Tír Na HiFi

I am now in countdown mode for the start of the BBC Proms. As I do every year I have planned to attend approximately 10 concerts.

I will be attending the first night on Friday which celebrates British music with a conveyor belt of redoubtable conductors - Edward Gardner, Roger Norrington, Mark Elder and Martyn Brabbins.

Following that I will be going the following Monday to enjoy John Adams conducting his own City Noir. He will also accompnay Imogen Cooper in the great Ravel G major concerto (one of my favourites). He will also bash through Roman Festivals. It seems like a fun programme.

I will post my other scheduled concerts after I have digested the above....

Great stuff Darren....I am sure that you will enjoy every one of them!

The First Night was a mixed bag and I'm not sure, overall, that it worked.

The Turnage opener was a ultratypical Proms opener - punchy and to the point (will I ever hear it again?)
Elgar's Cockaigne with Norrington lacked something in the slower sections, which felt too laboured
Delius' Sea Drift with Bryn Terfel and Elder meandered far too much for my taste - the recording I own is much better
Tippett's suite was the highlight for me - Brabbins conducting expertly
Elgar's Coronation Ode started well, but the piece seems to lack coherence and some of the sentiments seem ridiculous nowadays (conducted by Ed Gardner)

Oh well...

Perhaps you are becoming too knowledgeable and therefore more critical as the years go on Darren.

I am sure that there will be better concerts ahead for you.

I watched it on TV Darren and frankly found it hard to become gripped...

Jared wrote:I watched it on TV Darren and frankly found it hard to become gripped...

Any remarks on the BBC's presentation this year Jared? I rarely watch Proms on TV but am aware there is some concern of the quality of the TV output...

bombasticDarren wrote:

Jared wrote:I watched it on TV Darren and frankly found it hard to become gripped...

Any remarks on the BBC's presentation this year Jared? I rarely watch Proms on TV but am aware there is some concern of the quality of the TV output...

what, besides not particularly being a fan of Katie Dereham?

Nothing struck me particularly? what have poeple been saying?

Jared wrote:

bombasticDarren wrote:

Jared wrote:I watched it on TV Darren and frankly found it hard to become gripped...

Any remarks on the BBC's presentation this year Jared? I rarely watch Proms on TV but am aware there is some concern of the quality of the TV output...

what, besides not particularly being a fan of Katie Dereham?

Nothing struck me particularly? what have poeple been saying?

It's the same comments every year - a sychophantic attitude, reluctance to offer anything other than gushing praise, presenters bereft of the required 'knowledge'.

bombasticDarren wrote:It's the same comments every year - a sychophantic attitude, reluctance to offer anything other than gushing praise, presenters bereft of the required 'knowledge'.

absolutely, and I put this primarily down to Katie Dereham I'm afraid.. prior to her showing on Maestro a couple of years ago, she admitted to having only a cursory knowledge of CM (from her very middle class background) and yet 12 months on, became the face of the BBC Proms on TV. She asks no searching questions, her research into each piece is really coffee table at best and whilst she no doubt appeals to the army of Daily Mail readers, couldn't hold a candle to Suzy Klein for knowledge, and yet the latter appears to be side-lined out, because she's not as physically attractive in the conventional sense...

I therefore agree with those sentiments entirely.

Jared wrote:

bombasticDarren wrote:It's the same comments every year - a sychophantic attitude, reluctance to offer anything other than gushing praise, presenters bereft of the required 'knowledge'.

absolutely, and I put this primarily down to Katie Dereham I'm afraid.. prior to her showing on Maestro a couple of years ago, she admitted to having only a cursory knowledge of CM (from her very middle class background) and yet 12 months on, became the face of the BBC Proms on TV. She asks no searching questions, her research into each piece is really coffee table at best and whilst she no doubt appeals to the army of Daily Mail readers, couldn't hold a candle to Suzy Klein for knowledge, and yet the latter appears to be side-lined out, because she's not as physically attractive in the conventional sense...

I therefore agree with those sentiments entirely.

I think that it is a real shame that Suzy Klein has been ostracised. The woman's appearance should not come into it. Katie Derham is easy on the eye, but at times, is painful to listen to, it's best to press the "mute" button when she's on.
I can't understand BBC TV's approach to the Proms, they seem to be ashamed to take it seriously and want to "dumb down" all the broadcasts whilst Radio 3 is magnificent by comparison. Why don't they just move if off to BBC 4 and broadcast all of the Proms on that channel?