BBC Proms is a Rock Concerto!

First off, we watched a posh orchestra concert by accident. It was not a 'fatal' accident. More of a posh kind of accident. Our friend Jerome had a pair of tickets for the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. The text conversation is more of like:

'Hey guys, you wanna go to BBC Proms tonight?'

'Us? Yeah sure.'

'Okay, cool. See you two later.'

'Wait, what are we supposed to wear?!'

'Umm..I don't know. Something okay-ish?'

Well, not exactly, but that was the gist of it. Admittedly, apart from an orchestra, I knew nothing about the BBC Proms. Aside that it is very posh and under BBC. So we had to google, where to go, what to wear, what to do and more importantly what not to do.

The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London.  

Prom is short for promenade concert, a term which originally referred to outdoor concerts in London's pleasure gardens, where the audience was free to stroll around while the orchestra was playing. Source: Wikipedia.

I admit I kind of suck at music class back in school trying to memorise the various wind and string instruments. The only classical names I know were Mozart and Bach and I don't even know which did what. I have blogged previously about a lady that has Tchaikovksy on her playlist, and plays it when she's in pain. I have seen the film 'Whiplash' and I was just gushing all about it, pretending I know a whole about music after seeing it.

But I wanted to see and witness this event and not just hear it from a classical FM radio station. The conductor that night was Francois-Xavier Roth together with the SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg. They played pieces from Pierre Boulez, Ligeti and Bartok.

The gorgeous Royal Albert Hall

Jerome, our patron saint of Sudden Tickets.

To say that the Prom was mind-blowing is just injustice and simply not enough. The fantastic harmony and astounding symphony treats your auditory senses and sends fire to your nerve endings. The fast and intricate waving of hands and fingers by the conductor serves as waves of melody sent to the audience. It was spell-binding. Hearing them play is one thing, but seeing them perform and master their chosen musical weaponry, is beyond my mental comprehension. The precision and beauty in the complexities of each key and note was unbelievable. 

When they played Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra for the finalé, it was simply phenomenal. Here's a sample clip of that piece, by a different orchestra:

The sight of the orchestra is art and beauty on its own.

We definitely dressed to impress.

Then I realised how much orchestra music we have all over. From classic cartoons such as Tom & Jerry, up to Hollywood monster hits like Jurassic Park and the Star Wars Theme. It simply rocks.

The last date of the BBC Proms 2015 is on 12th September. For those interested to watch, they can book their tickets at the website here. The best part is that everyone can enjoy a world-class performance for just £5. Yes, a fiver.

Finally, I can say I know more about classical music than just The Imperial March from the Empire Strikes Back by John Williams.