The Proms

Do you go? I think I've only ever been to one of them EVER and I can't remember what it was that I saw. Although I've looked at one or two that look pretty good (the one with Berg's Chamber Concert, for example).

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 8 August 2009 10:18 (3 years ago) Permalink

Chamber Concerto, I mean.

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 8 August 2009 10:26 (3 years ago) Permalink

I went to a couple last year; never been before. One was ok - Rite of Spring and some Gershwin - but the other was fantastic, a sing-through of Messaien's St. Francis of Assisi. Seven hours (including a couple of long intervals) of static bird-song religious opera. One of my favourite musical experiences of recent years.

I've meant to go a bit more this year, but have been busy so far. It's an amazing thing really - being able to wander along on a whim and hear all these top-class musicians and orchestras for £5. I don't know classical well enough to figure out what I want/need to hear, but it makes it easy to take a punt and find out about something new/random.

I'm committed to thorough flat-clean tomorrow, but I want to finish in time to make the evening prom, which sounds like the kind of thing I'm talking about. Out of the country for the Berg, sadly.

― woofwoofwoof, Saturday, 8 August 2009 11:57 (3 years ago) Permalink

Yep, I'm heading down for tomorrow night's too, the Antheil should be great fun.

― JimD, Saturday, 8 August 2009 12:26 (3 years ago) Permalink

Although it's a shame Reich's Piano Phase isn't on that programme.

― JimD, Saturday, 8 August 2009 12:27 (3 years ago) Permalink

Have been to quite a few - last year (?) I was in London for a week and saw Rach's Vespers and 3 Bach Cello suites. In the past have seen some Reich, Stravinsky, and some other stuff that isn't springing to mind. If I lived in London I'd go to loads of them.

― toby, Saturday, 8 August 2009 12:50 (3 years ago) Permalink

I go to some every year, yeah. I went to the Purcell Fairy Queen which was a Glyndebourne production, and I'll be going to the Handel Samson and Beethoven Fidelio done by Barenboim.

― Henry Frog (Frogman Henry), Saturday, 8 August 2009 13:13 (3 years ago) Permalink

I go to Proms in the Park every year in Glasgow now, al fresco picnicking while getting a sort of greatest-hits package of some popular classical music. Is fun (and better than the London one, which you have to pay for and end up listening to Barry Manilow instead). I forgot to apply for tickets this year though, so I hope it is wet and miserable.

― ailsa, Saturday, 8 August 2009 13:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

a sing-through of Messaien's St. Francis of Assisi. Seven hours (including a couple of long intervals) of static bird-song religious opera. One of my favourite musical experiences of recent years

Oh yes when I heard about that I kicked myself for one or two weeks after for missing out.

I'll try and make it tomorrow - that's one hell of a programme.

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 8 August 2009 16:10 (3 years ago) Permalink

I used to go quite often, standing and sitting, my dad is a big fan and has been to a number of last nights, always gets the program on the day it comes out and books a bunch of balcony seats for the season. Although it is better since its renovation the RAH is still not a great place to see music, good for spectacle and anything with a choir and organ though. haven't been for a while, though.

― Mornington Crescent (Ed), Saturday, 8 August 2009 16:19 (3 years ago) Permalink

Yes its reputation as a venue has always been put into question by many of the contemporary crowd. At the same time, most of the composers would not run away from a commission.

Of course this is all fine and reasonable as the music does have a life beyond its one Proms appearance (although mostly it will not be in this country)

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 8 August 2009 17:14 (3 years ago) Permalink

Huh. Tonight's Antheil was the lite version, missing most of the things that should've made it great. Pretty disappointing, although the John Adams made up for it.

― JimD, Monday, 10 August 2009 00:58 (3 years ago) Permalink

Yes, I share in the disappointment, what's the point of doing it if you're not gonna give it a good go! Although it did get me thinking there is lots of Americana embedded within this kind of experimental piece that I've never listened to (Virgil Thompson and the like) and should. Second half was much better, especially the Bartok.

DETESTED the Adams I'm afraid - I like my minimalism 70s style (Rzewski, Andriessen, er...'Metal Machine Music')

― xyzzzz__, Monday, 10 August 2009 09:12 (3 years ago) Permalink

When to see Unsuk chin/Ravel/Stravinsky last night.

Unfortunately the former (a piece from a few years ago) is something I'm so predisposed to liking that I'm trying to now resist it...which I was easily able to do, on this occassion. Frankly bored of those samey orchestral deconstructions, Kagel (or Ligeti, with whom she studied with I think) w/out the humour or tactic(s), and the vertigo inducing strings. But also I kept thinking about how a newer piece like this (that shows some of the old-ish techniques now) could only be given applause, but one look at the size of the audience the potential is there for interrogation, although who knows what form that could take...can't help thinking that the booing/polite riot that the Stravinsky could get in the 1910s as a possible.

I just want to be annoyed, dammit.

― xyzzzz__, Friday, 14 August 2009 12:25 (3 years ago) Permalink

Not looked at anything but am going to one or two this year.

So what looks good?

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 7 July 2012 20:55 (10 months ago) Permalink

Tempted by this, very un-Proms like :

Prom 47: Cage Centenary Celebration
Friday 17 August
7.45pm – c. 11.15pm

Cage
1O1 (12 mins)
Cage
Improvisation III (12 mins)
Christian Marclay
Luggage 2012 – improvisation for orchestra (c5 mins)
Cage
Atlas eclipticalis/Winter Music/Cartridge Music (30 mins)
INTERVAL
Cage
Concerto for Prepared Piano and Orchestra (20 mins)
Cage
Four2 (7 mins)
Cage
But what about the noise of crumpling paper ... (15 mins)
Cage
Experiences II (3 mins)
Cage
ear for EAR (Antiphonies) (2 mins)
David Behrman, Takehisa Kosugi, Keith Rowe & Christian Wolff
Quartet – improvisation (c25 mins)
Cage
Branches (20 mins)
John Tilbury piano, prepared piano
Frank Denyer piano
Aki Takahashi piano
Christian Wolff piano
David Behrman live electronics
Takehisa Kosugi live electronics
Keith Rowe
Vicki Bennett
Steve Beresford
Adam Bohman
Jonathan Bohman
John Butcher
Karen Constance
Angharad Davies
Rhodri Davies
Patrick Farmer
Ram Gabay
Christoph Heemann
Lina Lapelyte
John Lely
Anton Lukoszevieze
Dylan Nyoukis
Mariam Rezaei
Robyn Schulkowsky
Dimitra Lazaridou Chatzigoga
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Exaudi
Ilan Volkov conductor
Seats £7.50-£36
Price Band A
Tickets
Promming on the day for £5
Discover the music
More from Radio 3

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Cage
John Tilbury

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About this event
To mark the centenary of John Cage’s birth, Ilan Volkov has curated a programme that reflects the composer’s iconoclastic thinking, fertile imagination and arresting humour.

John Tilbury, who has for decades been associated with Cage’s work tonight plays the exquisitely beautiful Concerto for Prepared Piano and Orchestra. Cassette players and plucked cactuses are just two examples of the blindingly original yet almost naively simple thinking that saw Cage – wittingly or otherwise – upturn practically every musical rule in the book.

― "P"vuh (Matt #2), Saturday, 7 July 2012 22:00 (10 months ago) Permalink

I was at the Cage evening tonight and it was incredible, the second half was one of the most prolongedly beautiful live music experience I've had. For some reason I had never even really considered going to the Proms before someone told me about this evening's lineup, but it's a really nice environment and at £5 I think I'll be trying for a couple more before the end.

― (500) Days of Sodom (Merdeyeux), Saturday, 18 August 2012 01:00 (9 months ago) Permalink

^Second that. And being slap bang in the middle of the arena for once gave you the best "seat" in the house. 'Branches' was astounding.

― Jeff W, Saturday, 18 August 2012 11:46 (9 months ago) Permalink

Great. There is a few John cage concerts lined-up this autumn/winter so gave this one a pass.

Seeing Berg's Violin Concerto sunday after this.

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 18 August 2012 13:10 (9 months ago) Permalink