Land of hopeless Tories

The Last Night of the Proms is a national institution. At a time when virtually every other British institution is under pressure, if not actually collapsing, the Proms have become a flagship of national positivity.

And flags are a large part of the Last Night. At one time the flag-waving was becoming something of an embarrassment, verging on the jingoistic. Nowadays it is more ironical but it was pleasing to see, at last night's Last Night, a strong showing of the golden stars and deep blue of the EU flag along with a smattering of rainbow flags. The Proms programming has changed over time, too, and become much more inclusive, embracing other musical genres than the purely classical. The Last Night now sets the seal on that.

The Promenade Concerts, as they were originally known, were founded in 1895 by Sir Henry Wood and were taken under the aegis of the BBC as early as 1927. The BBC has itself been one of those great national institutions under threat from the government's cheeseparing and philistine policies. In 2022 the then Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries (remember her?), froze the BBC licence fee for two years, so until April next year. This led to panic in the upper echelons of the organisation resulting in a rash of hasty and inappropriate cuts, including the revered BBC Singers in their centenary year. After a public outcry they won a reprieve and it was telling that last night's conductor, Marin Alsop, made a point of acknowledging them in her closing speech, where they gained perhaps the loudest applause of the whole evening.

She also alluded to her own role as a female conductor, reminding the audience that, in 2013, she was the first woman to conduct the Last Night in Proms history. She seemed both amused and bemused as she told of having recently been contacted by the Guinness Book of Records for inclusion for this historic feat. Times have changed, just not fast enough!

Her programme included a piece by Black British composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, meltingly beautifully played by Black British cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason. He later accompanied Norwegian soprano, Lise Davidsen, in a lyrical rendition of Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasilieras. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus were on top form, as were the aforementioned BBC Singers. 

The programme was rounded off in traditional style with the usual lollipops, including a rousing Rule, Britannia! from Ms Davidsen, resplendent in a voluminous scarlet gown befitting the campery which is such an essential part of the Last Night. The National Anthem was played in Benjamin Britten's dignified arrangement, a masterstroke from an American conductor, followed by Auld Lang Syne, with the post-pandemic Promenaders properly linked-up once again. When everything else in British life is falling apart at the seams, it's good to be reminded of continuity and confidence.

The Proms is a harbinger of hope for the future.

Popular posts from this blog

On old age

"The fact is that when I come to think it over, I find that there are four reasons for old age being thought unhappy: First, that it withdraws us from active employments; second, that it enfeebles the body; third, that it deprives us of nearly all physical pleasures; fourth, that it is the next step to death."  Writing his essay,  De Senectute (On Old Age), in 44 BCE, Marcus Tullius Cicero went on to refute these four supposed reasons in characteristically robust and forthright manner. Cicero wasn't one to sit about moping in his own old age; he remained actively engaged in the political life of the Republic whose survival, in the face of tyranny, he championed so fiercely.  Cicero was nine years younger than I am now when he met his untimely end yet he considered himself already an old man; or, rather, his society judged him to be so. His second point about age enfeebling is more germane. Physical decline had not yet impacted him but, six years on from my retirement, I
Read more

Born to rule

When, ten days ago, I posted my piece about the manipulated image of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her children (see Snap Judgment) I didn't know of her cancer treatment. Had I known, I would have adopted a gentler, though I hope no less critical, tone. But I didn't know, and nor did any of us outside the immediate royal circle, which rather goes to strengthen the case against the monarchy. For Kate and her family the diagnosis of cancer (as yet unspecified) will have been a devastating blow, as will the chemotherapy she is currently undergoing. On a human level, of course I sympathise and extend my best wishes for a full recovery as, indeed, I did at the time of her father-in-law's diagnosis. It is particularly cruel, then, that on top of all this she has been obliged to record a video statement to reassure the public. As if she didn't have enough to contend with already. But such is the unpalatable obligation placed upon any royal personage - noblesse oblige. Whic
Read more

Working to rule

An avowed republican I may be but news of King Charles III's cancer diagnosis is nevertheless a cause of sadness - I might not want him, or anyone else, as my king but I wish the man no harm.  However, Jonathan Swift's opinion that "health is the greatest of all possessions; a pale cobbler is better than a sick king" serves as a timely reminder that ill-health in the monarch is not simply a personal matter, it has constitutional implications. To be blunt about it, Charles' death, in constitutional terms at least, would be no great problem; the king is dead, long live the king. The succession is assured and the crown would pass immediately to the Prince of Wales, who would be pronounced William V. The ship of state would sail on. A long-term or debilitating illness, on the other hand, could have far-reaching consequences for the institution of the monarchy at a sensitive time, coming so soon after the death of Britain's longest-reigning monarch, Charles' mo
Read more