Prom 1 - 14.07.17: First Night of the Proms

[oddoneout]

A little over 10 minutes until we set the ball rolling. Here's to an enjoyable 2017 Proms season!

Not if you go by the FoR3 clock!

[bluestateprommer]

1st impressions of Tom Coult's St. John's Dance: the sparer sections, like the start with just the percussion and pizzicato, struck me as the better moments. The immediate section afterwards with the full orchestra sounded kind of generic, but things picked up in the next sections. In fact, it felt kind of palindromic, to hear the "generic" full ensemble section, and then a sparer-scored section again. TC just finished talking with Petroc and CB-H (over the "Heave!" and "Ho"). I admit that I didn't realize the darker historical thoughts behind the inspiration, so that it was a darker work than I was expecting. EG and the BBC SO did very well with it, of course, so on performance grounds, no worries. Good start to the coming 8 weeks.

PS: On to LvB 3. Not the best rendition overall to my taste, particularly as it felt rather hard-driven in the first movement (with hard timpani to match), with one unfortunate blip from the orchestra that hit me like a train. In fairness, the slow movement went much, much better, again to my taste, deeply felt and spacious. The finale was mostly good, with a touch of the hard-driven aspect towards the end (that last bit not so good for me, again a matter of taste). So a bit of a mixed bag overall (with the 'happy clappers' back after the 1st movement, but if many are newcomers to The Proms, then no worries).

Interesting statement, w/o words, in IL's choice of an encore :) , by way of Liszt. (In my wildest dreams, he might have played the opening section of Rzewski's The People United Will Never Be Defeated! as his encore.)

[Braunschlag]

First post, I'll try to be genial. Wish I'd stuck to the third programme but deferred to KD on BBC4, which wasnt a great idea bearing in mind the gushing tripe she comes out with. I have to admit that I'm not the greatest fan of a lot of new music and maybe this first piece was a good example of why that may be so. A roughly ABA piece with the usual overblown percussion section, underused of course, an inaudible opening and sections which were suspiciously like the WSStory Mambo. Do correct my Luddism but I'm not sure that knowing the idea behind the piece helped much. And, right on cue, the ubiquitous instrumental novelty of a clarinet mouthpiece jammed on the bottom half of the instrument (losing the top joint and barrel). Maybe, just maybe my scepticism is understandable.
Anyhow, that over with (and apologies for inflicting it upon any with sensitivities and support for the 'modern muse'), on with the Beethoven (complete with a temporary transmission break here up t'north).
Greetings to you all!

[Ein Heldenleben]

Was that encore a comment on Brexit ? My word he has a wonderful legato and the pianissimo at the start of the second movement - breath ( but sadly not cough) taking...

[Bryn]

O.k., I was only listening in the car during the drive home from work, but to me, the Coult sounded like a fine synthesis of John Adams and Arthur Honneger with a few extra touches. I like it.

[Barbirollians]

O.k., I was only listening in the car during the drive home from work, but to me, the Coult sounded like a fine synthesis of John Adams and Arthur Honneger with a few extra touches. I like it.

Really did not like that Beethoven 3 hard driven and unsubtle in the outer movements and a bit wigs and powder in the slow movement . Derham gushing and telling us what to think .

One in the eye for Brexiteers with the encore.

[cloughie]

Indeed .......

You seemed agog with the thrill of it all anton.

[cloughie]

Really did not like that Beethoven 3 hard driven and unsubtle in the outer movements and a bit wigs and powder in the slow movement . Derham gushing and telling us what to think .

It's in her contract!

[Bryn]

Really did not like that Beethoven 3 hard driven and unsubtle in the outer movements and a bit wigs and powder in the slow movement . Derham gushing and telling us what to think .

One in the eye for Brexiteers with the encore.

Hmm. No Annie Fischer, for sure. Now he seems to be taking a stand against Bre*it.

[teamsaint]

Really did not like that Beethoven 3 hard driven and unsubtle in the outer movements and a bit wigs and powder in the slow movement . Derham gushing and telling us what to think .

One in the eye for Brexiteers with the encore.

That should help solve the whole mess.

[Beef Oven!]

Really did not like that Beethoven 3 hard driven and unsubtle in the outer movements and a bit wigs and powder in the slow movement . Derham gushing and telling us what to think .

One in the eye for Brexiteers with the encore.

As a committed Brexiteer, I can tell you the encore did not mean a sausage and is not one in the eye for us. We don't actually care about all this nonsense - we are just interested in getting out of the EU.

[Lat-Literal]

Harmonium:

Awaiting the performance on television with great expectations. Given the build up it should make the Gothic by Havergal Brian seem like Mary O'Hara by comparison.

[cloughie]

As a committed Brexiteer, I can tell you the encore did not mean a sausage and is not one in the eye for us. We don't actually care about all this nonsense - we are just interested in getting out of the EU.

Spoken as a true wrexiteer!

[Beef Oven!]

Spoken as a true wrexiteer!

No, I spoke as a true Brexiteer.

[cloughie]

No, I spoke as a true Brexiteer.

Wrexit, Brexit what's in a name?