Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04

Subject: Last Night of The Proms
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 11 Sep 04 - 05:02 PM

Its on now, on BBC Tv, and BBC Radio, if any overseas people want to hear it, go to the bbc Radio 3 website, and click listen online.

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: Fliss
Date: 11 Sep 04 - 05:35 PM

Oh DRAT, Sir jOhn from Hull you beat me to it! Im listening to it as I type and have been preparing a thread to put on.

Ive always liked Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea-Songs. Extra songs have been added recently to reflect the four nations of these Islands.

1 Fanfare - The Saucy Arethusa
2 Tom Bowling
3 The Sailor's Hornpipe: Jack's the Lad
4 Ar hyd y nos (All Through the Night)
5 The Road to the Isles
6 Danny Boy
7 The Rio Grande
8 Home, Sweet Home
9 See the Conqu'ring Hero Comes
10 Rule, Britannia!

The tune I specially like is the first one, which I call Princess Royal.

The Saucy Arethusa
The revised Fantasia begins with a fanfare, leading into the nautical song 'The Saucy Arethusa' by William Shield (1748-1829)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/aboutmusic/wood_fantasia.shtml

The tune appears in Walsh's Complete Dancing Master, circa 1730 as The Princess Royal. The air is attributed to Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738).

www.contemplator.com/sea/arethusa.html


We play the tune Princess Royal in the major key at our sessions. The version used by Shields is in the minor key.

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 11 Sep 04 - 06:41 PM

A good night, John! I taped it. Though frantically searching for the lyrics to Jerusalem made me aware of not being British after all.

But why, oh why did it have to be Danny Boy??? And Road to the Isles??? (I actually prefer the parody the Corries did of the latter!)

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 03:40 AM

I switched on just in time to hear Barbara Dickson singing the ' Eriskay Love Lilt ' and James Gallway playing a couple of tunes on the tin whistle and ' Brian Borughs March ' on the flute, quite good
but the so called ' English ' bits were horrendous.

eric

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: Sooz
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 04:23 AM

Flicked about between the interactive options so much that we actually saw very little! Put the remote down though for Pomp and Circumstance and Jerusalem.

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 04:35 AM

Couldn't get the tv picture at all last night but managed to listen to some on radio 3.

I think the high spot for me was some barritone (I think - seemed lower) Sir somone (and no not JFH) doing Oh What A Beautiful Morning, a song from Oklahoma.

I missed the end of the concert but I enjoyed what I heard. I gather it's to be the last one with that American conductor (again I can't think of a name - Slack?). Shame... I think he relates well with the audience.

Jon

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: treewind
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 04:41 AM

Leonard Slatkin, outgoing chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. It seems like only last week he started in that post.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 05:29 AM

Yep that's the man! Maybe it's just me but it think he has done a great job on the proms (probably the only time I'd likely to listen to classical music). What I've liked is the way he seems to get the audience involved. Maybe he only lifts 5% of the crowd by 5% in terms of singing but when you put that in terms of the magnitutude of the event, that extra contribution is considerable and I suspect I'm being rather mean with my 5% estimates.

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 05:31 AM

probably the only time I'd likely to listen to classical music

On tv that is.

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: Travelling Audience
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 07:00 AM

No, it doesn't seem four years since Leonard Slatkin took over conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. It would be good to have the previous conductor back from America....(can't remember his name). I think he went to conduct the Philadelphia Ochestra. Anyway we enjoyed listening from the Oklahoma song..that is when we switched on. What a brilliant atmosphere to be in if you were there at The Albert Hall, OR any of the venues..... singing The Rio Grande, Jerusalem etc.

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: Fliss
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 10:16 AM

Danny BOy is a beautiful song I love singing it... but for many its been spoilt by memories of drunks on a friday night tenor warbling trying to scrape to the high note!

Anyway its a compromise from lots of other beautiful Irish songs which wouldnt have been PC.

I took an Irish friend to Warwich festival and she was ok until the crowd started on Rule Britannia. Until then she thought we were rather staid lot! She felt a little awkward surrounded by Brits as I did in Ireland recently in the midst of a crowd of people singing very rebel songs. Usually it doesnt bother me at all.

f

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: treewind
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 12:38 PM

I tuned in part way through and missed Danny boy. Ironic they should represent Ireland with it - the song was written by an Englishman.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Last Night of The Proms - on BBC Now 11Sep04
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 12 Sep 04 - 05:59 PM

It isn't that I dislike Danny Boy as a song, but like some other songs it is usually terminally sentimentalized. Also, I thought not using some other titles missed a chance to get away from stereotyping Irish (Scottish, Welsh, English) folk songs and make people aware that other songs exist.

BTW, the baritone was Sir Thomas Allen - very good, I thought, and a change from the usual soprano!