The BBC Proms, the world's biggest classical music festival - more than 80 concerts over more than two months, up and down the country, covering everything from Marvin Gaye to Mahler, Puccini to Prog Rock, Disney to Dvořák - certainly knows how to throw a party to say "goodbye".
The Last Night of the Proms is an institution, when all the rules are thrown out of the window, and we love it! Last night's Last Night was no exception. Admittedly, we did miss the first half [including that Dvořák aria], but it is the second half - leading up to the flag-waving finale - that matters most, so we weren't too upset.
It opened with a bang - of course - with the much-anticipated tribute To Dolly, With Love, opening with an uplifting singalong 9 to 5 led by Sheridan Smith, Jolene sung by country duo Ward Thomas, and the most fantastic version of I Will Always Love You by Beverley Knight, who (wisely) avoided the temptation to do the horrid "Whitney Wibble" version, and stuck to Dolly's own far more gentle arrangement [Bev has starred in the stage adaptation of The Bodyguard, so it was a blessed relief to us]. Truly amazing.
In a jolt to the emotions, we went straight from that into a venture into British patriotic music [ahead of things to come], with Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity from Holst's The Planets, including a burst of its vocal version I Vow To Thee, My Country in the middle. It would have been a bit better had the over-excited Promenaders not let off rocket balloons just as it hit its quietest, most beautiful moments. "Quiet" isn't exactly, however, an adjective that could be applied to much of Alexander Tsfasman's Jazz Suite for Piano and Orchestra that followed. With the masterful piano artistry of Yuja Wang, this suite veered everywhere from Shostakovitch- or Weill-esque jazziness to Rachmaninov-style orchestral lushness. A tour-de-force!
Then it was back to the party, as the delightfully camp tenor Nicky Spence embarked upon a remarkable medley of Scottish songs, Scotch Snap, which incorporated such unlikely bedfellows as My Love is Like a Red, Red, Rose, Roamin’ in the Gloamin’ and Loch Lomond with Donald, Where’s Yer Troosers?, the Proclaimers' 5000 Miles, and even (for some reason) Yes Sir, I Can Boogie - including a "reveal" when Mr Spence's trousers ripped off to expose tartan trews beneath, (of course) a bagpipe player, and lots of energetic dancing [Nicky's a mover, even given his fuller figure!] and flirting going on. It was hilarious!
Only the Last Night programmers could possibly have followed that with a world premiere of a new choral work by former Art of Noise alumnus and film music composer Anne Dudley, Iris of Life - a melancholic and somewhat eclectic piece that I doubt will be referred to in posterity as a "classic". But we were soon distracted from all that by the return of Nicky Spence for a rip-roaring take on Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat from Guys'n'Dolls. Faboo! If all that was the aperitif, the "full meal" launched soon after with the traditional opener, Sir Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea Songs, culminating in Mr Spence's triumphant and full-voiced return for Arne's Rule, Britannia! - dressed in a full OTT Scottish outfit, replete with a Loch Ness monster across his shoulders... and a concealed rainbow flag in his kilt!
Next up, the biggest of all Last Night sing-a-longs, Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, better known, of course, as Land of Hope and Glory - the national anthem this country never had, but should have! We were hoarse by the end of it.
Conductor Sakari Oramo took the opportunity in his traditional speech to both praise the greatness and goodness of Dolly Parton, and to lay into A.I. at the same time. To him, it should stand for Authentic Integrity: music that’s live, acoustic and imperfect. Bravo! The speech was, of course, merely the lead-in to that universal favourite, Parry's Jerusalem [cue more singing-along here at Dolores Delargo Towers], then - all rise! - the National Anthem, and, with the ever-engaging Auld Lang Syne, that was it for another year...
A night of pure enjoyment and pure pride.
Unusually, this year the Beeb has not posted any footage nor clips from the evening on YouTube, just on its own iPlayer. Thankfully, one enterprising fan has grabbed the whole two hours of the second half, so I do have something to share with you, dear reader [until Auntie's lawyers get it deleted, of course]. Hopefully you can see it in your country (and skip through it to see the highlights, as you see fit):
Same time, same place, next year? I think so!
