MUSIC.
BBC
Proms time again.
Which means lots more of Katie Derham. Hurray!
We watched the concert
celebrating John
Williams' 85th Birthday and
were reminded once more that even the foremost composer of film music
in the world is sometimes better heard when accompanied by screen
images to divert attention from lengthy periods of pedestrian
background music that are inevitable at film composer concerts.
No
pictures at the Albert Hall, of course, just the orchestra. But
Indiana
Jones and
Jaws
and
Raiders
of the Lost Ark and
Schindler's
List and
ET
and Harry
Potter were
all in the programme and we loved it.
The man really is a genius,
isn't he?
We also saw maestro Daniel Barenboim, who conducted the
Staatskapelle Berlin, give what seemed to me to be a well-meaning,
innocuous, little speech linking Elgar and Brexit. This affronted
Spectator
journalist Douglas Murray and a few other right (wing) thinking
scribblers on-line.
Bravo Barenboim!
Let's never outlaw freedom of
speech, eh?
That impeccable gentleman Bernard Haitink was back, too.
He conducted a Chamber Orchestra of Europe programme: symphonies by
Mozart and Schumann, along with a beautiful rendition of
Mozart's Violin Concerto No.3 by
Isabelle Faust.
Yes, the Proms looks good this year, even if I do
have to be vigilant not to be taken in by increasing efforts to
persuade me that 'modern,' or 'advanced,' music has to be given a
hearing. I have tried, but even the most revered of those discordant
composers puts my teeth on edge.
Walton's
Facade,
described as 'modern,' is an eminent exception: I certainly enjoyed
those quirky excerpts from it played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at
Sir
Malcolm Sargent's 500th Prom celebration.
The entire programme, from Sir Henry Wood's arrangement of The
National Anthem, to
the Schumann
Piano Concerto, played
by Italian pianist Beatrice Rana, through to Britten's The
Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, was
music to my ears
and
the conductor, avuncular Sir Andrew Davis (pictured), was a joy to watch.
Right
now I am sitting here with my Leader's The
Hollies 20 Golden Greats CD
playing on the music centre.
The opening lines of I
can't tell the bottom from the top have
me
close to tears. Silly old fool.
But they were a great group at their
best (the times when Allan Clarke was lead vocalist) and I can
understand why Mo rated them so highly.
TELEVISION.
Repetition
and a bit of bunkum.
Along with the usual crop of repeated repeats: Morse,
Lewis,
Endeavour, Foyle, Midsomer Murders,Vera and
Wycliffe,
we are currently enjoying (currently on Sunday afternoons) a re-run
of the entire Harry
Potter film
series (four down, four to go).
Room 101: Extra Storage is
much in evidence, too, and Would
I Lie To You?
Ripper Street has
gone forever, hardly a spoiler to reflect: 'not very happily.'
But
Game of Thrones is
back. It has a new follow-up programme, too: Thronecast,
led by Sue Perkins.
Seen it? I have. It's bunkum.
Whether or not you
have already seen them, do watch the Potter films, though.
They're
great.
That's it for the time being.
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