BBC Proms 2013

[Omen II 1,300]

The 2013 season of the BBC Proms was announced today and, as ever, there are some great looking concerts to look forward to. The link is here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms

For fim music fans, three concerts in particular stand out. Early in the season there will be another Doctor Who Prom to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the programme's first airing (http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2013/july-13/14610).

One of the highlights of the season will surely be the Hollywood Rhapsody Prom with the John Wilson Orchestra, with classics from the golden age of Hollywood (http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2013/august-26/14686). The John Wilson Orchestra proms in the last few years have focused on musicals, but this will be a special treat for anyone who loves those Gerhardt albums of Steiner, Korngold, Waxman and the like. For my money there is no better conductor of golden age film music around today and no better orchestra to play it.

There will also be another Film Music Prom with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra - I suspect that the chance to hear Valentina Lisitsa playing Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto and Lawrence Power playing Richard Rodney Bennett's Lady Caroline Lamb (perhaps my favourite piece of film music for the viola) will be worth the price of admission alone. The second half will include a couple of selections from our man JW to boot! http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on/2013/august-31/14828

It looks as though all three of these will be shown on TV as well, great news for anyone unable to make the concerts in person.

[Omen II 1,300]

Those of you with access to BBC TV or radio channels may be interested to know that the Doctor Who prom will be screened on BBC1 TV on Monday 26th August at 16.00 BST. The same evening you can listen to the incomparable John Wilson Orchestra in their Hollywood Rhapsody prom live on BBC Radio 3 at 19.30. It looks like a fantastic line-up, including Salaambo's Aria from Citizen Kane and finishing with a suite from Ben-Hur. Here is a link to the radio broadcast:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038xrdh

A recording of the concert will also be shown on BBC4 TV on Friday 30th August. Don't miss it if you have any interest whatsoever in golden age film music!

[Maurizio 6,913]

I've just discovered that the John Wilson concert will be broadcasted over here as well on a local radio. I'll definitely tune in tomorrow, looks like an amazing line-up!

[Omen II 1,300]

Russian soprano Venera Gimadieva will be singing the aria from Citizen Kane.

http://www.intermusica.co.uk/news/08-13/gimadieva

[Omen II 1,300]

Don't miss the radio broadcast of this concert on the BBC iPlayer or the TV screening on Friday, if you have access to it. As well as the selections listed in the link above there was a wonderful suite of Scott Bradley's music from the MGM Tom and Jerry cartoons, which included two of the percussionists smashing plates into a metal dustbin! The encore was a fantastic performance of Franz Waxman's Ride to Dubno from Taras Bulba, complete with what looked like Wagner tubas.

The highlight for me, if I had to pick one, was Salaambo's Aria. Absolutely spine-tingling.

[Maurizio 6,913]

It was a fantastic concert indeed, Omen II! All the performances were top-notch. Wilson is rapidly becoming the go-to guy when it comes to classical Hollywood film music. His flair reminds me of Charles Gerhardt's enthusiastic approach to the same repertoire.

Hope someone will be able to record the tv screening on the Beeb!

[Omen II 1,300]

It was a fantastic concert indeed, Omen II! All the performances were top-notch. Wilson is rapidly becoming the go-to guy when it comes to classical Hollywood film music. His flair reminds me of Charles Gerhardt's enthusiastic approach to the same repertoire.

Hope someone will be able to record the tv screening on the Beeb!

I'm glad you enjoyed it too, Maurizio. I was lucky enough to get tickets (well, I say "lucky" but it was more a case of waiting for two hours in the online queue the minute the tickets went on sale in May and praying that I would snag a couple) and would not have missed it for the world. It's easy to go overboard with praise when attending an enjoyable concert, but I have been to enough film music concerts in my time to know that last night's was something very special. I won't spoil it for anyone that wants to watch it on TV on Friday or listen to the radio broadcast (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038xrdh), but here is a little clip to whet the appetite from the BBC Proms website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01fsjtx

With a bit of luck someone will post a few clips on YouTube for those unable to watch it on the BBC. Better still, I would buy a DVD of the concert without a second thought (are you reading this, BBC? ).

[Omen II 1,300]

The BBC has uploaded several lengthy clips of the Hollywood Rhapsody concert onto the BBC Proms website. Enjoy!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0395mzs/clips

The whole concert will be available to view on the BBC iPLayer shortly. If you cannot access the BBC iPlayer, someone has posted Scott Bradley's Tom & Jerry at MGM and Miklos Rozsa's Ben-Hur on YouTube:

[Omen II 1,300]

Woohoo! Someone has posted the whole Hollywood Rhapsody concert in HD on YouTube. Watch it soon before the BBC has the uploader arrested in a dawn raid and exiled to Rockall while his distraught family is invoiced for the cost of the helicopter.

Incidentally, yesterday's Film Music Prom with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra featured a suite from Star Wars, Superman as an encore and Michael Giacchino's StarTrek Into Darkness amongst other selections. The whole concert is due to be screened as part of the BBC's upcoming film music season wot Quint or someone posted about (so probably in September / early October).

[Bilbo 4,294]

I listened to the Sci-Fi bit last night. First time I really took note of Giacchino's main theme for Star Trek. It's very good. Really enjoyed the suite.

The Williams stuff at the end was the highlight. I'd never heard that arrangement of the Cantina Band before... not sure what to make of it either. Princess Leia's theme was beautiful though.

[Maurizio 6,913]

Woohoo! Someone has posted the whole Hollywood Rhapsody concert in HD on YouTube. Watch it soon before the BBC has the uploader arrested in a dawn raid and exiled to Rockall while his distraught family is invoiced for the cost of the helicopter.

Great!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

I really took note of Giacchino's main theme for Star Trek. It's very good.

It really isnt. It's my least fav Star Trek main theme

[Bilbo 4,294]

Not a big Star Trek fan anyway. Only know the original and his. I prefer his.

[chuck 155]

I'm not a fan either. I only listen to JG's scores.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Not a big Star Trek fan anyway. Only know the original and his. I prefer his.

What is "the original" for you?

I'm not a fan either. I only listen to JG's scores.

I listen to Goldsmith, Horner, Eidelman, McCarthy. But not Rosenman and Gia.

[Bilbo 4,294]

The theme from the original series. My knowledge of Star Trek is limited so we could be talking about complete different things here.

[chuck 155]

I tried listening to Horner but it just doesn't resonate to me like JG did. I haven't listened to the others.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

I am talking about Gia's theme in the film proper

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Gia uses the 60's theme for the end credits, but his own Star Trek theme throughout the film.

[BloodBoal 8,711]

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

You didnt see the film?

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

The Gia one isnt good at all.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 12,386]

Better stick to The Hobbit music.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Omen II 1,300]

The whole of the 2013 Film Music Prom, with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra, is now available on YouTube too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9xYiQKl-0E

The version of Cantina Band was, er, interesting, but it's all good fun.

[Bilbo 4,294]

The whole of the 2013 Film Music Prom, with Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra, is now available on YouTube too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9xYiQKl-0E

The version of Cantina Band was, er, interesting, but it's all good fun.

Yeah, I don't really like that version but the rest was really good! The orchestra sounded great on the Star Wars stuff.

[Quintus 6,495]

Superman sounded great! Loved that you could really pick out the timpani more than normal. And ID4!

I'm annoyed I missed this when it broadcast.

[Omen II 1,300]

The John Wilson Orchestra's Hollywood Rhapsody concert from the 2013 BBC Proms season was shown again in full on BBC Four TV yesterday evening.  The concert is also available to watch on the BBC iPlayer for the next four weeks or so if you can access it.

 

Hollywood Rhapsody prom

 

I throughly recommend the concert if you like film music from the golden age of Hollywood.  Although a few of the selections have made it to YouTube over the years (most famously Scott Bradley's Tom and Jerry), most of the selections have not or were not uploaded in the best quality.  Other highlights include a suite from Franz Waxman's A Place in the Sun and David Raksin's Laura.

 

Watch the concert in HD and save it while you can!