Absolutely brilliant!! Ultimate respect shown to both lyrics and music by the great Ray Charles. I could possibly have lived without the heavenly choir but that takes nothing away from the sublime vocal performance of Mr Charles.
I'd describe myself as "musically challenged" - I have zero music ability and have no idea what any of the technical terms mean - but I do know what I like (but not always why I like it). However, I've never really liked the Gerry and the Pacemakers version.
Just not tonight. Opera singers (all of them) should be banned from attempting certain non-operatic classics, their voices and delivery are often unsuitable, too overpowering.
Katherine Bloody Jenkins over-plumbing everything is dreadful. As you say, they should stick to what they do best and that is proper opera.
And the reverse is also true with singers taking on grand opera arias that are just way out of their league. During the football we even had bloody comedians singing 'Nessun Dorma' :mad: Turned me off that aria forever.
I have a better way for doing this-superimpose the chimes of Big Ben after GSTQ,and then the conductor says,That's all for The Proms this year,see you all next year,and ALS is struck up
Lacklustre music on the whole, the traditional final pieces seem to have been confined to history, still no Fantasia on British Sea Songs, a soprano who was uninspiring, her voice didn't suit anything that she sang - particularly Rule Brittannia, Jerusalem and the Londonderry Air, she lost all emotional content. I found myself trying to see how her mouth was forming the sounds coming out rather than anything else, the orchestra didn't seem to have the normal drive and enthusiasm and Nigel Kennedy seems to be getting more bizarre and I don't think that the brilliance of his playing offsets the eccentricity personally.
And the audience just didn't seem to respond as they have done previously.
The very best part was the National Anthem and it isn't often that you can say that.
I finally caught up with this, and while accepting some FMs points about the shortcomings, I still love it as a great British celebration! It always leaves me feeling better!:) Hyde Park looked a great place to be!:)
Eva Cassidy's arrangement and performance: one of those rare occasions when a cover of a classic moves me even more than the excellent original. I love the Judy Garland original but I'd go so far as to say this version is even better. It's certainly different!
Eva Cassidy's arrangement and performance: one of those rare occasions when a cover of a classic moves me even more than the excellent original. I love the Judy Garland original but I'd go so far as to say this version is even better. It's certainly different!
Yes I can't disagree with any of that. I think Eva took a children's song and made it suitable for adults. But without having to change the simple delivery that is needed with this song. That is when it doesn't work. When someone tries to over-egg it into an opera performance.
I always find myself deeply moved by William Walton's music for The Battle of Britain. The theme is so imperial, stately and patriotic that I always find my eyes leaking a bit. Beautiful.
Comments
Absolutely brilliant!! Ultimate respect shown to both lyrics and music by the great Ray Charles. I could possibly have lived without the heavenly choir but that takes nothing away from the sublime vocal performance of Mr Charles.
Then you have what is commonly known as taste!
Katherine Bloody Jenkins over-plumbing everything is dreadful. As you say, they should stick to what they do best and that is proper opera.
And the reverse is also true with singers taking on grand opera arias that are just way out of their league. During the football we even had bloody comedians singing 'Nessun Dorma' :mad: Turned me off that aria forever.
With Gerry and the Pacemakers version and others there's nothing to commend the original film version, thankfully it's not aired too often.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37qp9ATCyPw
I have a better way for doing this-superimpose the chimes of Big Ben after GSTQ,and then the conductor says,That's all for The Proms this year,see you all next year,and ALS is struck up
A Benjamin Britten little-played arrangement from 1961,to end the 100th birthday celebrations of this Great British composer
I don't think Burns wrote that line-morelike-and days of auld lang syne
Neither, the original Burns lyric is just "for auld Lang Syne".
Lacklustre music on the whole, the traditional final pieces seem to have been confined to history, still no Fantasia on British Sea Songs, a soprano who was uninspiring, her voice didn't suit anything that she sang - particularly Rule Brittannia, Jerusalem and the Londonderry Air, she lost all emotional content. I found myself trying to see how her mouth was forming the sounds coming out rather than anything else, the orchestra didn't seem to have the normal drive and enthusiasm and Nigel Kennedy seems to be getting more bizarre and I don't think that the brilliance of his playing offsets the eccentricity personally.
And the audience just didn't seem to respond as they have done previously.
The very best part was the National Anthem and it isn't often that you can say that.
Well let's air it now then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC0lOHBxreg
And the perfection of "Over The Rainbow"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSZxmZmBfnU
To think that the producers were going to cut out 'Over The Rainbow' :eek:
Here is a different kind of perfection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccCnL8hArW8
Eva Cassidy's arrangement and performance: one of those rare occasions when a cover of a classic moves me even more than the excellent original. I love the Judy Garland original but I'd go so far as to say this version is even better. It's certainly different!
I love Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole's version too.
First heard it when Mark Greene died in E.R.
4.11 million (22.0%) http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=68536629#post68536629
Up from last year's overnights:
3.2 million (15.5%) http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=61021441&postcount=582
Very good ratings this year! I haven't compared what it was up against, though.
Yes I can't disagree with any of that. I think Eva took a children's song and made it suitable for adults. But without having to change the simple delivery that is needed with this song. That is when it doesn't work. When someone tries to over-egg it into an opera performance.
Indeed.
I haven't seen this chap who's introducing the programme before last night on another cinematic music programme.