Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The Proms
They're not formal dances for high schoolers. Short for "Promenades," The "Proms" are a two month series of summer concerts & recitals that have been a tradition in Great Britain for over 100 years. The Proms are broadcast online at BBC 3 & archived for 7 days via RealAudio. There's already been a good film music program. Today is a performance of Charles Ives' 4th symphony. Mostly older classical orchestral music, there are some more contemporary (& very old) treats. Listening to music broadcast live compensates for hearing it in streaming monaural. In the Ives symphony (which I've heard in person), the orchestra is treated as three distinct ensembles, the 4th movement one of the wildest experiences anyone will have in a concert hall.
Here's the main BBC proms page.
It can be a bit confusing, as the proms programs are listed by number, program notes are a separate page. You get the entire concert, including announcer & intermission, but the approximate lengths of the individual pieces are provided, so it's not too difficult to jump ahead. The best place to start is probably the "proms by composer" listing.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
Here's the main BBC proms page.
It can be a bit confusing, as the proms programs are listed by number, program notes are a separate page. You get the entire concert, including announcer & intermission, but the approximate lengths of the individual pieces are provided, so it's not too difficult to jump ahead. The best place to start is probably the "proms by composer" listing.
