Prom 16: Ibiza/Cobblers Prom (29.07.15)

[Flosshilde]

I suppose the several apologists for this Prom haven't yet got round to listening to it yet or haven't yet recovered from their energetic exertions enough to comment. Or didn't mean that it was interesting enough in itself to listen to/watch - just that it had every right to be at the Proms.

Here is my review:

I listened for approximately 15 minutes, several of which were Andrew McGregor talking about Fatboy Slim, others whose names meant nothing to me and Pete Tong who had curated something. There was a long expectant hush after the Heritage Orchestra was announced. When they began playing there were cheers (I suppose of recognition) from the audience. The music wasn't too overpowering as I remembered not to have the speakers turned up until I had ascertained the sound level. It was loud enough like that. There was an opening session with just the orchestra and then a woman started singing.

After listening for about ten minutes my attention wandered and I thought of something else to do. When I remembered I had been listening to the Ibiza dance Prom, I decided it didn't seem musically very interesting and I had felt no urge to get up and dance myself.

The crowd seemed very excitable and cheered quite a lot, and I got the impression (perhaps wrongly) that the occasion, the atmosphere and all being together were more important than the music itself which seemed limited and repetitious.

I'm still not clear whether Pete Tong is just a BBC presenter who probably chooses his music or one of those 'wizards of the turntable' DJs .

Well, you would say that, wouldn't you?


"There was a long expectant hush after the Heritage Orchestra was announced. When they began playing there were cheers (I suppose of recognition) from the audience. The music wasn't too overpowering as I remembered not to have the speakers turned up until I had ascertained the sound level. It was loud enough like that. There was an opening session with just the orchestra and then a woman started singing."

Much the same could be said about quite a lot of classical music concerts.

[french frank]

Well, you would say that, wouldn't you?


"There was a long expectant hush after the Heritage Orchestra was announced. When they began playing there were cheers (I suppose of recognition) from the audience. The music wasn't too overpowering as I remembered not to have the speakers turned up until I had ascertained the sound level. It was loud enough like that. There was an opening session with just the orchestra and then a woman started singing."

Much the same could be said about quite a lot of classical music concerts.

Don't know what the note of hostility is about, other than a genuine report that after listening for a while I didn't find it interesting. I think that's allowed.

[Flosshilde]

Of course it is, but given your hostility towards it I would have been very surprised if you had said anything else. And actually there have been a few comments here by people who listened to it, some of them moderately favourable.

[french frank]

Of course it is, but given your hostility towards it I would have been very surprised if you had said anything else. And actually there have been a few comments here by people who listened to it, some of them moderately favourable.

And your thoughts about it? I don't think it could be expected to hold much interest for an Old Age Pensioner with no knowledge of the world of Ibiza clubbing. It wasn't intended for people like me and unsurprisingly (you're right there) it didn't hold much interest.

[Beef Oven!]

Well, Andrew McGregor certainly seems to have been impressed.

Indeed, it was a great gig!

[Flosshilde]

I didn't listen to it, & probably won't. I have hinted in previous posts that I thought there are good arguments against it. But hey, I think that there are good arguments for a bit less Mozart (all right then, a lot less Mozart, like none) & Brahms & possibly Beethoven. Dropping them would allow room/time for some previously un-heard music to be heard.

[MrGongGong]

Indeed, it was a great gig!

I thought it was OK(ish)
For me the most successful parts were at the start, some interesting arrangements where the acoustic instruments had significant roles.
To my ears it went a bit downhill once we had the singers, before this there was a real sense of a single large ensemble but having a solo "in front" just turns this into a backing band IMV
Great at the start but lost momentum I think.

Shame there wasn't the nerve to have a whole dance event without emoting singing
Looking forward to next years with Autechre, Pansonic & Ryoki Ikeda

[Beef Oven!]

I thought it was OK(ish)
For me the most successful parts were at the start, some interesting arrangements where the acoustic instruments had significant roles.
To my ears it went a bit downhill once we had the singers, before this there was a real sense of a single large ensemble but having a solo "in front" just turns this into a backing band IMV
Great at the start but lost momentum I think.

Shame there wasn't the nerve to have a whole dance event without emoting singing
Looking forward to next years with Autechre, Pansonic & Ryoki Ikeda

No doubt it could have been better, but it was still very good.

A Prom with Pansonic, et al would be orgasmatronically brainbeansblowing!!!!

P.S. Doesn't the singing always spoil Ibiza/trance music?

[MrGongGong]

P.S. Doesn't the singing always spoil Ibiza/trance music?

Yes, hence my new found enthusiasm for Psytrance (it's the same with Elgar )

[Beef Oven!]

Yes, hence my new found enthusiasm for Psytrance (it's the same with Elgar )

This is rather good..................

[doversoul1]

I’ve just listened to it, albeit in (very short) BCs at several points. My first impression was that it sounded wrong, and something better / real was hidden behind what I was hearing which, I assume was the orchestral arrangement. The music itself was how I had expected: the rhythm was the most prominent feature and the rest was largely repetitive and sounded much the same, including the rhythm, at all the points I listened to. Still, this may not be saying very much as all Bach’s music could sound much the same to someone who is not used to it. The singer sounded wooden as if she was unsure about the sound she was hearing behind her. I don’t think the cheering was an indication of the audience’s appreciation. From a few shows I have seen on TV, cheering seems to be the part that audience plays and it is part of the fun of being there. You could say that this is a variation of …The Last Night. I expect the audience had a good time irrespective of the fact that the band was sounding a bit odd. They were there for the occasion, listening to the music was only part of it. So this is about the music.

My question still remains. The BBC Proms is a publicly funded classical music festival, and as such, it has certain cultural and educational obligations which I understand to be promoting classical music (in the widest sense). On this basis, how does this prom be justified? I don’t think offering classical music listeners a chance to hear popular music is the Proms’ business. It certainly is not Radio3’s.

[Serial_Apologist]

Dumdiddledumdiddledumdiddledumdiddledum with just the occasional presumably preordained halt and a single tone going wwooooinggggg most of the time doesn't from that seem to have gone far beyond the fascist mindf*ck robotising monotony of 20 or is it 30 years ago?

Beat Piece: Listen to your heartbeat - Yoko Ono.

[Beef Oven!]

I’ve just listened to it, albeit in (very short) BCs at several points. My first impression was that it sounded wrong, and something better / real was hidden behind what I was hearing which, I assume was the orchestral arrangement. The music itself was how I had expected: the rhythm was the most prominent feature and the rest was largely repetitive and sounded much the same, including the rhythm, at all the points I listened to. Still, this may not be saying very much as all Bach’s music could sound much the same to someone who is not used to it. The singer sounded wooden as if she was unsure about the sound she was hearing behind her. I don’t think the cheering was an indication of the audience’s appreciation. From a few shows I have seen on TV, cheering seems to be part that audience plays and it is part of the fun of being there. You could say that this is a variation of …The Last Night. I expect the audience had a good time irrespective of the fact that the band was sounding a bit odd. They were there for the occasion, listening to the music was only part of it. So this is about the music.

My question still remains. The BBC Proms is a publicly funded classical music festival, and as such, it has certain cultural and educational obligations which I understand to be promoting classical music (in the widest sense). On this basis, how does this prom be justified? I don’t think offering classical music listeners a chance to hear popular music is the Proms’ business. It certainly is not Radio3’s.

This might be more to your liking................

[David-G]

But hey, I think that there are good arguments for a bit less Mozart (all right then, a lot less Mozart, like none)

I would like to hear the good arguments for having no Mozart. The only one I can think of is that Mozart sounds better in a more intimate acoustic than the Albert Hall.

[EdgeleyRob]

I’ve just listened to it, albeit in (very short) BCs at several points. My first impression was that it sounded wrong, and something better / real was hidden behind what I was hearing which, I assume was the orchestral arrangement. The music itself was how I had expected: the rhythm was the most prominent feature and the rest was largely repetitive and sounded much the same, including the rhythm, at all the points I listened to. Still, this may not be saying very much as all Bach’s music could sound much the same to someone who is not used to it. The singer sounded wooden as if she was unsure about the sound she was hearing behind her. I don’t think the cheering was an indication of the audience’s appreciation. From a few shows I have seen on TV, cheering seems to be part that audience plays and it is part of the fun of being there. You could say that this is a variation of …The Last Night. I expect the audience had a good time irrespective of the fact that the band was sounding a bit odd. They were there for the occasion, listening to the music was only part of it. So this is about the music.

My question still remains. The BBC Proms is a publicly funded classical music festival, and as such, it has certain cultural and educational obligations which I understand to be promoting classical music (in the widest sense). On this basis, how does this prom be justified? I don’t think offering classical music listeners a chance to hear popular music is the Proms’ business. It certainly is not Radio3’s.

Nail on the head ds.
I do enjoy this kind of music but it would have been so much better to hear it in it's raw state,not with the backing of a symphony orchestra.
As I said upthread I think that the best of this stuff is very skilfully crafted and wonderful to listen to.
IMO we didn't hear the very best but it was still worth a listen.
Not sure it belongs at the Proms though