BBC Proms, Last Night of the Proms 2008

The Last Night of the Proms has to be one of my favourite nights of the year. Unfairly vilified as some sort of nationalist rally, it's actually one of the most inclusive nights you'll ever come across, yes the songs are British but that doesn't mean singing them has to be some imperial activity. Viewed for what it is, The Last Night of the Proms is simply good fun. Last year Anna Netrebko wandered on stage and stole the entire show. This year Bryn Terfel did pretty much the same thing, albeit by singing almost everything (even the stuff written for a tenor).

The first half is traditionally devoted to moderately "serious" (a questionable term) music and this year was no different. The opening Beethoven was ideal, brisk and exciting, exceptionally played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Roger Norrington. The bleeding chunk of Wagner that followed was the one bum choice in the entire concert to my mind. Without sufficient context even Bryn Terfel's meaty voice and superb presence failed to make this interesting, remaining beautiful but dull. The "Te Deum" from Tosca that followed was an altogether different proposition. I've heard a fair few singers sing this and I doubt I'll ever hear quite such a stunning rendition. I'm amazed the roof stayed where it was as the full BBC Symphony Chorus, aided and abetted by the huge Royal Albert Hall organ, blasted this out. Bryn (one of the few singers who seems exclusively referred to by first name) managed a thoroughly wicked and unbelievably brilliant performance with plenty of mugging to the cameras. He had a hard time competing with orchestra and chorus but he did surprisingly well, only being completely drowned once. One of the few concert performances that I've ever heard that rivalled a staged performance for drama. Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy" followed and this wasn't the tour de force that had preceded it. Decently played by Hélène Grimaud but although she attacked it well, I felt it lacked a bit of clarity rhythmically. She had a great rappor with the orchestra though and it was far from a bad performance, I just wasn't pulled into the music as I wanted. As Bryn returned for his next Opera exerpt it was quite clear he had no intention of keeping this a plain old fashioned concert. Fully garbed in Falstaff fatsuit it felt like we'd reached the second half early. Regardless it was a masterful performance with a character created within seconds of his arrival. I'd love nothing more than to see Bryn do the entire opera. It's a role he clearly loves. First half was something of a triumph then, bring on the second.

Part two was kicked off with "Funiculì, funiculà" an entertainingly familiar number. Rimsky-Korsakov's arrangement was used so the witty lyrics were dispensed with which was a pity in some respects but played lovingly none the less. "Silent Noon" came next and allowed both Bryn and Grimaud the chance to be a little more romantic. It was a similarly stunning performance from both, silencing a raucous audience with the pure beauty of the music. What followed was the first "premiere" of the evening. It was a folk song medley so "premiere" is perhaps the wrong word but ideal Last Night fodder. Bryn stepped up to the mark again, flawless as ever and apparently enjoying every minute. My one complaint is the lack of clarity in the programme as to whether the audience should sing. By the end it was clear we were supposed to (Norrington turned around to conduct us) but otherwise only small, scattered groups ever really got going which was a pity. The second premiere was a brave choice but a disappointingly gimmicky one. Top marks to the tech teams who almost managed to make it work but "Froms" didn't quite work when heard live in the Albert Hall. Having watch reruns on the iplayer, the relays from round the country worked a lot better on television because the sound quality was a lot better than what was being piped into the hall and the synchronisation perfect. It seemed quite fun at the time but in retrospect the gimmick was so flashy and overpowering, I was hardly listening to the actual music. An interesting idea but not one I'd like to see repeated. I've no problem with not observing tradition as long as what replaces it is just as fun and whipping out Wood's "Sea Songs" to replace them with Vaughan Williams's seemed a little silly. Still a fun bit of music but there's nothing in it to compete with the Hornpipe for pure entertainment value.

Norrington's speech was exceptional. Balancing humour with a very positive, worthwhile point, I don't feel he could have done any better. He cleverly played down all the "controversy" (a ridiculous one) that surround his use of vibrato (do people not have more important things to worry about???) without being too negative. He handled the crowd expertly, I take my hat off to the man, he was supreme throughout. The standard fare followed with the usual group sing-song which I truly love. Bryn Terfel again stole the entire event with his fourth outfit of the evening, a glorious Welsh Dragon themed jacket, during "Rule Britannia" and a verse sung in Welsh which was a happy variation on the norm.

A triumphant evening then, handled by the immensely charismatic Roger Norrington and dominated by the endlessly impressive Bryn Terfel who was perfectly in his element. I'm saddened it only happens once a year because the Last Night of the Proms really is one the most enjoyable evenings I know.