BBC Proms

[Luke]

The BBC Proms are about to start, with the first concert tomorrow at 7:30pm GMT. They are well worth a listen if you get a chance as you will hear well known classics as well as new and less well known pieces, presented in a more accessible way than most "serious" music.

The opening night has two of my all time favourite pieces:

Shostakovich's 5th symphony - subtitled "A Soviet Artist's Response to Just Criticism" was written in 1937 after an 'anonymous' denunciation of Shostakovitch in the press the previous year. On first appearances the symphony is optimistic in conclusion, but its meaning is surrounded in controversy. It is clearly laden with parody, and the composer supposedly wrote afterwards a synopsis describing the piece as a criticism of the Soviet regime. However Stalin's ears were deaf to the bitterness and irony, and Shostakovich received only praise in the press.

Smetana - Vltava: This is a piece of "programme" music. It describes the course of the Vltava (Moldau) river, from its twin source streams high in the mountains, to its end. It begins with a flowing flute motif, soon joined by the clarinet depicting the cold and warm streams which eventually come together when the main theme is introduced by the strings. The river flows past a hunt, a wedding celebration, a wooded midnight glade, before building to a climax as it rushes over the St. John's rapids. The music is subdued as the river rounds a final bend before the main theme bursts out as the city of Prague comes into view. It then fades away as the river flows majestically into the distant Elbe.

I had the privelidge of playing both of these pieces with a local orchestra when we went on tour in the Czech Republic. I even played the second piece on the bank of the Vltava itself once, which was quite an experience. Do listen if you get a chance.

[Uhura]

It sounds absolutely beautiful! I wonder if it is at my local library since I do not have access to BBC unfortunately. It sound like it is definitely worth the effort.