The World's Largest Annual Music Festival Started Tonight!
The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts that is: several weeks of a huge range of mainly-orchestral music from the Baroque via Classical, Romantic and Modern to Contemporary (including premieres of new works).
When impresario Robert Newman established these annual concert seasons in the 1890s he engaged Henry Wood as conductor, and Wood seubsequently continued them until his death in 1944. By then he had modified the original repertoires of "classical" (including Classical of course) and popular music to fully classical.
Sir Henry Wood's name became attached in his honour.
They are now hosted by the BBC, centred on the Royal Albert Hall but with satellite concerts elsewhere in Britain, broadcast on Radio Three and BBC 2 (TV); and have reverted to some extent to the original mix of "classical" and "popular". Peculiar terminology I agree as there is no reason for "classical music" not to be popular, and indeed it is.
The "popular" is arranged for orchestras and professional singers, though I was rather surprised that as a First Night encore they performed Oasis' Wonderwall; but only because it was England's World Cup chant. (Does anyone know what the title means? Did Noel Gallagher take it from a novel or something?)
While tomorros (Saturday's) Prom is dedicated to arrangements of Progressive Rock, and the list in the Radio Times gives titles new to me. Though I see one or two familiar to me, such as Peter Hamill's Refugees (first on Van der Graff Generator's The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other album).
In previous years we've had individual Prom concerts dedicated to soul music and the wealth of symphonic music now composed for films and video games. The bulk of the concerts are still devoted to "classical" music though. Not "pop".
Newmans' and Wood's aim was to present as wide as possible a range of high-quality music to as many people as possible, helped especially in the early days by low ticket prices. (Even now the cheapest Royal Albert Hall ticket for a Prom is only £8... I bet the interval drinks cost approaching that, in London!)
I think the Proms continue that objective in fine style and long may they do so!
When impresario Robert Newman established these annual concert seasons in the 1890s he engaged Henry Wood as conductor, and Wood seubsequently continued them until his death in 1944. By then he had modified the original repertoires of "classical" (including Classical of course) and popular music to fully classical.
Sir Henry Wood's name became attached in his honour.
They are now hosted by the BBC, centred on the Royal Albert Hall but with satellite concerts elsewhere in Britain, broadcast on Radio Three and BBC 2 (TV); and have reverted to some extent to the original mix of "classical" and "popular". Peculiar terminology I agree as there is no reason for "classical music" not to be popular, and indeed it is.
The "popular" is arranged for orchestras and professional singers, though I was rather surprised that as a First Night encore they performed Oasis' Wonderwall; but only because it was England's World Cup chant. (Does anyone know what the title means? Did Noel Gallagher take it from a novel or something?)
While tomorros (Saturday's) Prom is dedicated to arrangements of Progressive Rock, and the list in the Radio Times gives titles new to me. Though I see one or two familiar to me, such as Peter Hamill's Refugees (first on Van der Graff Generator's The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other album).
In previous years we've had individual Prom concerts dedicated to soul music and the wealth of symphonic music now composed for films and video games. The bulk of the concerts are still devoted to "classical" music though. Not "pop".
Newmans' and Wood's aim was to present as wide as possible a range of high-quality music to as many people as possible, helped especially in the early days by low ticket prices. (Even now the cheapest Royal Albert Hall ticket for a Prom is only £8... I bet the interval drinks cost approaching that, in London!)
I think the Proms continue that objective in fine style and long may they do so!
