Prom 15: Kodály, Bartók & Liszt

This evening was about as perfect as it gets in Proms terms. Although I had heard the Liszt before (many years ago) the programming was excellent in presenting really good but relatively unfamiliar fare. There goes the first A*.
The orchestral playing throughout all sections, and in all pieces was impressive, and the sheer beauty of sound in the second movement of the Faust Symphony was breathtaking - I could hardly believe my ears, and although I have been to hundreds of Proms over many years and heard this band more than most over the decades, I thought the LPO are right up there with the very best, if judged on this performance. Another A*.
Their chief conductor too, I have rated very highly, and then either last year or the year before, lost confidence in his judgement when he did very strange and tasteless rushing at the end of a Brahms Symphony. It was ghastly. And then his genius on Tuesday night was once more evident. Yet again, an A*.
I had been the night before for some bonkers Mahler, and then was presented on Tuesday with what for me will remain one of the most memorable evenings in over 30 years and over 200 Proms. Not that any of these were, or could become my favourite pieces, but more that this is exactly what the Proms should be doing - giving sublime performances which convince an audience that music matters. The performers believed in all three pieces, one would have thought the composers would have been particularly fond of the piece that had been chosen to represent their work, and the magic is that even though these are not ultimately masterpieces in the A* category, it was possible to think they might be. That is why I shall never forget this evening. Bravo!