Today at the Proms - Prom 65 & 65a

Continuing our daily coverage of what's on at The Proms 2018, Susan Omand has a quick look at the programme for Prom 65: Stravinsky, Ravel & Berio and Prom 65a: Youssou Ndour & Le Super Étoile de Dakar ...



Ok who has mucked around with the Prom numbering system? Aaaahhh prom 65a is the previously mislaid Prom 53 from 21st August. That explains it.



Anyway, yes, two proms today. First up YAY Rite of Spring! It's about time. But you've probably heard me bang on enough about Stravinsky (but listen to it anyway) and we'll look at what else is on. It's good to see some Ravel that isn't Bolero, with La Valse, literally meaning the waltz. Originally meant to be a ballet, it's now played as a concert piece and has the most wonderfully descriptive preface to the score from Ravel himself "Through whirling clouds, waltzing couples may be faintly distinguished. The clouds gradually scatter: one sees at letter A an immense hall peopled with a whirling crowd. The scene is gradually illuminated. The light of the chandeliers bursts forth at the fortissimo letter B. Set in an imperial court, about 1855."



The other piece in the early prom sounds fascinating. I haven't listened to much of Berio's work, I'll be honest I found it an non-acquired taste a couple of decades ago and just haven't tried any since. However, the innovative use of voices, speaking, whispering and shouting as instruments in his Sinfonia sounds inspiring so I'm going to give his work another go.



The late night prom is all hippety hoppety jazz rumbaliciousness from Youssou N'Dour, who you will know from the pop charts back in the day with Neneh Cherry and 7 Seconds.







Here's the full programme for this evening's Prom which you can listen to live on Radio 3 or on the iPlayer

Prom 65 - 19:00

Maurice Ravel
La valse(13 mins)

Luciano Berio
Sinfonia(34 mins)

INTERVAL

Igor Stravinsky
The Rite of Spring(34 mins)


Prom 65a - 22:15

Youssou N'Dour & Le Super Étoile


Image - Photo © Chris Christodoulou