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Message 1 - posted by Green_Leaf
(U5294136)
, Aug 12, 2006
Why were there so few people at the John Adams prom last night? Am I the only Adams fan?!
It was a fantastic concert, just wish more people had been there to appreciate it.
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Message 2 - posted by adamsaddict
(U3834027)
, Aug 13, 2006
no, let me assure you that you are not the only adams fan! however, devoting a whole prom to one composer (especially a contemporary composer) is bound to isolate the majority of concert-goers. I agree that the concert was excellent, especially a magnificent performance of The Wound-Dresser, although I thought Harmonielehre lacked a bit of bite.
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Message 3 - posted by DracoM
(U2769775)
, Aug 13, 2006
The one consolation from the small turnout is that the BBC won't feature an all-Adams concert, or indeed much more Adams in concert again.
Maybe the punters are trying to tell you something, Mr Kenyon?
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Message 4 - posted by adamsaddict
(U3834027)
, Aug 13, 2006
am i to understand that you are not an Adams fan DracoM?!  This is a reply to this message
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Message 5 - posted by SReich
(U5299165)
, Aug 13, 2006
i guess the poor tunrout was partly because London has heard all of the programme in the last 5 years and also if you only have one name then you will only attract one type of audience member
i thought the concert was stunning but i did have concerns around the delivery of the first two movements of the harmonielehre. it sounds so much better on cd
for a living composer JA does have huge following and the uk is lucky with amount of his work that is played here but lets be honest his following is not going to be massive (this may happen in time). so i guess in balance of the size of the hall and a living composer i feel the event was attended... the size of the audience on sunday for JA's prom was really small !!!
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Message 6 - posted by DracoM
(U2769775)
, Aug 13, 2006
In very small doses.
But that Prom was cruelly relentless. I doubt Adams himself would have relished it, except as what turned out to be a slightly iffy PR exercise.
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Message 7 - posted by Hermes
(U3287665)
**, Aug 14, 2006
When I saw the programme I couldn't help wondering if 'El Nino' wouldn't have been a good idea? Has if ever been given in London in it's entirety?
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Message 8 - posted by ulrica
(U2522331)
, Aug 14, 2006
Yes it has, Hermes: at the Barbican perhaps two or three years ago.
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Message 9 - posted by Lionel_Power
(U5126896)
, Aug 15, 2006
I really enjoyed the concert, but I suppose I like Adams a lot in any event. The Wound Dresser was truly moving. I thought it provided a tonic to the somewhat dreary James Dillon earlier in the week, where the audience (despite Firebird) was at least as thin as the Adams concert. In fact it may have been even thinner. I didn't have problems with Harmonielehre though was very close to the orchestra.
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Message 10 - posted by Schubertian
(U3239397)
, Aug 15, 2006
"i thought the concert was stunning but i did have concerns around the delivery of the first two movements of the harmonielehre. it sounds so much better on cd"
Were you there, or perhaps listening via DAB, SReich? If the latter, I'm not surprised that you thought the sound lacking; the bit rate currently being used for live music broadcasts on Radio 3 is insufficient to make them worth hearing on anything better than a kitchen radio.
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Message 11 - posted by George Garnett
(U2104154)
, Aug 15, 2006
I am slightly relieved to hear adamsaddict's comment about the performance of Harmonielehre to be honest.
Having done my bit in sticking up for John Adams' music against some of the naysayers on another thread (with their comments about musical bubblegum, music for the uneducated, tired, hoary and predictable etc) I have to admit I ended up being just a bit disappointed with Harmonielehre this time around. I think my purely personal swingometer on Adams has yet to settle anyway - and I generally prefer some of his more recent pieces - but I wonder if the success of this piece is particularly susceptible to the performance it gets. Perhaps it also suffers from too overtly 'making a point'? I don't know, but this time I did find the pieces in the first half more effective for (personal opinion) coming more from the heart as it were.
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Message 12 - posted by martini_two_olives
(U5307458)
, Aug 15, 2006
I hear you complain about the poor turnout - perhaps I should refer you to other threads about bad behaviour (queue jumping, paper fistling, coughing and other misdemeanours) - maybe people are staying at home to avoid the oiks in the Hall?! Just a thought...
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Message 13 - posted by George Garnett
(U2104154)
, Aug 15, 2006
paper fistling</quotes>
Is that going to get past the mods?Quoted from
this message
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Message 14 - posted by martini_two_olives
(U5307458)
, Aug 15, 2006
papar fistling - you find this amusing? What term do you prefer I use....or perhaps you are embarrassed as you are guilty.....
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Message 15 - posted by gothic17
(U2135658)
, Aug 15, 2006
I bet the BBC was hoping this would be a sell-out given how "commercial" Adams is.
Oh well, next year it'll have to be Karl Jenkins.
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Message 16 - posted by DracoM
(U2769775)
, Aug 15, 2006
I have to say, I wish the 'Karl Jenkins' remark was a joke.
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Message 17 - posted by IgnorantRockFan
(U5323910)
, Aug 15, 2006
The John Adams Prom was my first exposure to any of his music and I enjoyed it immensely. I usually expect to dislike modern classical (is that an oxymoron?) but on the strength of that Prom I'll call myself an Adams fan from now on.
I hope that a low audience turnout doesn't stop the BBC from programming more of his work.
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Message 18 - posted by DracoM
(U2769775)
, Aug 15, 2006
I think it is a great shame that some serious retrospect of Terry Riley is not being contemplated.
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Message 19 - posted by Carnosine
(U3081640)
, Aug 15, 2006
"I usually expect to dislike modern classical (is that an oxymoron?) but on the strength of that Prom I'll call myself an Adams fan from now on." Quoted from
this message
Adams is not "modern classical", he's not even neo-Minimalist anymore. Somewhere along the line he became neo-neo-Romantic-cum-neo-Minimalist.
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Message 20 - posted by walrus
(U2154212)
, Aug 16, 2006
And yet last night, Tuesday, the hall was full. Surely another lesson to learn? And may I say on your thread so I don't cause a riot over my particular bone of contention, the BBCSO under its new conductor made a splendid and individual sound playing the standard repetoire.  But keep it quiet. This is a reply to this message
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