Prom 76: Last Night of the Proms 2015 (12.09.15)

[french frank]

The Proms get more money than the other events - 2.5-3.0 times

Not sure which figures you're using? The only ones I've been able to find are for 2010 (NAO parliamentary publication): Proms £3.712m, Glastonbury £1.737m, Big Weekend £888,000. Considering the number of broadcasting hours (which would have to be filled with something anyway) provided by each of the events, the Proms look cheap to me. Assuming all three have increased similarly in cost over the past few years.

[Lat-Literal]

Not sure which figures you're using? The only ones I've been able to find are for 2010 (NAO parliamentary publication): Proms £3.712m, Glastonbury £1.737m, Big Weekend £888,000. Considering the number of broadcasting hours (which would have to be filled with something anyway) provided by each of the events, the Proms look cheap to me. Assuming all three have increased similarly in cost over the past few years.

Yes.

Spot on - 2010 - although mine was from a newspaper report and it had the first two figures as a bit lower than you state. The Big Weekend figure was exactly as you say and you probably won't be surprised to hear that I have no experience of that event at all. I don't even know where it takes place. I agree with you. As I said in my post, the money spent on the Proms day on day is very small. I do support Glastonbury in principle - history, a part of the country's annual calendar, the coming together in music etc - even if I haven't set foot there since 2009 and didn't watch any of the television coverage this year. Consequently I am a little uneasy about that being cited in comparative terms. Let's instead see the figures for R1 and R3 expenditure and be prepared to be picked up from the floor. My guess is the difference is massive and that it would be justified on the grounds of the number of listeners. That is no justification at all when most presenters could be replaced by another bunch of hitherto unknowns and few in the listening cohort would turn a hair.

As a follow up to my earlier post, I think they could replace some of the gimmicks in the Proms with a couple of nights along the Hiawatha 30s' lines. Ordinary folk, well rehearsed with professional tutoring, involved with professional musicians in a combination of music and theatre. Also, I would cite as an example of something that was educational and challenging, captured the imagination and positioned just the right side of the line between novelty and not so the Cage and the cacti night a few years ago. That was very good.

[CallMePaul]

However, could someone pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease tell Katie Derham to shut up???

Hasn't she started preparing for Strictly yet?

[Barbirollians]

I enjoyed it though as I said before I think the Shostakovich 2 is a pretty weak work - No 1 is much more fun especially for a LNOTP .

I thought Marin Alsop was very good again and the Sound of Music singalong was harmless fun - the Copland around the other venues however was a car crash .

Kaufmann sang well enough to my ears - could have done with more of him singing - a couple of Schubert songs with BG at the piano would have been a welcome change .

Good to hear the seasongs again .

[David Underdown]

I'm sure they used Wood to justify what they're doing. But looking at what Wood included, it doesn't appear that he included 'all manner of music' himself. None of the truly 'popular' of the day, like musical hall standards.

Not out and out music hall standards, but plenty of popular ballads, cornet solos and the like, which are just one step away (and may well have also been performed at music halls and similar). Especially true in the era when Chappell's were the main "sponsor" (they had sheet music to flog).

[ardcarp]

Kaufmann sang well enough to my ears - could have done with more of him singing - a couple of Schubert songs with BG at the piano would have been a welcome change .

Good to hear the seasongs again .

Not sure an (albeit brilliant+ albeit German) Italianate voice would be my choice for Schubert Lieder.

Alas not many seasongs. I do miss Arethusa and Tom Bowling!

[Boilk]

That clip of Boulez is analogous to the one of Rick Wakeman playing keyboards wearing a cape that is always trotted out in documentaries about how 'necessary' punk rock was and how it blew all the 'bloated old dinosaurs' out of the water.

Except, of course, that it didn't. Prog, true to its moniker, progressed and was alive and kicking in the late '70s, '80s, and '90s, etc.

Thankfully, the punks turned out to be the dinosaurs!

[teamsaint]

Except, of course, that it didn't. Prog, true to its moniker, progressed and was alive and kicking in the late '70s, '80s, and '90s, etc.

Thankfully, the punks turned out to be the dinosaurs!

except of course, they didn't.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

except of course, they didn't.

[Barbirollians]

Not sure an (albeit brilliant+ albeit German) Italianate voice would be my choice for Schubert Lieder.

Alas not many seasongs. I do miss Arethusa and Tom Bowling!

Have you heard his Winterreise ardcarp ? It is superb IMO.

[ahinton]

Alas not many seasongs. I do miss Arethusa and Tom Bowling!

Is there a particular reason why you would want those? Sea songs in general, I mean - not just the two that you say that you miss...

[ahinton]

Hasn't she started preparing for Strictly yet?

I have no idea and care less but, even if she has, that's sadly no guarantee that she will indeed shut up (or take any notice of anyone asking her to do so) as ARBurton pleads for her to do, while she gets ready to participate in what for her is arguably the latest and perhaps to date most absurd personal showmanship vehicle.

Apparently, she plays the violin. So does our inclement one. One might begin to wonder - but then so does Alina Ibragimova...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Alas not many seasongs. I do miss Arethusa and Tom Bowling!

I can't help feeling that the demise of the Sea Songs is entirely my fault. I complained bitterly on an annual basis about the politically correct insertion of Danny Boy, All Through the Night and the Skye Boat Song in rather unsuitable arrangements uncharacteristic of Bob Chilcott, whose reputation was otherwise well deserved. They were all part of the rather clumsy "inclusiveness" of the Proms in the Park fiasco and I pleaded for their demise. What I didn't expect was the dumping of the entire Fantasia.

So blame EA. He didn't mean to do it. Honestly.

[ahinton]

I can't help feeling that the demise of the Sea Songs is entirely my fault. I complained bitterly on an annual basis about the politically correct insertion of Danny Boy, All Through the Night and the Skye Boat Song in rather unsuitable arrangements uncharacteristic of Bob Chilcott, whose reputation was otherwise well deserved. They were all part of the rather clumsy "inclusiveness" of the Proms in the Park fiasco and I pleaded for their demise. What I didn't expect was the dumping of the entire Fantasia.

So blame EA. He didn't mean to do it. Honestly.

If, as that well-worn cliché has it, you can indeed "claim responsibility" for this, I would personally consider it less of a fault than a provision of a welcome service; what was the purpose of including songs that were all at sea?

[Old Grumpy]

I can't help feeling that the demise of the Sea Songs is entirely my fault. I complained bitterly on an annual basis about the politically correct insertion of Danny Boy, All Through the Night and the Skye Boat Song in rather unsuitable arrangements uncharacteristic of Bob Chilcott, whose reputation was otherwise well deserved. They were all part of the rather clumsy "inclusiveness" of the Proms in the Park fiasco and I pleaded for their demise. What I didn't expect was the dumping of the entire Fantasia.

So blame EA. He didn't mean to do it. Honestly.

Well done, well done, EA!


and I mean that most sincerely ladies and gentlemen