Under the Italian Sun (Bristol)

Under the Italian Sun
Bristol Beacon

The final Prom in Bristol for what has been a packed schedule this bank holiday weekend. I'm listening in my bedroom on my Bose speaker which I bought in John Lewis Liverpool with a voucher for 5 years service with work - 8 years ago! [recently relocated from the breakfast room because it was a bit too boomy for that space. The new IKEA Nattbad speaker stands there now, and they both sound great in their new spaces!].

I've travelled a fair bit through my youth, though Italy is a place I've yet to visit. It is high on the list, but I suppose part of me has thought I'd put it on the back burner until I find some authentic romance. At 36 though I may need to accept defeat and do this as a solo journey before too long.

First up it's William Tell - now there's a name from the past! I'm sure I played this on piano at school [state secondary modern so, when I say piano, what I actually mean is a Casio keyboard with permanent-marker drug symbols and penises sketched on it. It did have a built-in floppy disk drive for the purpose of recording/playing back MIDI, which at the time I thought was miraculous!] It must have been Year 8 or 9 (so circa 2001-2003), and it served as an introduction to playing notes staccato.

Second piece is Puccini which, as I've mentioned in previous blogs on this run, I'm familiar with through my times of watching opera performed at St George's Hall in Liverpool, having seen Suor Angelica and Tosca there. Hard to know what to say about this piece but it's got a great sound. Enjoying it very much.

Next up it's Berio, and I'm still treading carefully with my assessment of his music. But this piece is nice enough. Strong vocals.

During the interval we hear talk of a phenomenon known as 'The Grand Tour.' Apparently, this was a rite-of-passage ritual for noble and aristocratic young men of about 21 years of age, where they would go on an educational tour around Italy. Commonly they would bring trinkets back with them, and hence why we in England have a few nice pieces of Italian tat hanging around our stately homes. If I'm not mistaken I think I hear something about there being some artifacts on display at the Holburne museum in Bath - will look into that, out of interest.

After the interval it's Verdi, and there's some great rolls here. Glorious fanfare!

The mezzo soprano gets a rumptious ovation following Ottorino Respighi's Il tramonto.

Lastly, I've noted down a question mark. Elgar? Why is he on the running order? Surely he's the most 'British' of all composers? Not that I know much about him. I look him up on Wikipedia and it says this: 'Although Elgar is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe'. That makes some sense, then. Tell you what, it's a bit special! This could be the beginning of a new relationship. 

Great British Classics

 Great British Classics at the Royal Albert Hall

Tonight is, for me, the perfect antidote to all the Mahler, which I struggle with (though I understand I am in the minority). It's Great British Classics this evening, and the title suggests it all - big, brash, pomp. Just what this prommer ordered. 

The first piece [William Walton's Coronation March] is very famous and I recognise it instantly. I didn't know up until this point the history of the piece, which was written for the ill-fated coronation of Edward VIII, who famously abdicated for the purpose of getting his leg over Wallis Simpson. The music was then used to its full effect at the coronation of George VI and Elizabeth. It certainly feels regal, and that of course aligns with the overall feel of the Proms as an institution.

The second offering of the evening is Ralph Vaughn Williams' The Lark Ascending, and it is beautiful music, completely lending itself to the intended imagery. Choral works follow up to complete the first half.

At this juncture I will mention that it was 'Burrito night' for myself. The dishes, while there was a few, did not present a major challenge.

The second half seems to travel between the feeling of Christmas carols, to getting lost in a magical Narnia forest. Choral sounds somewhere between Bach and Walt Disney. Not at all unpleasant.

Elgar's Enigma is everything the label claims.