Last Night of the Proms

We went to see the Last Night of the Proms live broadcast today, in Santa Rosa. What a great event! All those people brought together for music. This year there was the full house in the Royal Albert Hall, plus thousands of people at the "Proms in the Park" in County Down, Swansea, Hyde Park, Glasgow and Salford, and then people like us, all over the world watching it live on television or at theaters! I can't imagine how many people that is - united by music.


Just earlier in the week I watched the movie "The Singing Revolution" which is all about how music played such a vital role in Estonia when the people there sought to free themselves from occupation. During the years of occupation, thousands of Estonians gathered in public to sing forbidden patriotic songs - and who can stop 300,000 people singing together?


The Proms was doing the same sort of thing.... showing us the power of music. It was wonderful to watch and hear. Brilliant soloists in Alison Balsam (trumpet) and Sarah Connolly (mezzo), great conducting and speech by American, David Robertson...... Alison and Sarah performed such contrasting styles - all of them astounding - with Sarah singing Purcell's Dido's lament to Gershwin. Loved it all and sang along to Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory!


We went with friends and two of them had no idea what to expect! They were surprised - and loved it! If you've never seen it - check out the website and you can see the broadcast there. The second half is very different from the first half....think vacuum cleaners as instruments, lots of balloons and streamers, people bobbing up and down...... It's a great example of a British Tradition!