Now that I have time...

The Proms, 2013

...being an account of some concerts attended, & my responses. These are not 'crit' pieces, but responses to the music: they are decidedly NOT technical!

Friday, 12 July

The First Night is eagerly awaited by all. Time before the doors open is spent greeting old friends, and getting to know new individuals in the queue by Door 2. We've waited 10 months for this, and - as ever - there are some pointed questions over the organisation. I am most pleased with the duplicate Gallery Season Ticket (why?) ... Bob is not pleased when a bottle of water is taken from him during the bag search. Water, in plastic bottles, IS allowed; an over-zealous red-coat is reprimanded. Sandwiches, eaten discreetly, are allowed: picnics - involving blankets, crisps, bottles of wine, and glasses - are not. Strange how these are ignored at popular concerts, though.. One of our number is later scolded for eating her own sandwich - "your crumbs will bring mice". However, this is undercut by "You must only eat sandwiches purchased here". Presumably, this means they are so dire, the mice will find any crumbs unappetising, and leave them on the floor. It takes time to train the new redcoats; and conversations are had with the purple-jacketed ones. We wonder how this is going to pan out: this is the first year we have had weekly season

tickets, instead of the more usual season/half-season options. We suspect, since the cost of 4 weeklies equals nearly the cost of an entire season, a touch of the 'RyanAir add-ons'. All those expensive investigations into dead DJs have to be paid for somehow...

And the music? Was delicious, especially Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony!