Prom 75 - 7.09.13: Last Night of the Proms

[Alain Maréchal]

Throughout he was playing with the orchestra, not being accompanied by the orchestra. This was, unfortunately, partially destroyed by the sound mix when I listen to the iPlayer version. In the hall the first few notes he played were perfectly balanced with the orchestra violins. On the iPlayer mix his carefully controlled playing has been "enhanced" to suit the preference of the sound mixer, possibly because watching a close up of him on the TV screen would encourage that.

Would I be correct in assuming that RVW intended the solo part to be played by the leader, so that he could more easily blend in with or stand out from his colleagues?

[Old Grumpy]

The humour in the Csardas worked in the hall, but I could not see it transferring to radio or TV very well.

I would submit that it transferred to TV perfectly, OT.

OG

[Old Grumpy]

An interesting flurry of responses to this thread since yesterday evening. I, personally, would not normally watch LNOTP, but did this year because of the artists represented.

OG

[PhilipT]

Too much here to reply to - I've not been home long, what with the memorial service for Sir Henry Wood and the goodbye drinks and the vagaries of rail travel on a Sunday.

In the Hall, my experiences were: Nigel Kennedy in the Lark sounded wonderful provided I kept my eyes closed. It was noticeable how quiet the audience kept for this. If Joyce DiDonato was wearing bling I didn't notice, and I was in the front row. Maybe her singing and her frocks were too distracting? I'm not sure I like her voice, but she was clearly on top form. (It's been a vintage year for frocks, by the way - my vote is split between Venera Gimadieva and Ruby Hughes, with Sophie Bevan losing out despite the fine display of her legs.) 'Va, pensiero' actually had me in tears - perhaps it helps if you understand the words and aren't anti-Semitic? I'm re-thinking my decision not to go to the WNO Nabucco next year. Nigel Kennedy in the Csárdás I really could have done without. HMS Trinidad was ruined by some silly woman talking all the way through it. Rule, Britannia! was ruined, as usual, by those idiots who don't buy a programme and sing the wrong words - the right words are those that are printed in the programme, whatever anyone might think.

The Best Explanation of the Day Award goes to the security man who said that although he had been instructed to open Door 12 at 7:30am instead of 9:00am, he couldn't, because there was no-one from Catering in yet to look after the Café Bar. Funniest Moment of the Day Award goes to the ticket tout who asked Roger Wright if he had any spare tickets. To his credit, he searched his pockets before answering that he didn't. Shock of the Day award goes to a certain Russian promenader - you all know who I mean - who put £5 in the charity bucket when I was collecting at Door 1. The Scumbag of the Day award goes to whoever pinched my programme from my bag while I was collecting at Door 1.

I didn't think it was a great Last Night - last year's was much more fun, somehow. Marin Alsop's speech was a bit predictable, but I think that's what's needed at a first attempt.

I have to ask - how did the rainbow selection of large coloured balloons come across on television? I though they worked in the Hall, but I'm a bit biased.

[Barbirollians]

Too much here to reply to - I've not been home long, what with the memorial service for Sir Henry Wood and the goodbye drinks and the vagaries of rail travel on a Sunday.

In the Hall, my experiences were: Nigel Kennedy in the Lark sounded wonderful provided I kept my eyes closed. It was noticeable how quiet the audience kept for this. If Joyce DiDonato was wearing bling I didn't notice, and I was in the front row. Maybe her singing and her frocks were too distracting? I'm not sure I like her voice, but she was clearly on top form. (It's been a vintage year for frocks, by the way - my vote is split between Venera Gimadieva and Ruby Hughes, with Sophie Bevan losing out despite the fine display of her legs.) 'Va, pensiero' actually had me in tears - perhaps it helps if you understand the words and aren't anti-Semitic? I'm re-thinking my decision not to go to the WNO Nabucco next year. Nigel Kennedy in the Csárdás I really could have done without. HMS Trinidad was ruined by some silly woman talking all the way through it. Rule, Britannia! was ruined, as usual, by those idiots who don't buy a programme and sing the wrong words - the right words are those that are printed in the programme, whatever anyone might think.

The Best Explanation of the Day Award goes to the security man who said that although he had been instructed to open Door 12 at 7:30am instead of 9:00am, he couldn't, because there was no-one from Catering in yet to look after the Café Bar. Funniest Moment of the Day Award goes to the ticket tout who asked Roger Wright if he had any spare tickets. To his credit, he searched his pockets before answering that he didn't. Shock of the Day award goes to a certain Russian promenader - you all know who I mean - who put £5 in the charity bucket when I was collecting at Door 1. The Scumbag of the Day award goes to whoever pinched my programme from my bag while I was collecting at Door 1.

I didn't think it was a great Last Night - last year's was much more fun, somehow. Marin Alsop's speech was a bit predictable, but I think that's what's needed at a first attempt.

I have to ask - how did the rainbow selection of large coloured balloons come across on television? I though they worked in the Hall, but I'm a bit biased.

I hope it wasn't shown in Russia ! A rainbow selection of large coloured balloons would have led to Roger Wright being on trial by now !

[ardcarp]

I am surprised that several people were surprised that Nigel Kennedy's Lark was good. He has after all made one of the definitive recordings of the piece...my favourite incidentally. I was not expecting anything other than a thoroughly brilliant reading of the piece, which we got in spite of the pressure of the occasion and presumably limited rehearsal time.

[PhilipT]

I hope it wasn't shown in Russia ! A rainbow selection of large coloured balloons would have led to Roger Wright being on trial by now !

Roger Wright is blameless in this regard, you have my word.

[David Underdown]

There was also a rainbow flag among the decorations on the podium.

For me, one of the best Last Nights I can remember, I'd taken the last couple off (2011 and 2012), but before that had been in the hall for them since 1997. JDD was a major draw so far as I was concerned, and lived up entirely to expectations (for those who said the sound seemed to be coming out of the speakers for something, there was clearly a wire down her back in her second dress of the night, so I think some amplification may have been used for SOTR, but then it is a music theatre piece, but form the front row of the Arena she certainly wasn't miked for anything else - it may also have been that the BBC felt this was a better way to mike her for broadcast in the audience participation numbers as being less likely to pick up background).

I can assure Mary that there were a number of people in the hall who fully appreciated Iestyn Davies performance! In both the Last Night and her earlier Prom (Brahms' Requiem) Marin seemed to have a great connection with the choir, she was always mouthing the words (this seemed to have great effect in the unison lines in Make our garden grow), and it was very clear exactly what she wanted from them. Like many, I'm not entirely sure what to make of Nige, though the Lark was wonderful, and held the hall spellbound. There did seem to me to be less audience messing about in the first half thatn has sometimes been the case recently, a few balloons being released beforehand, but things generally settled down once the music started (my apologies to Stephen Bryant who was very nearly hit by a balloon released by me as he came back on for the second half, I had released it in completely the opposite direction, into the Arena, but it circled round and dropped right beside him as he was about to take his seat.)

[David Underdown]

There's a Daily Mail article published today which explains in more detail the regulations that led to the solo part in Chichester Psalms being taken by Iestyn Davies, it's all down to the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968.

[Flosshilde]

I know it's terribly lazy of me, but I really can't face reading through the whole set of regulations. Could you give a quote from the Daily Mail article that explains it? I don't see why, when children perform in operas regularly, a child couldn't have performed for the LNotP?

[Petrushka]

There doesn't appear to have been a problem with boy trebles taking part in performances of the Chichester Psalms and other relevant works since 1968. Like Flosshilde I can't be bothered to read the full regulations and would also welcome a highlighting of the passage in question. If I remember correctly the nephew of our friend Caliban sang the treble part of Das Klagende Lied (was it?) with the LPO and Jurowski a while back. If a lawyer doesn't know of these regulations...

[VodkaDilc]

There's a Daily Mail article published today which explains in more detail the regulations that led to the solo part in Chichester Psalms being taken by Iestyn Davies, it's all down to the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968.

I haven't been able to wade through it all. I just wonder why a treble soloist was allowed in the Bernstein Mass in last year's Proms (a very memorable young man from Eton) and surely in other cases too.

(Apologies. I've just seen on another thread that the crucial element was the LIVE television broadcast.)

[EnemyoftheStoat]

There doesn't appear to have been a problem with boy trebles taking part in performances of the Chichester Psalms and other relevant works since 1968. Like Flosshilde I can't be bothered to read the full regulations and would also welcome a highlighting of the passage in question. If I remember correctly the nephew of our friend Caliban sang the treble part of Das Klagende Lied (was it?) with the LPO and Jurowski a while back. If a lawyer doesn't know of these regulations...

Live TV broadcast post 7pm is the key factor.

Both the DM and DT articles are less than honest in implying that the BBC cocked it up at the "last minute". By all accounts, the BBC applied for the appropriate licences in good time but these were refused by the local authorities where the trebles were resident.

I'd say the local authorities concerned have made arses of themselves and the jobsworths involved should name and explain themselves. The same should apply to those who have let Cowell et al get away with flouting this legislation.