Last Night of the Proms

I'm here too merlot listening to this beautiful piano piece......

It does indeed mean that summer has ended - but I have recorded most of them and will transfer them to DVD and enjoy them again in the depths of winter.

I loved On the Waterfront the other day by Bernstein - I have the whole programme recorded - magic!

I'm watching too. I love the Proms, but haven't managed to hear as many as I would have liked. I love the Last Night, it reminds me of times spent watching it with my Dad. My Mother and sisters were not so keen. I think I have inherited my Dad's love of classical music and opera.

I love the fact our adult children still watch it and make comments via facebook. It keeps all the memories of watching it as a family alive and kicking.

Jonas Kaufmann is interesting - he has a very "weighty" tenor voice; not what we usually have for Puccini - usually a lighter tenor, but I do like it.

I wish the camera would not keep zooming in on his fillings and his tonsils. I keep shutting my eyes!

Jonas Kaufmann - mmmmm!

Happy memories of our early marriage when as Promenaders we used to lie in the gallery round the very top of the Albert Hall enjoying the heavenly music. Do I feel sad that we won't ever be able to do that again?

Yep

Don't be sad Alea - just be happy that you had that opportunity; and the wonder of television means that we can have concerts in our living room - it is a miracle that I lose myself in every summer - wonderful! I just love it.

My DD and her OH earn their living by putting on 6 outdoor orchestral proms concerts each summer in the grounds of stately homes, with cannons, cavalry displays and amazing fireworks - and a spitfire flypast to music. It has been a real sell-out this year. They had to close the gate when one concert got to 10,000 people - just no more room! My little DGSs love it - they go backstage and see the instruments, and help with laying out/taking down the barriers and the cannons in their little hard hats. So they get to hear the classic last night items like Jerusalem 6 times every year - my 6 year old GS talks very knowledgeably about the classical items and which he prefers - they are very lucky children indeed. They also run a wonderful day folk festival and again the GC meet the performers and help out behind the scenes - they just love it!

That sounds good, Luckygirl, which houses? Any near me?( N. Bucks/
Northants/Beds)
I so agree with the comment about the tonsils and fillings BTW, a visual equivalent of TMI(even Jonas Kaufmann).

Yes - some are near you Alea - I will pm you as I do not want to fall foul of the no advertising rules!

Gosh Luckygirl how lucky are your DGS's? I hope they don't get sucked down into "real life" too soon. I remember my DS and DD climbing around the roof of Truro Cathedral helping their father light concerts there and DS had a great time helping out with the RSC when they were touring there.

I did a lot of catering at the shows, Dame Hylda Brackett was great, and Chumb Wumba (the band that poured water on John Prescott's wife) were lovely people and came back for a chat the next day.

Dh won't let me turn Land of Hope and Glory up loud enough !!!

Ours is up as loud as it will go.

No neighbours

Like hildajenniJ it takes me back to watching it as a youngster with my mum and dad. My father loved classical music especially opera, unusual for a working class Glasgow man in the 1950's.

Not a dry eye in the house!

That's it for another year

The selfie was a great touch.

Loved every minute of it. I sang the Sound of Music songs rather loudly. It is a good job that there was just the dog in the house with me.

My DM had a lovely voice and used to sing around the house - You are my Heart's Delight was one of her favourites.
It was lovely to hear it tonight.

You say that Grannyqueenie but I don't agree that it was necessarily unusual. Classical music didn't always have the "posh" connotations of today. Think of the audiences who used to turn out for the Halle in Manchester or the Glasgow Orpheus Choir or in Wales, those wonderful male voice choirs. My grandparents had a small business but were very ordinary people and on a Sunday evening they would have "musical soir??es"when Granny would play the piano, my Grandpa the cello and my father and his younger brother their wee quarter violins, making music just for the pleasure of it.
Isn't it sad that apart from the Proms, so much classical music attracts the stuffed shirt brigade who don't know a sharp from a hashtag? # or a #

Oh well done GN, "soirees"

Same with DH's family. His father was a miner and had learned to play the piano when he left school to go into service. He discovered he could play a tune from memory and the family he worked for encouraged his ability. By the time he married he could play for family occasions and DH's mother, who had a good singing voice made up the double act. Their love of classical music passed on to DH.

Neither FIL nor MIL could read a note of music and we used to have great fun when they stayed with us and my own mother, who was a retired music teacher, played duets with FIL.

She once said, 'I think we need to go up a key' so he shunted his piano stool to the right!

Hilarious!

What a good speech she made!

Even when my mother and I were regularly going to concerts in the 60's there were a lot of evenings when many of the great and the good were obviously only there to be seen and took not the slightest interest in the music.

One night that really stands out for me was going to see Nigel Kennedy play The Four Seasons shortly after his record came out. I had never heard classical music played with the spontaneity of jazz before . I don't think he would have minded if we'd got up and danced to it! Found he was on Sky Arts today playing it - still brilliant.

Not long home from having sung with a Big Big Sing choir at Proms in the Park at Glasgow Green. I just loved doing it. Still on a huge high. The audience seemed to appreciate our hard work. If a Big Big Sing event takes place near you even if you don't sing go along. You will really enjoy it.

Might have seen you there Frannygranny as we watched the Glasgow bit. I must admit to having uneasy feelings about all the ' patriotic " music and , if you look at them closely, the lyrics . All these white faces singing about how wonderful we are : there was not a single brown or black face to be seen . The last night is a real tradition and enjoyed by many but I feel it is exclusive and not inclusive ( just my personal feelings so hope this does not offend ) . I really liked the fact that Jonas Kauffman could see the funny side of singing Rule Britania and produced his German flag at the end . Did you know that all these thousand of people sing the wrongs words to this every year ? It is not a statement that Britania rules the waves but a command .......Britania rule the waves.
I also love the fact that thosand of Scotls love the pipe tune " Highland Cathedral " ,including me , and probably think it is an old traditional tune. In fact it was composed in 1982 by two Germans for a German Highland Games.

Yes - I think we all know that the patriotic bit is a bit squeam-making - but it is a tradition. And people just like a good sing. The Sound of Music was a fitting antidote.

I loved the conductor's spiel about music being for everyone. I have just finished reading "Instrumental" by concert pianist James Rhodes and that is where he is coming from - with knobs on! I will put my review of it on the book thread - I write the book review for the parish mag (I do one every month) and wondered whether this one would get through the editorial process - but it has!

My dad too loved classical music, he was a ticket collector at Piccadilly railway station when he was demobbed, and he would go to lunchtime concerts at Manchester town hall.
He would sing 'You are my hearts delight' to my mum, and she was always singing around the house too. I suppose the radio was such a large part of their entertainment then.

Jonas Kauffman was lovely last night, and I did smile at him singing Rule Britannia!