Today at the Proms - Prom 23

Continuing our daily coverage of what's on at The Proms 2019, Susan Omand has a quick look at the programme for Prom 23: Swan Lake ...



Three good selections tonight. First up is Malcolm Arnold's Peterloo Overture, which was not actually an overture to a bigger work but a standalone composition commissioned by the TUC to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the infamous Peterloo massacre. Arnold is probably more well known for his film score work in the 1950s and 60s, having penned the music for films such as Bridge on the River Kwai, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Heroes of the Telemark and... the St Trinians films?! Yes, apparently so.



Then we get a well known piano work from Rachmaninov and his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini who, if you are at all au fait with the comedy writing of Frank Muir and Denis Norden, will always be known as Page 9.



But it's the final piece of music tonight that is the winner for me and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. It's not the whole ballet, just a suite of music from it but it should still contain all the famous moments, like the Dance of the Cygnets. Watch this and marvel at the wonderful Matthew Bourne's choreography as this will shatter all your "tutu and lunchbox" illusions of Ballet.







Here's the full programme for this evening's Prom which you can listen to live from 19:30 on Radio 3 or on the iPlayer

Malcolm Arnold
Overture 'Peterloo'(10 mins)

Sergey Rachmaninov
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini(23 mins)

INTERVAL

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake(50 mins)– excerpts Henry Wood Novelties: UK premiere (suite), 1901


Image - Photo © Chris Christodoulou