Tag: BBC Proms

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Prog Rock Prom: A Fanfare for the Common Man – Live Review

Saturday 18 July 2026

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

There’s life in the old prog yet… A celebration of the classic era of British prog rock

The BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames.
Image © Andy Paradise

The first-ever rock band to appear at the Proms was Soft Machine on 13 August 1970. The first-ever Prog Rock Prom took place on Saturday evening, over 50 years later. The concerts were united by one Soft Machine track, Out-Bloody-Rageous. A contemporary critic for Music Review wrote of the earlier concert, which dared to feature rock music,

‘I should like to know on what premises I am expected to take seriously a small group of musicians whose range of tone does not exist and whose scale of dynamics is no more than an unvarying FFF’

Oh dear. Martin King of Jazz Journal described it as ‘an exciting, juxtapositioning of some of the more recent developments in both pop and classical fields’. Saturday’s concert juxtaposed a classical symphony orchestra with ‘the love that dare not speak its name’, as presenter Stuart Maconie described a love for prog rock. The concert began with a direct link between the two genres – Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, which had opened the First Night of the Proms the previous evening. Like the other pieces in the concert, it was arranged for full orchestra, joyfully replicating Keith Emerson’s keyboards from the Emerson, Lake and Palmer version. Carl Palmer, sadly the only surviving member of ELP, added further authenticity, playing thunderous drums in what looked like a glass-walled prison at the corner of the stage (had he committed The Crime of the Century?)

The concert featured arrangements of songs from the classic era of British Prog, from around the late 60s to the mid 70s, when prog rock often bothered the upper reaches of the charts. This was a celebration rather than an excavation of former glories.

The excellent flute soloist in Jethro Tull’s Living in the Past, disappointingly, didn’t stand on one leg. Singer Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), standing on both legs, seemed a little bit wobbly in his interpretation of the song, although he recovered his composure later in the concert.

‘West is Mike and Susie/West is where I love.’
Peter Hammill. Image © Andy Paradise

Jane Weaver reminded us that 60s prog also included ballads, bringing her powerful vocals to The Northern Lights and Nights in White Satin in massive orchestral arrangements that brought all the pomp and circumstance for which prog rock is sometimes criticised. But there was delicacy too, in the gentle pastoral section and flute solo at the end of the latter piece. And Prog Rock Royalty, Peter Hammill of Van der Graaf Generator, delivered a phenomenal performance of his classic ballad Refugees, turning it into a mini-epic with a gorgeous ending on harp and strings.

‘And you and I climb over the sea to the valley’
The Staves. Image © Andy Paradise

The Elder Statesman of Prog was followed by two much younger singers, the Staves, whose lovely duetting was perfectly suited to the elegant stylings of And You and I by Yes. Sadly, we embarrassed ourselves by applauding before the song had finished; we consoled ourselves by applauding a BBC engineer who removed the Staves’ mic stands, to show that our applause was intended to be witty rather than misplaced.

At the end of the first half, there were awed gasps of recognition at the opening of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells (or were they gasps of horror at the opening theme of The Exorcist?) After the proggiest of themes – it’s in 15/8 – we jumped to the end of Part I of the piece in which the instruments were introduced by a Master of Ceremonies. In a clever twist, Matt Berry, channelling the voice of Vivian Stanshall, turned it into a Prog Rocker’s Guide to the Orchestra.

The second half began with an opening flourish, the late Greg Lake singing, ‘Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends.’ Maconie reassured us that it would actually end before ten o’clock, good news for England football fans who were desperate to see if England could beat France. (If football didn’t Come Home during the World Cup, then at least the Bayeux Tapestry is coming home.)

Maconie introduced a detour from British Prog Rock: Sylvia by the Dutch group Focus, Komfo by the Ghanaian-Caribbean group Osibisa, and Peaches en Regalia by Frank Zappa. It could be argued that these songs are prog-adjacent rather than pure prog, but the Concert Orchestra played them with swing and panache.

‘Cat’s foot, iron claw/Neurosurgeons scream for more/At paranoia’s poison door.’
Guy Garvey © Andy Paradise

An early highlight of the second half was a sequence from King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King, the album that arguably started it all, . It was perfectly suited to an orchestral arrangement, the music opening ‘like a rough beast slouching towards Bethlehem’, in W.B. Yeats’ memorable phrase. Guy Garvey did a superb job, creating a dystopian atmosphere in 21st Century Schizoid Man, donning dark glasses and singing through a megaphone. Rhys and Garvey duetted melodiously in I Talk to the Wind, with gracious orchestral accompaniment. An appropriately majestic orchestral theme introduced The Court of the Crimson King, as Jane Weaver and The Staves joined the regal choir.

Garvey told us that to sing Entangled by Genesis was ‘a dream come true for a boy born in 1974’, only a year before the song was released. After the terrible glory of King Crimson, the elegant Baroque version of the song, in a duet with Weaver, was a fascinating contrast. There was more Baroque inspiration in the arrangement of Gentle Giant’s On Reflection, which would have felt at home on BBC Radio 3’s The Early Music Show.

‘I never said I was frightened of dying.’
Vanessa Haynes © Andy Paradise

Another highlight of the second half was Vanessa Haynes’ astonishing rendition of Richard Wright’s The Great Gig in the Sky. There were whoops of recognition in response to the spellbinding piano chords, with evocative slides from the orchestra. Haynes sang with raw emotion, soulful and profoundly moving, and a huge wave of orchestral power brought this classic to an end.

The Great Gate of Kiev was written for piano by the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, arranged for orchestra by Ravel (and many others), arranged for rock band by ELP, and in turn arranged for orchestra by conductor Robert Ames. Carl Palmer joined the orchestra again, adding his trademark heavy and virtuosic drumming to the final, incredible climax of the concert.

‘We could argue until the cows come home’
The back cover of Atom Heart Mother © Pink Floyd Music/Hipgnosis

We could argue until the cows come home whether the set list truly reflected the complete range of prog rock; passionate debate about the definition of prog rock still rages online, and there is a new generation of prog rock artists whose work also deserves to be heard. But the fact that prog rock of any kind has reached the Proms at all is worth celebrating; the standing ovation at the end showed that the audience was very happy to be there. Can we dare to hope that a Prog Rock Prom will become an annual event… or are those hopes just ‘pigs on the wing’?

Performers

Guy Garvey vocals
Jane Weaver vocals
Gruff Rhys vocals
Carl Palmer drums
Peter Hammill vocals
Vanessa Haynes vocals
The Staves (Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor) vocals
Stuart Maconie presenter
BBC Concert Orchestra
Robert Ames conductor

Programme

Fanfare for the Common Man Aaron Copland arr. ELP, orch. Robert Ames (Emerson, Lake and Palmer single 1977)
Living in the Past orch. Sam Gale (Jethro Tull single 1969)
Out-Bloody-Rageous – Part 1 orch. Sam Gale (Soft Machine Third 1970)
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) orch. Sam Gale (Genesis single 1974)
Northern Lights orch. Christian Balvig (Renaissance single 1978)
Nights in White Satin orch. Fiona Brice (The Moody Blues single 1967)
Refugees orch. Adam Dennis (Van der Graaf Generator The Least we can do is Wave to each other 1970)
And You and I orch. Peter Riley (Yes Close to the Edge 1972)
Tubular Bells Part One (excerpt) orch. Adam Dennis (Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells 1973) with the voice of Matt Berry

Karn Evil 9: First Impression Part 2 orch. Chester Tribley/Bronte Tucker (Emerson, Lake and Palmer Brain Salad Surgery 1973) with original vocals recorded by Greg Lake
Sylvia orch. Christian Balvig (Focus single 1972)
Komfo orch. Christian Balvig (Osibisa Osibirock 1974)
Peaches en Regalia orch. Christian Balvig (Frank Zappa Hot Rats 1969)
21st Century Schizoid Man – I Talk to the Wind – The Court of the Crimson King orch. Fiona Brice (King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King 1969)
Entangled orch. Fiona Brice (Genesis A Trick of the Tale 1976)
On Reflection orch. Sam Gale (Gentle Giant Free Hand 1975)
Maker of Islands orch. Christian Balvig (The Incredible String Band Hard Rope & Silken Twine 1974)
The Great Gig in the Sky orch. Fiona Brice (Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon 1973)
Crime of the Century orch. Christian Balvig (Supertramp Crime of the Century 1974)
Pictures at an Exhibition – The Great Gate of Kyiv Modest Mussorgsky arr. Keith Emerson, orch. Robert Ames (Emerson, Lake and Palmer Pictures at an Exhibition 1971

The concert will be broadcast on BBC 4 on Friday 24 July at 19.00. It‘s available to listen on BBC Sounds until the end of the 2026 Proms Season

Now read on…

Peter Hammill live

Peter Hammill – Live Review

Van der Graaf Generator Live

Van der Graaf Generator – Live Review

Mike Oldfied’s Tubular Bells Live

Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells – 50th Anniversary European Tour – Live Review

How I Learned to Listen to King Crimson

How I learned to listen to King Crimson
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Prom 68: Britten – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The rustics carry the Wall

Garsington Opera, Philharmonia Orchestra

Royal Albert Hall, London

Tuesday 10 September 2024

*****

A dream cast and orchestra bring comedy, conflict and magic to Britten’s Dream

Benjamin Britten’s work is often performed at the Proms – The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra has been performed 44 times, there have been 31 performances of Four Sea Interludes, and even the gargantuan War Requiem has had ten outings. But last Tuesday’s Prom was the first time Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been performed at the Proms. Britten wrote the opera for a much smaller space than the vast Royal Albert Hall, the newly reconstructed Jubilee Hall in Aldeburgh which held only 316 people; the space was so small that some of the strings and one of the harps in the original score had to be removed. But there is a precedent for the opera being performed in much bigger spaces, such as the 4000-seater Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1996.

If this was to be the first performance of the opera at a Prom, it was fitting that it was such an excellent production. It was also the first time Garsington Opera had performed in a Prom, accompanied here by the superb Philharmonia Orchestra under Douglas Boyd. The orchestra brought Britten’s magical score to life, starting with ghostly, eerie strings, which represented ‘the wood, deepening night.’ Throughout the opera the orchestra played with rapt concentration, warmth and precision, beautifully shaped and controlled by Boyd. Special mention should be made of the virtuosic trumpet playing of Jason Lewis, who accompanied Puck’s appearances on stage.

Douglas Boyd, conductor
Conductor Douglas Boyd. © BBC Chris Christodoulou

Britten wrote the opera very quickly to an urgent deadline, and continued even when he felt ill. A few days before the premiere, he wrote in The Observer, ‘a lot of the third act was written when I was not at all well with flu’, but in a letter to Elizabeth Mayer a few months earlier he admitted he’d been diagnosed with, ‘gout – me, who can’t stand port!’ But despite his health problems, he brought his strong, sometimes schoolboy sense of humour to the opera’s third act, on Tuesday represented by a motley collection of rustics, Shakespeare’s ‘rude mechanicals’, who staged the uproarious ‘play within a play’. The Wall, played by Adam Sullivan (Snout) was covered in what looked like white plaster, the ‘lime and roughcast’ of Shakespeare’s text, making him so stiff he had to be carried by his colleagues. And there was a lovely moment when Quince (John Savournin) accompanied Thisbe (James Way as Flute) on his ukulele, trying to force him back into tune. As Hippolyta (Christine Rice) observed, ‘This is the silliest stuff I have ever heard.’

Bottom, Snout, Quince, Snug, Starveling, Flute
The ‘rustics’. © BBC Chris Christodoulou

Perhaps more surprising, but very welcome, was the humour the quartet of lovers brought to the end of act two, where trousers and skirts were lost as in a French farce, and the physical humour brought well-deserved spontaneous applause. But even in this scene, there was a glimpse of one of Britten’s more serious, lifetime preoccupations – the loss of childhood innocence, in Helena’s lines to Hermia following the temporary breakdown of their childhood friendship, ‘O is all forgot? /All school-days friendship, childhood innocence?’ And there was another, brief but heart stopping moment in act three when the four lovers awoke to sing their Mozartian quartet, ‘And I have found [my lover] like a jewel.’ All four were in excellent voice, suiting their characters perfectly. Camilla Harris (Helena) had a lovely, light soprano voice, Stephanie Wake-Edwards (Hermia) a warm, rich contralto, Caspar Singh (Lysander) a plangent tenor, and James Newby a suitably robust baritone (Demetrius). All four relished their acting roles, bringing vivid characterisation to each one.

Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, Helena
The four lovers. © BBC Chris Christodoulou

In his Observer article, written in the early 1960s, Britten described,

“the curious inverted snobbery current in this country which prefers operatic acting to be as bad as possible… I want singers that can act.”

The ‘play within the play’ was an opportunity for him to satirise the worst of wooden acting and 19th century operatic cliches, but elsewhere in this production the high-quality singing was matched by excellent acting. The opera was semi-staged by Rebecca Meltzer, based on Netia Jones’ 2024 Garsington production, but there was never any sense that the limited room the performers had on the platform in front of the orchestra limited the staging or acting.

Oberon and Tytania
Iestyn Davies as Oberon and Lucy Crowe as Tytania. © BBC Chris Christodoulou

Oberon was superbly played by countertenor Iestyn Davies, who has also performed the role for English National Opera and at the Aldeburgh Festival. It was fascinating to compare his performance with that of the late James Bowman in the classic Peter Hall production for Glyndebourne in the early 1980s, still available on DVD. Bowman was magisterial and otherworldly in that production, and completely dominated his assistant Puck. In contrast, Davis was peevish and very human, sometimes arguing with Puck, and in particular delivering his showpiece aria ‘I know a bank…’ whilst aggressively threatening Puck. His voice was very different from Bowman’s rich, fruity and mellow tone, more florid and lighter, closer in tone to Paul Esswood or Brian Asawa. His Fairy Queen, Tytania (Lucy Crowe), often dressed all in white with vivid peroxide blond hair, sang her showpiece aria, ‘Come now a roundel’, with a gorgeously creamy, luxurious voice, beautifully controlling the coloratura parts. She brought humanity to her acting, playful when under a spell to Bottom’s charms, but regal in her dealings with Oberon, barely disguising her contempt for him at times. There was conflict between another noble couple too, Theseus (Nicholas Crawley) staggering round with wine bottle and glass in hand, while Hippolyta (Christine Rice) looked on disdainfully. And special mention should be made of Daniel Vening as Bottom, stepping in to cover for Richard Burkhard who was ill, but fitting in perfectly with other members of the cast.

Britten was inspired to make the role of Puck a speaking part when he was in Stockholm, where he,

“…. saw some Swedish child acrobats with extraordinary agility and powers of mimicry, and suddenly realised we could do Puck that way.”

Puck and the Fairies pictured off stage
Jerone Marsh-Reid as Puck and Garsington Youth Opera Company backstage. © BBC Chris Christodoulou

Garsington’s Puck was Jerone Marsh-Reid who trained in physical theatre at East 15 Acting School and brought acrobatic prowess to the role, dressed in a garish green suit. Britten described Puck as. ‘absolutely amoral yet innocent’, but in this production, particularly in his relationship with Oberon, there was something of the immoral about him, more of a knowing adult than his more innocent portrayal by Damien Nash in the Peter Hall version. The Fairies, played by members of Garsington Youth Opera Company, were stunning throughout, with excellent intonation and ensemble – it was a joy to hear such accomplished young voices, including the individual solo voices. As mentioned, this the first time Garsington Opera has performed at the Proms. No doubt, with its resident contemporary orchestra The Philharmonia, it won’t be the last.

Performers

Iestyn Davies Oberon
Lucy Crowe Tytania
Richard Burkhard replaced by Daniel Vening due to illness Bottom
Caspar Singh Lysander
James Newby Demetrius
Stephanie Wake-Edwards Hermia
Camilla Harris Helena
Nicholas Crawley Theseus
Christine Rice Hippolyta
John Savournin Quince
Frazer Scott Snug
James Way Flute
Geoffrey Dolton Starveling
Adam Sullivan Snout
Jerone Marsh-Reid Puck

Garsington Opera
Philharmonia Orchestra
Douglas Boyd conductor

Semi-staging by Rebecca Meltzer, based on the 2024 Garsington Opera production directed and designed by Netia Jones

Sources

Benjamin Britten A New Britten Opera (The Observer, 5 June 1960)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Overture Opera Guides in Association with the English National Opera (Alma Books 2011)
BBC Proms Performance Archive
Benjamin Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Glyndebourne Festival Opera [1981] (NVC Arts DVD 2001)