Category: Living

My fourth and final Proms of this season.  My what a treat.

Firstly, it was obvious from the moment the Boston Symphony Orchestra took to the stage at the Albert Hall that they were truly excited to be performing at the Proms.  Throughout the performance there were many smiles, glances and looks of sheer enjoyment on the musicians faces that it was clearly a joy to be here and performing such amazing pieces.

Secondly, I can’t express how much energy and excitement that the conductor bought to the performance.  His sheer exuberance was infectious and he appeared to have every instrument and musician captured in his hands.  I truly loved him and the performance – if only we could bottle his enthusiasm together with the impeccable sound of the orchestra and play it out in every tube and train station on a Monday morning… I guarantee everyone would be buzzing and smiling for the rest of the week.

Great picture taken by the Art Desk of Andris Nelsons conducting:

Some of his facial expressions and the way he moved around the podium, almost bouncing and Tigger-like, made me think that this would be Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean, if he ever took over the Proms!

Apparently Andris Nelsons, the conductor, had created the program for tonight to showcase the excellence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.  Ooh and he did that in spades.  A-mazing.

Programme
Haydn – Symphony No 90 in C Major
Barber – Essay No 2

Interval (no doubt the conductor and musicians required a short lie-down)

Shostakovich Symphony No 10 in E minor
And a truly incredible piece as an encore ‘Shostakovich’s Galop’.  Wowza!

You have 30 days to listen to the performance on the BBC iPlayer and quite frankly, if you don’t, you will have missed out on something quite incredible.

Part I – here
Part 2 – here

Two reviews of the concert and also of the conductor:
The Arts Desk review
Telegraph review

Tonight was my first foray into the late night Proms.  A very special Prom to celebrate the 100th year of Frank’s birth year.

The John Wilson Orchestra with the help of some very talented singers (crooners), Jamie Parker, Claire Martin and (the creator of Family Guy), Seth MacFarlane, performing Frank Sinatra.

I love a bit of Frank. He’s been part of my life, my whole life.  In my 20s I became a little obsessed with that whole era, Sammy Davis Jnr, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe to name but a few.  One of my only regrets is that I didn’t borrow the money for a ticket to see Frank Sinatra live on his final tour at the Albert Hall in 1992.  I recall the tickets were virtually a month’s salary!

So last night I was hoping the performance would capture ‘Essence de Frank’ and transport us back to an era of swing and swoon.

It’s fair to say we all had a swell time but it wasn’t Frank.  I’m not sure if it was the Albert Hall acoustics, or the annoying man further down our row of seats who insisted on “singing” along a few keys out (I guess he may have had ‘a few’ before the late night Prom).  From where we were sitting, I didn’t feel the passion or energy in the performance from the singers.  The orchestra was great but the singers quiet and distant.

However that said, I just may have been grinning for most of it – you can’t help but smile when listening to a bit of Frank.

You can watch the performance on the iPlayer for the next 30 days here (a closer performance that we got from our seats, sadly)

I chose this concert as my Proms No 2 of this season, as I was excited to hear both the Debussy piece and hear Elgar performed in the Albert Hall.

I wasn’t disappointed by the performance one bit.  Well maybe a little but that’s my personal taste as I don’t particularly enjoy Vaughan Williams’ work…

During Debussy, it was evident that the entire audience was hanging on every note.  The flute was played beautifully (I should so pick up my flute and play again).  A true aural treat.  Taken away by the music to places peaceful, graceful and delightfully soft and gentle.

OK so I don’t enjoy Vaughan WIlliams’ work… but hell I can appreciate an incredible performance.  They utilised the entire Albert Hall.  We had the Youth and Boys Choirs together the tenor solo performing from the gallery.  The sound encapsulated the audience with the orchestra and main choir from the stage.  Incredible performance from all.

And finally, but certainly not least, was Elgar’s Symphony No 2.  A piece that carried you along with every note.  Elgar’s wife apparently described this work as ‘vast in design and supremely beautiful’ – I think it sums it up very well.

You can see the entire concert on the BBC for 30 days here

BachTrack Review
Telegraph Review

For those of you not familiar with dance and ballet, Sylvie Guillem is extraordinary.  She has had a long career for more than 30 years and has taken the brave decision to retire at the age of 50.   Her career has been scrutinised within the world of dance and nobody expected her career to last… she had shape, she wasn’t conventional, she used her body in a way that other dancers didn’t, she interpreted the music and created dance, she was probably a nightmare for those trying to recreate a piece… and reviewers and other dancers and choreographers didn’t hold back in criticizing her.  But probably in spite of the comments, she’s bought dance to a different place.  Introduced a new dimension and allowed others to travel that road with her.  She challenged and because of this dance has changed, challenged and stereotypes shattered.

I think the strength of love and respect for Sylvie Guillem was clearly demonstrated in that extra dates have had to be added to her final tour because the tickets sell out instantly.  I missed out on seeing her at Sadlers Wells and as soon as I heard about the extra performance at the Colliseum in London, I messaged an ex-colleague to tell him and ask if he’d like to join me… if I can get tickets. His instant reply “I’m on holiday then.  B***.  But I’ve just come back from Sadlers Wells. Amazing! But we’re so sad. I LOVE her. But – wow – she is awesome. Take a hanky”

A few pictures borrowed from the internet of the performance and which I hope capture the emotion of the stories being delivered through dance.Her final piece was truly emotional.  It was danced, as she always dances, from the heart.  But the quiet dance resonated around the auditorium as the piece ended with her walking through a doorway and looking back at us, one last time.  There were people visibly moved by the performance and I, for one, had a lump in my throat and perhaps something in my eye.

I have no doubt at all that Sylvie will be missed within the world of dance.  However I am absolutely sure that her resolute strength and determination will have opened doors for dancers in years to come.

Good luck Sylvie with the rest of your ‘Life in Progress’.

Guardian review
Independent review
DanceTabs review

Not an empty seat in the Albert Hall this evening for Prom 11 – Fiddler on the Roof the lead performed by Bryn Terfel.

I’ve seen Fiddler on the Roof on stage several times and was intrigued to see how they would perform it on the stage as a Prom.  Remember there’s no real set, no backdrop, no scene changes and a huge audience surrounding the stage.  I wasn’t disappointed.  Bryn, and the supporting cast, together with an incredibly fine orchestra, took the entire audience with them on a journey through the story of Fiddler on the Roof.  The performance had been stripped back to the original script, music and song – perhaps a harsher and more honest version.

A long performance but worthy of much applause.  Even the youngsters a few rows in front of me, up way past their bedtimes, seemed glued to the stage and were also caught up in the story.

You can listen to the performance on the BBC website for a further 30 days here