The 2012 Proms season

[french frank]

As last year, I've started a special board for the Proms (programme to be launched today). However, I would propose that as the scope of the Performance board is now principally aimed at the evening concert and live performance, discussion about individual concerts should remain there, with a formula title: PROM 1: Toscanini, Brahms, Strauss, NBC SO (no that's not a prediction!)

General discussion not related to concerts/recitals and information point can be here. Thoughts?

[Alison]

Sounds eminently sensible, Frankie.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Seconded.

[amateur51]

Sounds eminently sensible, Frankie.

I'd expect nothing else - thirded!

[french frank]

Well, yes and no . I have just drawn my own attention to the fact that the Proms board still exists from last year, moved down the display list. I've renamed that 'Proms 2011' and moved the threads with useful information up to the 2012 thread.

[amateur51]

Well, yes and no . I have just drawn my own attention to the fact that the Proms board still exists from last year, moved down the display list. I've renamed that 'Proms 2011' and moved the threads with useful information up to the 2012 thread.

Well all that remains is for the Proms 2012 programme to justify all this preparation ... when's the launch due?

[french frank]

Aujourd'hui, as I understand. No? If not, I'll dismantle it all and set it up again when the time comes.

(You know what it was like when they changed the clocks ... . I thought there wasn't much excitement ...)

[Hornspieler]

Is it the centenary of Pierre Boulez's birth?
Do we have to have Beethoven symphonies two-at-a-time in chronological order?

Looking at the first 14 days of the 2012 season, I despair.

The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts are a British institution. Where are all the British composers whose works are ignored year after year?

Maybe it would be worth trying French Radio (RTF) and Deutsch Rundfunk for those weeks!

HS

[EdgeleyRob]

The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts are a British institution. Where are all the British composers whose works are ignored year after year?

A question I seem to ask myself every year!

[John Skelton]

The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts are a British institution. Where are all the British composers whose works are ignored year after year?

Well they weren't ever a festival of British music, that I can see from the archive (there may have been more music by British composers in the past. Much of it new at the time, of course).

1912 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1910s/1912 (what a lot of Wagner!)

1922 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1920s/1922

1932 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1930s/1932

1942 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1940s/1942 (still quite a lot of Wagner! And lots of Beethoven)

1952 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1950s/1952

1962 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1960s/1962 (Pierre Boulez - Le marteau sans maître!) And Roberto Gerhard. Now there's a composer who could do with some current Proms exposure. An interesting season in many ways.

1972 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1970s/1972

1982 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1980s/1982 (The Trojans, as this year). Le marteau sans maître - keeps cropping up! Tippett Piano Concerto, Birtwistle, Triumph of Time ... Daniel Jones, Sinfonietta no. 1. Boulez, Répons (he really does do well: just 3 works by Nono in the history of the Proms, 1 by Sciarrino, 0 by Lachenmann).

1992 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/1990s/1992 More Roberto Gerhard, James Dillon's ignis noster ... Bruno Maderna, Grande aulodia .

2002 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/search/2000s/2002 (Roberto Gerhard was rather popular with the BBC).

Were "The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts" ever "a British institution"? other than being in London and the stuff on the Last Night?