Intermission notes

Not yet ready for Stockhausen...

...which was the Late Night offering on Friday 19 July!

But we do enjoy Sophie Bevan's wonderful voice at the first Saturday Matinee Cadogan Hall Prom! Together with the talents of the Academy of Ancient Music, this was a delight throughout. And the Cadogan Hall enjoys air-conditioning - a boon on a sweltering Saturday afternoon in Chelsea!

A review - not altogether glowing...http://www.bachtrack.com/review-bbc-proms-saturday-matinee-1-aam-handel-corelli-valentini

The second evening of Santa Cecilia & Sir Tony Pappano didn't have the joyous quality of the previous night. This was, in great part, thanks to a very rude man, well past his first flush of youth (& getting past the second fast too..) who imagined he saw a space on the rail in Bay 18, and barged to it, mooring himself fast. This despite evidence there was no room, & others were there. His party appeared to be esconced in an entirely different bay. This is 'not done', & bad manners. He was obviously a 'day ticket' man, & 'there for the experience'. Gallery behaviour varies from the superb to the asinine - but a basic requirement, if you're in the day queue, is to ASK if there's a space on the rail.

The BBC seem unable or unwilling to define what behaviour is acceptable in Gallery or Arena (though inexperienced Redcoats will try to give the Season Ticket holders an ear-bashing, and then ignore the picnics all about them): I think I may Tweet this page! It applies especially to all those with severe doses of The Clap, afflicted during the Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 (Prom 16)... Even Radio3 has a section on when to clap: perhaps the Proms team could make use of it in their £4 programmes...

It's a shame that this evening of Verdi music was 'bitty'. I'd have much preferred a full-on performance of the wonderful Requiem - yes, I know we had it last year, but - Lord! - don't we have to endure Beethoven's bloody Ninth every year? And didn't Pappano & the Santa Cecilia release a much-lauded recording not that long ago?

The cider in the Uni bar was good, though; and it's a pleasure that the price for joining is still a most reasonable £1.00. And we met some of the band who were to play tomorrow...