The Proms

I first attended a Prom at the age of 13 - it was a Tchaikovsky night full of popular stuff as I wasn't too au fait with much classical music at that age - and I loved it.  From the age of 15 I had a season ticket and went to practically every single concert. I had a Saturday job at the time which helped fund this and it was worth every penny as my musical education took place at the Albert Hall.  My lifelong love of Beethoven started here as each Friday night was Beethoven night; we had  Gilbert & Sullivan night and a Viennese night all great fun, Glyndbourne opera used to put on a semi staged performance of one of their operas in their repertoire that year (I still remember a radiant Elizabeth Soderstrom performing the Letter Scene in the night they did Eugene Onegin which still remains one of my favourite operas); Solti came and conducted a concert performance of  Rheingold with four percussionists hammering away at anvils at the back of the stage for the descent into Neibelheim; I heard my first Gerontius with Richard Lewis singing and Sir Malcolm Sargent conducting; was there for the first performance of Shostakovitch's Fifth symphony in this country conducted by Leopold Stokowski; was thrilled to the marrow by the sounds of the trumpets ringing around the Hall in a performance of the Verdi Requiem; introduced to Mahler by a sublime performance conducted by Haintink; watched performers such as John Lill, Shura Cherkassky, Joshua Bell, Rostropovitch, Janet Baker, Joan Sutherland....the list is endless.

I am writing at length because I wish you all to knbow just how much my musical life has been bound up with the Proms and how much I love them, but and there is a but I find myself agreeing with quite a lot of what has been written in a post over on one of my favourite blogs Gertsamtkunstwerk.  The lady who writes this blog is witty, amusing and holds very strong opinions about music and, in particular, opera. She is a huge fan of Domingo and has been to far more opera performances than I have, she is years younger than me and it is highly unlikely that we share the same political ideals. But I always enjoy reading her blog and her trenchant views.   I could take issue with some of her comments on the Proms, but it would be nit picking as, essentially, I think she is right.  However, I must mention in response to her comment about those people who 'always go to the Last Night of the Proms' as if they were going to Henley or Ascot or part of the season, drive the regular prommers barmy. Whatever you may think of the front row of the prommers in the arena (more of that in a minute), most of those crowded into the Albert Hall on the last Saturday have attended many many concerts, if not all and they deserve to be there. They have earned their place and resent very much the 'in crowd' who just turn up and hijack the last night with their flags draped over their boxes.  You have to attend four concerts, I think, before you can apply for tickets to the last night but that is a drop in the ocean compared to those who come to most of the season.

OK now back to the front row and I am speaking with the voice of experience here having been part of that group.   Huge fun being at the front and being so close to the artistes, the orchestra and the action but there is a pecking order and woe betide you if you sit or stand in  somebody else's place.  I remember doing that one year, when I had been attending for some time, and got a blast that sent me reeling.  I have witnessed so many squabbles and arguments between the Regulars and the Newcomers who arrive and, quite rightly, think they can move forward and watch the concert. Wrong.  I decamped after one season back to the third or fourth row and stood at the left hand side on the violin section where I remained for the rest of my promming days.  If somebody happened to be in the spot I used, well no matter, I moved three or four feet somewhere else.   So be warned if you are thinking of promming, don't think you will be given a warm welcome by the Regulars - you won't.

Then there is the dressing up at the front and the behaviour which is all a bit silly and pathetic considering most of those on the front row won't see forty again.   The BBC are always going on about how the proms are for young people, so how come we don't see any of them? Because the Regulars hog their places and make sure they don't have a chance of being near the front.that is why.  The antics of some of the Regulars on the last night drives me demented.  This year we didn't have the Henry Wood Sea Songs but they were played at an earlier concert and, as usual, when the cellist is playing the beautiful solo of Tom Bowling, all those in the front row whip out hankies and pretend to weep and cry into them, causing their sycophantic friends to laugh and thus ruin the mood.  This year they had them all on a long string which they whipped out and passed along.   Somebody had spent time doing that - unbelievable.

I love the Last Night - it is enormous fun and it is, or at least the second half, a party to have a laugh, let you hair down and celebrate what is a simply wonderful music festival.  Sadly, this last night is seen as representative of the Prommers and the Proms as a whole which is a huge shame and every year we get comments and snide letters in the Radio Times about it all.  While part of me agrees with these comments, the other half wants to say Oh Lighten up.   If you have stood through two months of music, paid attention, which prommers do, to all the music the proms has to offer, then you are entitled to a little fun, but sadly what you, as a member of the In Crowd, may think is wildly witty and amusing, merely looks silly and childish to others.  Might be worth remembering.

As a final note, I will disagree with Gertsamtkunstwerk on one thing - Renee Fleming.   She sang five songs by Richard Strauss in the first half and they were quite sublime. The first one was called Seduction and left me in a heap by the time she had finished.   In the second half she sang an aria from Dalibor and Dvorak's Song to the Moon from Rusalka, usually a show off piece for a soprano, but she sang it seriously and I have never heard it sung so beautifully.   She made a slightly ill advised little speech saying How Wonderful you all are etc which I could have done without but overall, I thought her performance was magical.  Not sure about her hat in Rule Brittania though......

Bud despite all the above and all the caveats, I love the Proms, always have and always will. They have been part of my life and will remain so.

Comments

[musicals for primary school children]

I love the proms! Great post...

[Thomas at My Porch]

I just finished listening to the Last Night online so I was very interested to read this post. I loved reading about your own history at the Proms. You must have heard so many wonderful things.

Back in 1992 I was working in London and got a half season ticket for the arena. In that relatively short time it was amazing how much great music I heard (and how many wonderful artists and orchestras). I looked forward to the last night with more than a little anticipation. I got in line at about 6 AM and was happy to be about four rows from the stage. Thankfully I didn't run into any problems with the regulars. I knew it was night for hi-jinks, but I didn't realize the extent to which the music would be "ruined" by those hi-jinks. It annoyed the heck out of me until I realized that the last night wasn't necessarily the night for serious listening. (It still annoyed me, but I realized I was probably in the minority and who was I to say anyhing.)

I am not a fan of Ms. Fleming and hearing her at the Proms did nothing to change my mind.