LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS (Royal Albert Hall)****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000mmxk/bbc-proms-2020-last-night-of-the-proms

Available until: 11^th October 2020

I can’t ever remember not watching the Last Night of the Proms. It’s actually not my favourite prom as a lot of it is the same every year so it’s not quite as exciting as the more unexpected programmes, but it’s part of the experience and I wouldn’t ever want it to stop happening.

It very nearly didn’t happen this year. We all know why. And that made the Last Night extra special this year. The coronavirus has stopped so many things, but it didn’t stop the Last Night of the Proms.

It was different in some ways. There were no prommers. No audience, apart from presenter Katie Derham, her two guests, Reverend Richard Coles and Adjoa Andoh, the celebrities watching on Zoom (including Lesley Garrett and David James so it’s a four-contestant treat for Strictly fans) and the audiences watching on socially-distanced chairs in the park.

It didn’t feel weird. Maybe we’re all used to concerts without an audience – which is sad because it’s been going on so long, but also a good thing because it shows we’re adapting and finding positives in the new normal. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Dalia Strasevka, were spaced out around the enlarged stage, but the musicians didn’t seem isolated and they still sounded wonderful. They opened the concert beautifully with the overture to Le nozze di Figaro. The BBC Singers also featured, socially-distanced but still sounding strong together in Rule Britannia.

The Albert Hall looked beautiful. It was bathed in a dark blue light and the extended stage is covered in triangles in different shades of blue. It looks a bit like twilight. The whole evening was quite poignant, but it was more like a celebration of what we could do than a lament for what we couldn’t.

The guest singer this year was soprano Golda Schultz. She really showed her versatility tonight, singing Susanna’s Deh vieni, non tardar from Le nozze di Figaro, Morgen by Richard Strauss, The Glamorous Life from A Little Night Music (one of two pieces from this musical to celebrate the 90^th birthday of Stephen Sondheim) and You’ll Never Walk Alone, from Carousel, the Kop, or wherever you happen to know it from. Golda Schultz sang beautifully in all the different styles and I’m sure Imogen and Aashiq want to borrow her dresses.

The Prom included a world premiere - Solus by Andrea Tarrodi. The orchestral work tells the story of COVID-19, with the virus starting in the drums and gradually spreading through the orchestra and filling the room, but it does end on a feeling of hope. There were also short musical performances from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. I thought this was a lovely addition to the Prom and I would like to see this every year.

The Fantasia on British Sea Songs, Pomp and Circumstance, Jerusalem and the National Anthem were there too. Even though they are played every year, they are all still great pieces of music. This is a bit sentimental, but it felt like every song meant a little bit more than usual because we came so close to not having a Last Night at all. I also noticed that a lot of the music in tonight’s programme was about looking forward to a better future. The music expressed the idea in many different ways about many different situations and I thought this was really good because it meant you could think about better futures if you wanted to, but the music is good enough and varied enough to be just a great concert if you don’t want to get too deep about it.

Other people might have missed the prommers and the applause more than I did and I really hope they are back next year because so many people love that part of the Proms, but I thought it was a really lovely concert and I enjoyed it very much.