Prom 38: 13.08.16 - The John Wilson Orchestra performs Gershwin

[VodkaDilc]

His arrangements are not as good as they once were and his conducting is, to put it mildly, approximate.

I understood that many of his arrangements were made by laborious listening to recorded performances. Perhaps that is no longer true.

On the second point, this is something I have certainly been aware of right from his earliest appearances. I thought it best to keep my views to myself - so all credit to HS for putting his head above the parapet.

[Bryn]

I understood that many of his arrangements were made by laborious listening to recorded performances. Perhaps that is no longer true.

On the second point, this is something I have certainly been aware of right from his earliest appearances. I thought it best to keep my views to myself - so all credit to HS for putting his head above the parapet.

Surely what are being referred to here as "arrangements" by John Wilson are actually Wilson and his team's transcriptions made of historical arrangements by others. Is it being suggested that this is not the case, but Wilson is making his own new arrangements, or is it that the transcriptions are held to be progressively inaccurate?

[oddoneout]

Surely what are being referred to here as "arrangements" by John Wilson are actually Wilson and his team's transcriptions made of historical arrangements by others.

This is what was said at some point during the broadcast. I forget what the ratio was but it was an awful lot of repetitive listening to recordings to get just 6 secs of written down music.
BTW, re earlier comments about orchestra members, at the end of the concert broadcast on R3 there was quite a bit of name info re the players, as the various sections of the orchestra were brought up for applause.
I noticed that the radio pages of the RT did not see fit to say much about the performers(no soloists etc), there was more on the TV page.
I had the second half on and enjoyed what I heard but don't think I could last a whole concert - it was pretty 'full on'. It was good to be able to hear the words of the singers though - anything to do with the miking mentioned earlier? - even when I wasn't actually sitting down and listening( it was a peripatetic evening's listening - in the room, which is large - but engaged in various tasks around it).

[Ravensbourne]

Programme inaccuracies

Was there a year when the printed programmes were available as downloads? I have a slight recollection that things were moving that way, but no sign of anything to download this year.

The printed programme was not as helpful as it might have been. For example, younger members of the audience of the audience were invited to listen out for the clarinet solo in the introduction of Rhapsody in Blue, and the huge, difficult piano part. Did nobody bother to tell the writer of the programme what pieces were actually going to be performed?

[Lat-Literal]

This was an excellent concert which held my attention throughout but I felt - dare I say it - that it was a little too white for a Gershwin performance.

I suppose I consider it in terms of Porgy and Bess.

It is extraordinary to think of all that George in particular achieved in just 38 years.