Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #40 (Joshua Bell and the Academy of St Martins in the Fields)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 12th August (Sunday), 4:00pm
Seats: Promming (Arena)

Performers: Joshua Bell (violin/director), orchestra of Academy of St Martins in the Fields

Program: A Midsummer Night’s Dream - overture (Mendelssohn), Violin Concerto no. 3 in B minor (Saint-Saens), Lament (Bridge), Symphony No. 4 in B flat major (Beethoven)

Notes: I really wanted to attend this concert, Joshua Bell being such a brilliant and famous violinist. He even plays a 1713 Huberman Stradivarius! The Mendelssohn was really lovely, as most I did know it already, but I was most looking forward to the Saint-Saens. I wasn’t familiar with that concerto but it was phenomenal! Joshua Bell is simply the most talented violinist I’ve ever seen, he was so great!

The second half the Lament was nice, interestingly it was composed for the Lusitania which sunk in 1915. I stayed sitting for that one because I wasn’t quick enough to stand up. The Beethoven was really interesting to watch. Joshua Bell was not only the soloist, but is the musical director for Academy of St Martins in the Field, and he also leads the orchestra. It was really fascinating to watch him not only play the symphony but also to lead the orchestra, sometimes while not playing and sometimes not playing little sections to better conduct the orchestra. I think it worked very well and the orchestra was amazingly well together.

Our second Prom, and in as many days! It was nice to be back up in the Gallery again.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #38 (West Side Story)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 11th August (Saturday), 3:30pm
Seats: Promming (Arena)

Performers: Mikaela Bennett (Maria), Ross Lekites (Tony), Eden Espinosa (Anita), Leo Roberts (Riff), Gina Marco Schiaretti (Bernardo), Jack North (Baby John), Michael Colbourne (Diesel), Fra Fee (A-Rab), Phil Barnett (Officer Krupke), Louise Alder (soprano - Somewhere), Shark Girls, Jet Boys, Students from ArtsEd and Mountview

Notes: This year we had less Proms on our list of concerts we wanted to go to, so this is our first one this year! Bernstein is one of the featured composers at the Proms this year and the first concert of this concert version of West Side Story.

West Side Story is a show which I was introduced to at about 15. I attended National Youth Camp in Canberra in 2005, and the symphony orchestra I got into performed the orchestral suite from the musical. Everyone given at the camp was given an option at the movie night early on - watch Psycho (which the chamber orchestra was playing the orchestral suite for) or West Side Story. Obviously I chose the better option! Since then I’ve seen it quite a few times and developed a great fondness for the music.

This version was a concert version, so it had no real staging and a stage only a few metres wide. They did a few things to place people in different parts of the stage (like Maria higher up for the parts when she was on a balcony, and arranging people on different parts of the stage for the Tonight medley) but there was no dancing, which I thought was a bit of a shame, but did encourage the music to be the main part of the concert rather than the action. The only time I felt this was a detriment was when the deaths occurred, as the rumble occurred entirely offstage and if you didn’t know the plot or have a program then you might not know who died. Also, although Tony’s death occurred on stage, there was no gunshot sound effect, so again, the plot could have been unclear if you weren’t familiar with it already.

Most of the leading roles were played by Americans for this production. The only leading parts which were played by Brits were Office Krupke (who didn’t actually sing) and Riff (Leo Roberts), who I quite enjoyed. He had a great baritone voice. Ross Lekites (Tony) is currently in the original company of the musical Frozen on Broadway, but I really enjoyed his turn as Tony. He brought great emotion to the role and seemed very sensitive. I was excited to see Eden Espinosa play Anita, as she was the only actress in this performance I was familiar with. She played Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, in LA and in San Francisco. She had also been in Rent and In the Heights. I thought she was brilliant, intense but emotional. It’s a small but important role and I think she played it beautifully. Oddly, they cast an operatic soprano to sing the main part of ‘Somewhere’, Louise Alder. It was a bit odd, but actually worked better than I thought it would.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle about casting Maria. Originally, I was super excited to see Broadway actress Sierra Boggess (who I knew best for playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid on Broadway), but apparently there had been a backlash against her casting. Why? Because she is white. I know that Maria as a character is Puerto Rican, but I don’t mind if they cast differently. But apparently the backlash was so severe that Sierra actually pulled out of the performance. Instead they cast Mikaela Bennett, a recent Juilliard graduate. I really enjoyed her performance, her accent was accurate without being over the top, and vocally she was absolutely perfect. While I am disappointed to not see Sierra, Mikaela was a great actress and gave a fantastic performance.

Our first Prom for this year, and what a brilliant start! It seems the Proms musicals, for me, are a good chance to see classic musicals which they haven’t produced on the West End for years. I’m so glad to have had this opportunity.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #75 (Last Night of the Proms)

(This didn't post, weirdly. I still want a record though, so better late than never!)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 9th September (Saturday), 7:15pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Flounce (Wennakoski), Budavari Te Deum (Kodaly), An Impression on a Windy Day (Sargent), Finlandia Hymn (Sibelius), Tristan and Isolde - Prelude and Liebestod (Wagner), Lola Montez Does the Spider Dance (Adams), Pardon My English - 'The Lorelei' (Gershwin, orch. Pail Bateman, arr. James Holmes), Happy End - 'Surabaya Johnny' (Weill), Lady in the Dark - 'The Saga of Jenny' (Weill arr. Olov Helge), Fantasia on British Sea Songs (arr. Henry Wood with additional numbers arr. Paul Campbell, Michael McGlynn and Gareth Glyn, Rule Brittania! (Arne arr. Sargent(, Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D Major ('Land of Hope and Glory') (Elgar), Jerusalem (Parry orch. Elgar), National Anthem (orch. Bliss), Auld Lang Syne (trad., arr. C. T. Davie)

Performers: Nina Stemme (soprano), Lucy Crowe (soprano), Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano), Ben Johnson (tenor), John Relyea (bass), BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Notes: After purchasing our tickets well in advance, we were just left waiting for them to arrive! They finally arrived in the mail a week ago (they do that to prevent scalping). Then, o Friday, I rushed out of work as fast as I could and headed straight to the RAH to get my queue ticket! Even though the queue tickets became available at 12pm, at around 4:30pm we got #78 and #79, which was pretty great! Even better, we didn't have to be back in the queue until 5:30pm on the Saturday (15 minutes before the doors opened), which meant we didn't have to spend all of Saturday in a queue. Very handy.

So we arrived at the RAH to queue at 5:30, to find it very organised. We got our spot in the 61-100 section, and didn't really have to wait too long before the doors were open and we were in! Up the massive stairs again (last time for a while), and because we were less than 100, we easily managed to find a front row spot. So so exciting!

The first item on the program was a BBC commission and world premiere, which was very modern (as you'd expect) and quite interesting - you could hear the 'flounce's in the music. After that was the Kodaly, which was quite lovely, but not that memorable, I guess. Finlandia I was vaguely familiar with, but I really liked listening to the Finnish words and following along. The final piece before interval was the Wagner, which I wasn't familiar with but quite liked.

During interval some of the Prommers decorated the conductors stand ready for part 2, which started with Adams. I didn't particularly like this one, it was a bit weird. The next 3 were right up my alley though! 3 songs from musicals from the 40s and 50s (Gershwin first, then the two Weill), which make me want to look them up. They have fun melodies and interesting lyrics!

Then, the traditional Last Night fare, starting with Wood's Sea Songs. This year they were different, with added songs with new arrangements from Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The new arrangements were beautifully sung and lovely to hear both Celtic and Welsh too! I also particularly liked Danny Boy, which had close Whitacre-esque harmonies and sounded really lush. The other five pieces were the usual ones and we did all the right things (bobbing up and down, whistling, stomping and of course singing at the tops of our lungs!!!) We just relistened to the hornpipe, and what we couldn't quite hear, but the lead violinist put in James Bond into his solo! So unbelievably cool/ Rule, Brittania was one of those crazy moments where everyone feels like part of one massive organism - it's hard to explain.

The soloist was quite good, but the cool part was for Rule, Britannia was that she came out dressed like a Viking (Valkyrie, actually, says the commentary). After the Sea Songs, the conductor gave his speech about the role of the conductor and how it has changed. It was interesting, and he was quite an engaging speaker.

Then, Pomp and Circumstance! I know this super duper well, but it's always exciting. And as a Prommer, you get to hum, then sing as loud as you possibly can! It's such a fun atmosphere! Plus, there's an encore so you get to do it even more!!!

Following that is Jerusalem, which is another bonding moment. But the ultimate bonding moment for the audience? Sing the national anthem, backed by the BBC Symphony and Chorus. So great, even though they used a strange arrangement from 1969 that nobody knew.

Then, the finale, Auld Lang Syne, where we all hold hands as we sing and look forward to next year already.

NEXT YEAR, THE ARENA!

(And no, you can't see us in the BBC broadcast, but our voices are in there, I promise!!!)

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #52 (Behind the Score: 'From the New World')

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 23rd August (Wednesday), 7:30pm
Seats: Rausing Circle, Row 1, Seats 24/25

Program: Symphony No. 9, 'From the New World' (Dvořák))

Performers: Hallé Orchestra, Toby Jones (actor), Henry Goodman (actor), Tamzin Griffin (actor), Rodney Earl Clarke (bass-baritone)

Notes: This concert was a very interesting one. It's part of the Behind the Score series, which meant that the entire first half was a story, framing excerpts from the symphony and other selected works.

They told the story of Dvořák's travels to New York and his life there, as well as his influences composing the symphony, and the reactions it got. It certainly was a great insight into the life of a very famous composer!

The second half was simply the symphony, but it was lovely, having had the first half beforehand. I recognised more melodies and their influences from being explained in the second half than I would have otherwise, definitely made it a more enjoyable experience. Really great way to experience a symphony, especially when you're not 100% familiar with it.

Prom #11 for us (#5, ticketed)... Only a few left for us before the Last Night!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #43 (Saint-Saens Organ 'Organ' Symphony)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 17th August (Thursday), 6:30pm
Seats: Rausing Circle, Row 3, Seats 123/124

Program: El Amor Brujo (Falla), Symphony Espagnole (Lalo), Symphony No 3 in C Minor 'Organ' (Saint-Saens)

Performers: Stephanie d'Oustrac (mezzo-soprano), Joshua Bell (violin), Cameron Carpenter (organ), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Notes: Well, we got tickets to this concert because of the final piece, but I will talk about the others first. We got to this one quite late (with only 10 minutes to spare), but because we had seats it didn't matter so much.

The first piece was okay. The orchestra was quite excellent, but I felt like the piece was let down by the mezzo-soprano. She couldn't be heard often, and only sang in a couple of sections anyway. It was fine, but nothing special.

Then Joshua Bell came out! I didn't realise that he was in this concert until I read the program again... JOSHUA BELL! I've never heard him perform before, but he is a super famous violinist... And he was incredible! So amazing, emotive, flawless playing. He was so good and he got so much applause he even did an encore - the Meditation from Thais! So so SO great.

Then after interval (and dinner) it was time for the thing we were waiting for. Having played the symphony in the last few years, I remembered it very well. It was so fantastic - really well put together, and the organ was very well balanced. El Husbando was a bit disappointed that the organ wasn't more impressive, but I thought it totally went with the rest of the orchestra. It was so so so great, and it was a lovely flashback to hear something I enjoyed playing so much back in the day.

Prom #10 for us (#4, ticketed)... 10 Proms! Woo!!! And this morning, we lined up and got tickets to the LAST NIGHT!!! 

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #38 (All-Night Vigil)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 13th August (Sunday), 9:45pm
Seats: Promming (Arena)

Program: All Night Vigil (Vespers) (Rachmaninov)

Performers: Latvian Radio Choir

Notes: I didn't even know that Rachmaninov wrote a Vespers, but I read that it is considered one of the greatest Russian Orthodox works. Obviously I don't speak Russian, but the sound of it just washed over me.

The choir, though. Woah. They were basically one person, they were so well together. It was amazing to listen to a choir which sang together so well! And the spot in the arena was fantastic because I could see everything so clearly. You do have to stand up and very still the whole time though, so it is more tiring than the gallery - so I was a bit glad that that was only a short concert (just over an hour with no interval).

Way excessive coughing though between movements. So dumb.

Prom #9 for us (#6 Promming)... That was a late night, but totally worth it. The second half of the program has lots of Russian music, which I am excited for.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #37 (Rachmaninov)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 13th August (Sunday), 6:00pm
Seats: Rausing Circle, Row 1, Seats 158/159

Program: Piano Concerto No 3 in D Minor (Rachmaninov), Symphony No 2 in E Minor (Rachmaninov)

Performers: Alexander Gavrylyuk (piano), Latvian Radio Choir, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Notes: I was so excited for our night of Rachmaninov! The Latvian Radio Choir was a lovely surprise - they actually 'introduced' each piece in a way by singing an Orthodox Russian hymn. They even moved through the Hall while they did to create a great atmosphere and lead into each piece.

The piano concerto, while not the one I had played in the past, was fantastic. The soloist was a little... much at times (he pulled weird faces, and there wasn't much in the way of dynamic range), but musically it was incredible. It's really complex!

The symphony, on the other hand, floored me. The orchestra was incredible, and I actually had it stored in the recesses of my memory from having played it in the past (although I couldn't quite place when). The themes were familiar though, and it was expressive and passionate. One of my favourite performances from all the Proms so far. Much well deserved cheering for that one!

Things I've learned about the Proms so far:
1. When Promming, people WILL try to edge you out of your spot if you don't protect it.
2. Between movements, half the hall WILL cough loudly, even though they don't need to.
3. All performances will get lots and lots of applause, even if it wasn't the best performance ever.

Prom #8 for us (#3 ticketed)... Has it really been so many? Goodness. And we still have more to go! What a summer.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #35 (Oklahoma!)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 11th August (Friday), 7:30pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Oklahoma! (semi-staged)

Performers: Belinda Lang (Aunt Eller), Nathaniel Hackmann (Curly), Scarlett Strallen (Laurey), Robert Fairchild (Will Parker), David Seadon-Young (Jud Fry), Lizzy Connolly (Ado Annie), Marcus Brigstocke (Ali Hakim), John Wilson Orchestra

Notes: I think this was one of the concerts which I was most looking forward to in the whole program. I have never seen Oklahoma! before, but I know how important it is in the scope of musical theatre and its development. Oklahoma! was pivotal and marked a change in the use of songs to actually tell stories and develop characters rather than just songs for songs sake.

I was actually surprised to realise how many of the songs I knew, even from things like TV shows. It made the show feel very comfortable and familiar. The staging was only semi-staged, which in this case meant there was still all the dancing and things, but a very minimal set (only hay bales, a bed, smaller movable things like that).

All the actors were fantastic, accents and all. Only downside was that some of their accents were so thick occasionally it was hard to understand them! Their singing was excellent and the dancing - wow. Such great dancing! It made me want to dance too, although that would have looked weird up in the gallery...

The orchestra was also amazing - it's not often you get to see a musical with a full orchestra with string instruments, a harp, and also a banjo! It was fantastic music, and they played the Overture and Entre'acte as well. They even included the 15 minute dream ballet!

Prom #7 for us (#5 promming)... A day off today (Saturday), and then we are double-Promming on Sunday - one pre-bought seat for the early evening performance, and Promming for the late night concert!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #33 (Sibelius, Greig, Schumann and Hindemith)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 10th August (Thursday), 7:30pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Peer Gynt - excerpts (Greig), Luonnatar (Sibelius), Karelia Suite (Sibelius), Cello Concerto in A Minor (Schumann), Symphony 'Mathis de Maler' (Hindemith)

Performers: Lise Davidsen (soprano), Alban Gerhardt (cello), BBC Philharmonic

Notes: Much better weather today, so cycled. Was a little disappointed, in that the program we looked at online had the first half in completely a different order, which meant we were looking forward to Peer Gynt just before interval. However, they started with it, but that's okay - it was fantastic! I love the feeling of a piece which I'm familiar with. Obviously I've played it before, but I can't actually remember where or when...

The 2 Sibelius pieces were pretty cool - I preferred the Karelia Suite as it didn't have any singing. I don't mind the singing, but I do like to understand what is being sung. The Karelia Suite also sounded weirdly familiar, but I don't think I've played it before...

The Cello Concerto was ace! The soloist was awesome without being over the top silly in his playing (although he did have a few issues with his spike not sticking to the podium thingy) and the Concerto was very nice. Quite lyrical but not too modern. The Hindemith on the other hand was pretty meh. It wasn't very exciting, and honestly, we were both just absorbing it from our spots on the floor rather than watching the orchestra. But it was nice enough. Some people did leave before the Hindemith though!

Prom #6 for us (#4 promming)... And I've already got my ticket for tonight (OKLAHOMA!!!), although el Husbando missed out and is going to have to queue for his ticket. Oh dear.

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #22 (Monteverdi's Vespers)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 31st July (Monday), 7:30pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Program: Vespers of 1610 (Monteverdi)

Performers: Guiseppina Bridelli (soprano), Eva Zaicik (mezzo-soprano), Emiliano Gonzalez-Toro (tenor), Magnus Staveland (tenor), Virgile Ancely (bass), Renaud Bres (bass), Geoffroy Buffiere (bass), Ensemble Pygmalion

Notes: This Prom had a single piece, the Vespers of 1610. It goes for 100 minutes with no interval. I don't know much about music from this era, so for me it was less about music that I recognised, and I actually spent much of the time with my back to the stage, sitting on the floor, letting the music wash over me. It was gorgeous, soothing, pleasant music. I really enjoyed the experience.

Prom #4 for us (#2 promming)...

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #13 (Malcolm Sargent's 500th Prom)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 24th July (Monday), 7:30pm
Seats: Rausing Circle W, Row 1, Seat 154/155

Program: National Anthem, Overture 'Le carnaval Romain' (Berlioz), Piano Concerto in A Minor (Schumann), Overture 'Cockaigne (In London Town)' (Elgar), Facade, Suite No. 1 and 2 - Popular Song (Walton), The Perfect Fool (Holst), On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring (Delius), The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Britten)

Notes: This Prom was to recreate Malcolm Sargent's 500th Prom, to mark 50 years since his death. It was very cool, in the beginning of the concert, to stand with the rest of the Hall and sing the National Anthem with the full orchestra. Such a great mood.

I wasn't familiar with much of the music in tonight's concert, but it was a lovely concert. Being in the first row was really great to be able to have a good view with no obstructions! The Schumann was pretty great, quite laid back and simple with lovely melodies. I also particularly enjoyed the Walton, it was very fun and playful to listen to! I'll definitely be listening to it again tomorrow. I did know the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, of course, and it was great to hear it again!

Prom #3 for this season, done and dusted! Tomorrow El Husbando is going to Prom the concert featuring Holst's Planets, but I've got a book event to go to instead which I am very excited for! I'll report back on that one tomorrow!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #12 (Sir Henry's Magnificent Musical Inspirations)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 23th July (Sunday), 6:00pm
Seats: Promming (Gallery)

Presenters: Rory Kinnear (Sir Henry Wood), Ellis George (Emma), Louis Walwyn (Dan)
Performers: Jess Gillam (saxophone - Sculthorpe), Gaurav Mazumdar (Ravi Shankar), Kathryn Lewek (Mozart - Queen of the Night Aria), Ten Voices Children's Choir

Notes: Our second Prom of the season, and our first Promming experience! We bought these tickets online at 9am for the Gallery, which was actually very empty! We stood, leant, sat and at one point even lay down on the floor during the concert! It was a very relaxed way to enjoy the Proms.

This concert was one of the Family Proms, aimed at young people to encourage a love for music. This meant that rather than presenting it in the normal manner, it was presented like a play, with Sir Henry Wood come to life to talk to the other characters about what inspires conposers.

Works included Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Mozart's Magic Flute overture, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, the Hornpipe from Wood's Fantasia on British Sea-Songs, and the fourth movement of the Pines of Rome by Respighi.

It was definitely a children's concert, but quite enjoyable, and a great first Promming experience! We've got real tickets to another one tonight, and plans for many more!

Theatre Trip: BBC Proms #8 (John Williams)

Royal Albert Hall
Date: 20th July (Thursday), 7:30pm
Seats: Rausing Circle S, Row 4, Seats 70/71

Presenter: Katie Derham
Performers: Jess Gillam (saxophone - Catch Me If You Can), Annelien Van Wauwe (clarinet - The Terminal), Jamal Aliyev (cello - Memoirs of a Geisha), Haringey Vox choir (Amistad), Music Centre London choir (Amistad)

Notes: This is our first Prom concert for the season! We are hoping to go Promming (standing seats on the day for 6 pounds!) for a few concerts, but we did buy 5 concert tickets in advance - mostly to get the entry to win tickets to the Last Night, but also to ensure we could get to the concerts we wanted to attend the most. We paid 20 pounds per ticket for these concerts and have seats in the Rausing Circle section (the first section below the top gallery).

This concert was the one which I was most excited about - a whole concert celebrating the music of John Williams (who is now 85, and thus couldn't attend in person)! He has written the music for some of my absolute favourite movie scores. They played a wide range of pieces, starting with the theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Also included were the theme from Jaws, Superman march, Memoirs of a Geisha, the flying theme from E.T., Escapade No. 3 from Catch Me if you Can, Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter and, of course, a few songs from Star Wars (March of the Resistance and Rey's Theme from Episode VII, and the Main Title from A New Hope).

My favourites were Jaws, Superman, Memoirs of a Geisha, Harry Potter (of course), Catch Me if You Can, and Star Wars! It was especially impressive to watch the string section playing Hedwig's Theme - it's a real workout!!!

They performed 2 encores - firstly Cantina Band (the full orchestra version, which I hadn't heard before), and then Harry's Wondrous World (more Harry Potter, yay!!!) El Husbando was disappointed in the lack of dinosaurs (no music from Jurassic Park), but it was a fantastic evening and quite resonably priced. Bring on the rest of the Proms!