It is a warm Tuesday evening as audience members eagerly wait after hours for the Late Night Prom to commence at The Royal Albert Hall. The theme for the evening is listening, to provide a plethora of weird and wonderful sounds that broaden music exploration. There is an instant feel of inclusivity, surrounded by an audience wearing comfortable clothes, a chill-out zone and standing areas. It is evident that the BBC goes out of their way to make audience members comfortable and heard during the Late Night Proms, so they can focus on just the music.
There is a thunder of applause as the Fantasia Orchestra and percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie enter the stage, already known for their upstanding reputation in finding new and innovative approaches to musical composition. Accompanied by the very talented BBC Singers and conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh, the stage is set for a journey through a psychedelic dream of different genres. The musicians give a refreshing interpretation to the senses in jazz, classical, contemporary and pop styles. A special thank you goes out to Sean Chandler, the sign-language interpreter, making the experience accessible to an even wider audience.
The orchestra and Dame Evelyn start with a false sense of comfort with a very calming rendition of John Coltrane’s Welcome, drawing the audience in; you could hear a pin drop. Then, true sound exploration sets in when Dame Evelyn moves towards the tam-tam and introduces, for the very first time in Proms history Vicent Ho’s Sandman’s Castle, demonstrating her very otherworldly approach to music. The movement ends with each of the orchestra members revealing a music box one by one, reminding the world how very different sounds can fuse together. It is a joy to see the composer present in the room, flying in from Canada just to witness Dame Evelyn wow audience members.
A favourite to the senses in this gallery of sound is the Partita for Eight Voices, which truly demonstrates the intricate vocal skill and challenging harmonies from the BBC Singers, seamlessly blending with the orchestra. Collectively, members of the stage showed their passion for exploring the untraditional during one of the last movements Panda Chant 2. The penultimate number includes a vocal cannon filling the hall with the word panda, simultaneously breaking into well-executed choreography, succinctly showing what a perfect blend of random and wonderful sounds like. The orchestra and choir jump right back into the traditional jazz number Benny Goodman’s Sing Sing Sing as a surprise encore, reminding us yet again the randomness of the evening.
This concert can be experienced again on BBC Sounds
Reviewer: Ramsey Baghdadi