I’m a very happy person tonight. I’ve had my annual top-up of Britishness courtesy of the BBC Proms, specifically the Last Night.
For out multi-national readership, I recommend a visit to The Last Night of the Proms. Choose ‘Listen Online’.
Stiff upper lips and dinner jackets all round - England Expects! (apologies to Firefly)
God Save the Queen!
Apologies accepted and God save Her Majesty.
I quite like the proms, except land of Hope etc…
I quite like the Sea Songs Fantasia but I’m not entirely sure that a cringe-worthy peon to an incompetant Franco-Italian wannabe Prince (the Skye Boat Song) is appropriate. I have to say that I also prefer the Minstrel Boy to Danny Boy, still there’ll be an opportunity to hear that and a very good Brass version of Nimrod from the Cenotaph in a couple of months time.[/i]
I liked the bugles this year that was rather spiffing, what top hole old boy. Also rather liked the new conductor chappie, better than that dour-faced wallah they had last year.
Twas the Yank, Slatkin last year wasn’t it? IIRC he wasn’t all that popular after he changed the entire Last Night programme in 2001 after Sept 11th to a collection of American dirges. A lot of people (myself included, I have to say) thought that that was tantamount to giving a small victory to the terrorists and was curiously contrasting with the mood of tubthumping patriotism that was emanating from the States. I thought that changing the first-half programme to an American theme and including Barbers Adagio at the start of the second half but then following it with the traditional Sea Songs et al would have been a much better way of saying “feck off” to the terrorists.
I noticed that one of this year’s concerts included Elgars Cockaigne (In London Town) as a reference to the July bombings.
I do with the bugger would dress properly though, I mean a blue velvet frock-coat and no tie? On the Last Night? :roll: Standards man, standards!