Proms 2023

[fimm]

Sounds quite plausible. I've never played in an orchestra - my experience is mostly a monastic existence as a pianist, and singing in a choir. I've also got some limited experience playing in recorder consorts.

I was tempted to make an attempt at a joke about Beethoven being too modern for your tastes ;-)

It's not the first time I've seen it with horns, but I can't say I've noticed with other instruments.

I think trumpets may do it sometimes but less commonly than horns. It allows the 1st horn to rest up before solos, I think.

I think yesterday's contrabassoonist was playing a normal bassoon in the first three movements.

It is very common for woodwind instrumentalists to swap between their usual instrument and the larger/smaller version. Although, according to the score, a copy of which I have in front of me (inherited from my grandfather), there should be two bassoons and a contrabassoon, with the contrabassoon playing only plying in the last movement (same for the piccolo, 3 percussionists and the 3 trombones. The trombonists have a particularly hard job, as they have to sit around doing nothing for three and a half movements and then come in with very exposed parts to the words "Seid umschlungen, Millionen".)

[Wowbagger]

The BBC headlines tonight's prom as being "The Enigma Variations". What they fail to mention is that, immediately before the interval, there is a performance of Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto, which knocks spots of Elgar any day. I think the 3rd is possibly his best concerto. I think most people would choose the 5th, the "Emperor", but I think that's the one I like the least. It always sounds a bit overblown to me.

[phantasmagoriana]

They're playing my favourite symphony tonight! (Shostakovich's 5th)

[andrewc]

Tonights Prom is Orfful....... 

[Wowbagger]

I haven't listened yet.

[Wowbagger]

Mendelssohn's "Elijah" this evening. I think I ought to listen, but I don't rate it as highly as some people do. He gives the impression of trying to be Bach or Handel, and it just isn't up to the same standard. I've sung in it a couple of times.

[Wowbagger]

I don't know if this is a first, but there's a prom from Aberystwyth this afternoon, at 2pm. It's a load of madrigals from a Very Long Time ago, which I shall enjoy a lot.

[Wowbagger]

An all-Russian programme tonight: Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 played by Isata Kanneh-Mason, followed by Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony.

The Prokofiev concerti are notoriously difficult and are therefore quite often played by virtuosos in the major piano competitions.

[Mr Larrington]

Professor L and Dr Davis are going to this one.

[Arminius]

When we were rehearsing for our performance of the 9th symphony at college (1974 - the 150th anniversary of its first performance), I'm sure we were told that this was the first occasion that any composer had scored a symphony for 4 horns. I'm pretty sure I've counted 5 playing tonight...

5 horns playing 4 horn parts is normal, I thought. The fifth is an extra first horn - they call it "bumping" first. Source, my sister, who played (maybe still plays, sometimes, though I think one of her children has her horn now).
(I'm doubting myself a little, as you are obviously very knowledgeable about music, Wowbagger. But I'm pretty sure I'm right.)

As a horn player, I can confirm. No idea why it's called 'bumping', but it can be a lifeconcert-saver if it's a heavy program.

[Wowbagger]

I think tomorrow night's prom (Dunedin Consort, John Butt, Mozart, Bach) is probably my pick of this year's bunch. Mozart's C minor mass is, I think, his best choral work, and the soprano solo, where she sings Christe Eleison, is sublime, a soaringly glorious melody which is actually a big challenge to many sopranos because she starts so low. Wolfgang wrote it for his wife, Constanze, who had a big range.

[Wowbagger]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcfour

I've not heard of the extraordinary soloist in this performance of Mozart's 4th horn concerto before.

PS. That's the current programme - the Mozart is 20 minutes in. I'll try to remember to link to the iplayer version when it's available.

[hellymedic]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcfour

I've not heard of the extraordinary soloist in this performance of Mozart's 4th horn concerto before.

PS. That's the current programme - the Mozart is 20 minutes in. I'll try to remember to link to the iplayer version when it's available.

Felix is full-time with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and has featured in interviews elsewhere on the BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-66334737

Germany seems to excel in advancing determined musicians. 

[Wowbagger]

Felix Klieser on iplayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001pnnk/bbc-proms-2023-felix-klieser-plays-mozart-at-the-proms