No Last Night Of The Proms
For obvious reasons.
The 2022 season of the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, that is; the world's largest international festival of Classical, "classical" and light music, hosted by BBC Radio Three and centred in the Royal Albert Hall. Indeed the world's largest festival of any musical genre.
When the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced on Thursday evening the audience and the Philadelphia Orchestra were already in the Hall. If they did perform the full set - works by Barber, Coleman (a 1st UK performance piece) and Beethoven - it was not broadcast, but the orchestra gave their own tribute by starting with the UK's National Anthem then the sublime Nimrod theme from Elgar's Enigma Variations.
That was recorded, and broadcast yesterday (Friday) evening.
However both the Friday concert, also by the Philadelphia Orchestra, and tonight's "Last Night" were both cancelled.
I did wonder if that might happen. The usual, exuberant Last Night, in which a set of "serious" works is followed by a rousing musical party, would not have been appropriate; but it is very hard to think how it might have been replaced, even if was felt some sort of performance would have been right.
'''''
I didn't know what Radio Three is broadcasting instead, but at nearly 7pm, I switched on part-way through a lively movement of what sounded to me like a Classical or classical-style sonata. It turned out to be the last part of Schubert's Trout Quintet, a live recording, in a programme of recordings of music relevant in one way or another to the late Queen and her reign.
Next piece up, Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks - written originally for a much happier celebration - so not all the music is sombre by any means.
We have been told one of the programme's guests will be the composer Judith Weir, appointed by the Queen as 'Master of the Queen's Music'. (She has been asked about that title, and has said she is perfectly happy with it.) She is of course now, Master of the King's Music.
The 2022 season of the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, that is; the world's largest international festival of Classical, "classical" and light music, hosted by BBC Radio Three and centred in the Royal Albert Hall. Indeed the world's largest festival of any musical genre.
When the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced on Thursday evening the audience and the Philadelphia Orchestra were already in the Hall. If they did perform the full set - works by Barber, Coleman (a 1st UK performance piece) and Beethoven - it was not broadcast, but the orchestra gave their own tribute by starting with the UK's National Anthem then the sublime Nimrod theme from Elgar's Enigma Variations.
That was recorded, and broadcast yesterday (Friday) evening.
However both the Friday concert, also by the Philadelphia Orchestra, and tonight's "Last Night" were both cancelled.
I did wonder if that might happen. The usual, exuberant Last Night, in which a set of "serious" works is followed by a rousing musical party, would not have been appropriate; but it is very hard to think how it might have been replaced, even if was felt some sort of performance would have been right.
'''''
I didn't know what Radio Three is broadcasting instead, but at nearly 7pm, I switched on part-way through a lively movement of what sounded to me like a Classical or classical-style sonata. It turned out to be the last part of Schubert's Trout Quintet, a live recording, in a programme of recordings of music relevant in one way or another to the late Queen and her reign.
Next piece up, Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks - written originally for a much happier celebration - so not all the music is sombre by any means.
We have been told one of the programme's guests will be the composer Judith Weir, appointed by the Queen as 'Master of the Queen's Music'. (She has been asked about that title, and has said she is perfectly happy with it.) She is of course now, Master of the King's Music.
