Word has it that this year the Last Night of the Proms will add a new element. They have commissioned a new piece from Scottish composer Anna Meredith who is 30, and that piece will require 800 performers including four orchestras and two choruses. Those 800 folks will be scattered across the UK from Glasgow to Hyde Park, and they will perform together via the miracle of modern satellite technology with only a day-of rehearsal. That”s unusual in and of itself, but Meredith is known for electronica compositions, a genre most often associated with nightclubs and dance floors. So this sounds like quite and experiment as well as as risk. You have to admire the folks at the BBC and Meredith herself for taking it. I love the way Meredith assures us that the piece is only 5 minutes and over before you know it “like a punch in the mouth.”
It will be interesting to see if the experiment works particularly since the Meredith piece will be in the populist part of the program with the sing-alongs. I personally like the idea of this experiment which could easily go wrong and add to the spontenaity of the occasion. But what do you think? Is this a direction the Last Night should take? I”d love to hear your thoughts.
about Meredith”s composition and the Last Night. Listen to Last Night of the Proms on live on WDAV Saturday at 3 p.m.