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.

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laotzu92 · M

In a way it seems a shame that a concert of some kind couldn't have been held, even in an empty auditorium. The Philadelphia Orchestra was right there and its repertory includes pieces which might have been appropriate.
Barber's Adagio for Strings perhaps. I might have followed it with Elgar's First Symphony. To me it conveys the sense of the way the British monarchy and nation continues on, even in adversity.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@laotzu92 Oh, yes, a very good point, including your two suggested pieces; though I'd have wanted the audience there and I expect so would the orchestra. As I said though, I don't know what actually did happen.

That's because the BBC switched all its radio channels to a simultaneous magazine-type programme from the News department not long before the concert was due to start.

I don't know what it did with the TV channels as I have no TV.

From an artistic angle it may have been very difficult to re-arrange the concert anyway. The musicians were all set up, rehearsed, had the music, for what was scheduled. I don't think an orchestra can simply change major choices at the last minute. That they succeeded in playing the Anthem and the Elgar piece as they did is a tribute to their musicianship, but well out of the normal way of working.

Although Queen Elizabeth's death was perhaps not entirely unexpected, I doubt anyone other than her doctors and immediate family could have thought it was so imminent - and even to them it may have much earlier than they thought.

trackboy · 26-30, M

@ArishMell how do you watch the news with no tv? what do you watch movies on?? 🥞

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@trackboy Very easily, though not by "watching" of course!

By listening - The radio for national and international news and analysis.

By reading - Local newspaper for mainly-local news and a few snippets of international reports (via the Press Association).

Though the quality of the paper has dropped since it became part of a national company, and further since that was taken over by some American outfit.

Films? I am not very interested in films. I have a DVD player but its screen (about the size of tablet computer), or even that of he monitor on my PC, does not do a good film justice. If I want to watch a film though, there is a cinema in my own town, and two in another town only ten miles away.

trackboy · 26-30, M

@ArishMell you work on the house and paint the house and replace defective siding on the house while listening to the radio? repair the plumbing while listening to the radio? Dont you want to watch the news on tv and see the pomp and circumstance of the queen's funeral? I love watching movies. A big-budget movie costs $200 million to make and you absorb that money by watching the movie. that is the best way to make money as no matter how many VCRs you repair you are not going to make any money. So our better off watching movies to make money.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@trackboy You are going away from the question!

Absorbing money by sitting around watching a film..... You really think so?

trackboy · 26-30, M

@ArishMell that's the only way to make money. It cost 200 million dollars to make a big-budget movie. no matter how many VCRs you repair you have to pay to work. there are no other jobs other than VCR repair. 🧇

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@trackboy The question, or rather comment, was about the cancellation of this year's Henry Wood Promenade Concerts in London, only two days after the dearth of the Queen.

It was not about making films and mending domestic appliances!

trackboy · 26-30, M

@ArishMell @ArishMell you wanted to know how to make money. 💵

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@trackboy I did not. I had reported on an artistic event.

trackboy · 26-30, M

@ArishMell ohh gets confusing what is on here. 🧇 I love waffeles. here is waffles for you to eat. 🧇🧇🧇🧇🧇