten. I doubt if Britten was a fan of Bernstein! I am slightly tempted to listen to the relevant bits to see if I think he sounds like Pears - but only slightly. Curiosity may lead me to having a brief look when it's on television, if I can stand it.

I wonder if Britten ever heard this piece? It was in his lifetime.

[Nick Armstrong]

I wonder if Britten ever heard this piece? It was in his lifetime.

I wondered that, Mary. I suddenly had a vision of him reaching for the phone to engage his copyright lawyers...

[amateur51]

The young people are over in the day queue side. The prommers on the season pass side are so old they've worn their footprints into the floor over the course of decades in their chosen favourite spots. Sometimes the front rail, from stage left to stage right, looks like the seven ages of man.

[amateur51]

I wondered that, Mary. I suddenly had a vision of him reaching for the phone to engage his copyright lawyers...

Your mind is always on business, Caliban

[David Underdown]

The young people are over in the day queue side. The prommers on the season pass side are so old they've worn their footprints into the floor over the course of decades in their chosen favourite spots. Sometimes the front rail, from stage left to stage right, looks like the seven ages of man.

Well most people take a few seasons day promming before crossing the floor (I just dived right in as a 20-year-old). And there usually a few new young season ticket holders each year. However, I think the main difference these days is the economics of university study now mean you're more likely to find students working as stewards, rather than buying season tickets

[prokkyshosty]

Well most people take a few seasons day promming before crossing the floor (I just dived right in as a 20-year-old). And there usually a few new young season ticket holders each year. However, I think the main difference these days is the economics of university study now mean you're more likely to find students working as stewards, rather than buying season tickets

Good sir, your presence on the rail amongst the season prommers delivers a welcome rebuke to my silly generalisation!

I know in the case of two prommers I met last year, a season pass represented the well-earned spoils of retirement. I'd gather the weekday proms skew somewhat older, since the younger folks are more likely to be working?

[Suffolkcoastal]

I didn't get back to my Partner's until 10:50 last night hence the brief comment. I would certainly agree with HS about the orchestral playing (the brass were superb), it really was excellent and precise. The street singers had nicely contrasted voices and came off well. I'm surprised not in attendance apart from me have commented on the little Sanctus Bell accident. Yes the jiggling was a bit contrived but the space was very limited and it least showed involvement and it gave the childrens choirs something more to do. They were so well behaved up there and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. A couple of the lyrics were altered. I know there were some minor alterations after the original CBS recording which are in the Alsop, but there seemed to be a couple more
Yes the Celebrant's breakdown is modelled on Grimes, I'm sure I've read that Bernstein admitted this. The genius of Bernstein is how he takes this eclecticism and turns into pure Bernstein.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening. Now looking forward to next Thursday!

[Ferretfancy]

The young people are over in the day queue side. The prommers on the season pass side are so old they've worn their footprints into the floor over the course of decades in their chosen favourite spots. Sometimes the front rail, from stage left to stage right, looks like the seven ages of man.

The older regulars certainly largely occupy the first few rows, but remember that on TV the cameras usually only cover them, and that disguises the fact that there are plenty of younger people further back. It's a simple fact that if you are an older person with a season ticket who is free to arrive early you can be at the front if you want to. Personally I fail to understand the attraction of being right under the feet of the strings, and prefer to be further way from the platform with plenty of people nearby who are much younger than me.

I'm not sure what is meant by "over on the day queue side" Is this referring to the position outside on the steps ? It's been years since there has been any distinction inside the hall, the idea of having a line on the floor to separate season ticket holders from the rest was rightly abandoned years ago.The only really distinct group is the small bunch of regulars who organise the nightly charity collection at the doors. I haven't been since Sunday, but I estimate that the figure must have reached £25000 by now, so their hard work is already paying off.

[Mary Chambers]

Yes the Celebrant's breakdown is modelled on Grimes, I'm sure I've read that Bernstein admitted this. The genius of Bernstein is how he takes this eclecticism and turns into pure Bernstein.

Bernstein once said that he wished he'd written Grimes, and that sometimes he thought he had. Dream on, as they say......

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Bernstein conducted the US premiere of Grimes (commissioned by his mentor) and included the Four Sea Interludes in his very last concert (with Beethoven #7), but it's often struck me that there is a closer parallel aesthetically with Tippett (whose work I don't think Bernstein ever touched): contemporary, socially-concerned ("trendy") subject matter; wrote their own libretti; essayists; involved in education projects; aware of/influenced by popular Musics.

[Nick Armstrong]

Bernstein conducted the US premiere of Grimes (commissioned by his mentor) and included the Four Sea Interludes in his very last concert (with Beethoven #7)

I'd forgotten both those facts (and I have the CD of that final concert... must dig it out). Aesthetic closeness to Tippett but definitely more purely musical affinities with Lord B, I think...

[prokkyshosty]

I'm surprised not in attendance apart from me have commented on the little Sanctus Bell accident.

How easily things get broken...

[prokkyshosty]

The older regulars certainly largely occupy the first few rows,

I'm not sure what is meant by "over on the day queue side" Is this referring to the position outside on the steps ?

True, there is no distinction other than that the season pass queuers tend to amass stage right as it's closest to the door they enter from, and vicey-versey for the day queuers. A comment was made earlier about the high average age of the prommers; from my vantage point from the 2nd Tier on the left side, I thought the average age was fairly young. Not as young perhaps as the usual NYOGB crowd, but young. There was a lot of wonderful family support from Wales, clearly, and many of them were day queuers.

I hope I didn't offend with my joke about the age of the season pass prommers. I'll be one of them come Saturday! It's purely self-loathing.