[blunderbuss]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms

Bit of an obvious one to be picked as a highlight on here, but I won't let it stop me:

Friday 17 August
7.45pm – c. 11.15pm
Royal Albert Hall

Cage - 1O1 (12 mins)
Cage - Improvisation III (12 mins)
Christian Marclay - Luggage 2012 – improvisation for orchestra (c5 mins)
Cage - Atlas eclipticalis/Winter Music/Cartridge Music (30 mins)
Cage - Concerto for Prepared Piano and Orchestra (20 mins)
Cage - Four2 (7 mins)
Cage - But what about the noise of crumpling paper ... (15 mins)
Cage - Experiences II (3 mins)
Cage - ear for EAR (Antiphonies) (2 mins)
David Behrman, Takehisa Kosugi, Keith Rowe & Christian Wolff -Quartet – improvisation (c25 mins)
Cage - Branches (20 mins)

• John Tilbury piano, prepared piano
• Frank Denyer piano
• Aki Takahashi piano
• Christian Wolff piano
• David Behrman live electronics
• Takehisa Kosugi live electronics
• Keith Rowe
• Vicki Bennett
• Steve Beresford
• Adam Bohman
• Jonathan Bohman
• John Butcher
• Karen Constance
• Angharad Davies
• Rhodri Davies
• Patrick Farmer
• Ram Gabay
• Christoph Heemann
• Lina Lapelyte
• John Lely
• Anton Lukoszevieze
• Dylan Nyoukis
• Mariam Rezaei
• Robyn Schulkowsky
• BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
• Exaudi
• Ilan Volkov conductor

[Glice]

What a weird list of musicians. Some really hardcore modern interpreters, some really hardcore modern improvisers and some USELESS FUCKING CHANCERS. I'm a bit angry about that, if I'm honest. Cage always gets crap renditions, and this could easily be the same.

Anyway... this are some that interest me:

17/7 - Saariaho/ Strauss/ Sibelius
21/7 - Barenboim doing Eroica (I'm dubious about the Beethoven cycle. But in fairness, it is probably the best of everything ever).
24/7 - Kronos quartet (boo) doing Gubdailina (yay!)
28/7 - early music, could be worth a punt.
29/7 - Mahler 10, Britten, Bray, Stravinky.
2/08 - Bach's mass in Bm (!!!!)
4/08 - Turangalila!!
8/08 - Ein Heldenleben!
11/08 - Finnissey, Ferneyhough!
1/09 - Cameron Carpenter doing Bach... could be amazing, could be dreadful.

Mmm. Possibly better than last years, but this grouping of composers by vague countries is boring and once again not enough modern stuff.