0:00:09 > 0:00:11ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Hello, and welcome to Proms Extra.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Tonight it's all eyes and ears on Mozart, Walton, and Scott Walker.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28And we have another simply thrilling Chord of the Week
0:00:28 > 0:00:29from David Owen Norris.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32It's been two whole weeks since the Proms started
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and this week we went back in time.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Ladies and gentlemen...
0:00:38 > 0:00:41- ..and others. - LAUGHTER
0:00:43 > 0:00:46ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS
0:00:51 > 0:00:54PROMS MUSICAL MONTAGE
0:01:31 > 0:01:36SHE SINGS
0:01:56 > 0:01:58# ..Why the war is going on
0:01:58 > 0:02:00# And on and on
0:02:00 > 0:02:03# Why the war is going on
0:02:03 > 0:02:06# Why the war is going on. #
0:02:06 > 0:02:07Pow!
0:02:07 > 0:02:10APPLAUSE
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Not at all a bad week, was it?
0:02:12 > 0:02:14And it's not a bad sofa, joining me tonight are the conductors
0:02:14 > 0:02:18Xian Zhang and Jules Buckley and the violinist Tai Murray.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Welcome all of you, lovely to see all of you here.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Xian, you've got your Prom with the National Orchestra of Wales
0:02:23 > 0:02:25tomorrow, are you excited?
0:02:25 > 0:02:27- Are you looking forward to it? - Very much so.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30And this time we have a very big chorus with us,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33it's about 180 people.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Made up with two choirs, one from Birmingham
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and the other one from Wales. We are very excited.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41We're doing James MacMillan's
0:02:41 > 0:02:45A European Requiem which is a European premiere.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47And the other work is, of course,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50the most famous Beethoven Ninth Symphony.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53So I am very excited.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56And, Jules, we'll talk about Scott Walker later on in the programme,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00but, meanwhile, how's your Charlie Mingus rehearsal going?
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Everything is revving up very nicely, I'm happy to say.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Metropole Orkest is on fine form
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and we've got artists coming from as far afield as the States.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11We got Kandace Springs, Christian Scott and obviously home-grown
0:03:11 > 0:03:14talent in the likes of Shabaka Hutchings so we're feeling good.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16Excellent.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And, Tai, you played here for the first time in the Proms
0:03:18 > 0:03:20last year, great excitement.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Is it a bit more relaxed this year?
0:03:22 > 0:03:24You can come and just enjoy some concerts, right?
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Yes, I can come and enjoy the experience from the outside.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- Fantastic.- Have you seen some good ones?- I have.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32I saw the Scott Walker Prom on Tuesday.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Unbelievable, I am sitting next to the conductor.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37It's almost as if we planned it, you know.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Well, it is lovely to have you all here, settle back, we are
0:03:41 > 0:03:44going to take in our first piece of music from the Chamber
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Bernard Haitink,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50with violinist Isabelle Faust playing Mozart's Third Violin Concerto.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Isabelle Faust playing Mozart's Third Violin Concerto, accompanied
0:04:57 > 0:05:00by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Bernard Haitink.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Tai, it struck me that that was a very elegant,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06rather pared-back performance by Isabelle, what did you make of it?
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I love the way that she speaks Mozart.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13It's... I find that many people sing Mozart very well,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17but the way that she articulates every note and articulates
0:05:17 > 0:05:21every phrase and obviously the way that she just enjoys it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Isabelle Faust is one of my role models, has been
0:05:23 > 0:05:27throughout my development and I loved the performance.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31She had some very particular cadenzas written for her, I understand.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Ooh. Wow! They were written...
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I had a question about who wrote them
0:05:35 > 0:05:39because in the first movement cadenza there was a moment where
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I was hoping it would go into the Pink Panther and it didn't quite.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- So, I enjoyed it. - That would have been a story!- Yes.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Now, let's just turn our attention from Isabelle to
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- Bernard Haitink, Xian, he is 88 years old now...- Yes.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- He's just getting started.- Yes!
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Have you met him? Do you know him?
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I had the chance to meet him once.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04He was doing a concert of a Beethoven symphony with
0:06:04 > 0:06:05the LSO on tour.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09In, I believe, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13I went to his dressing room afterwards to congratulate him
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and that was the first time I met him.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18And he talked to me in such a gentle way, very softly,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21but he looked at me right in the eye.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I was a very young conductor back then, a very young girl.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28I was very impressed just by the fact that he would
0:06:28 > 0:06:32take that time to talk to me and we talked about the Beethoven,
0:06:32 > 0:06:37about the symphony, I was very touched by it, so ever since...
0:06:37 > 0:06:42Of course, also, his recordings of Mahler has always, always been
0:06:42 > 0:06:48one of my really favourites and so I have really great
0:06:48 > 0:06:53memory of this man and completely adore him.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57I mean, Jules, do you see yourself still conducting when you're 88?
0:06:57 > 0:06:58I hope so.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02I'm not sure I am going to be in peak physical form like Bernard,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04but I'm going to try my best.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08It's interesting in a way, isn't it, that orchestral musicians often have
0:07:08 > 0:07:13a sort of the natural cut-off point of 65 for a retirement in a way
0:07:13 > 0:07:17through the job? But conductors and soloists alike, they just
0:07:17 > 0:07:21keep going until, you know, until the bitter end, I suppose.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- Until the baton drops. - Yeah, that's it.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Let's go back to the Mozart because Xian, of course, you famously made
0:07:28 > 0:07:33- your debut as a conductor conducting Mozart, opera in that instance.- Yes.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Does it still give you a thrill to conduct works like the Violin
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- Concerto that we have just heard? - Absolutely.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44Mozart, I really believe, is one of the hardest composers to
0:07:44 > 0:07:48- interpret and to perform because... Don't you agree?- I would agree.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52To most musicians, Mozart's music is so transparent,
0:07:52 > 0:07:58it has to be so refined, it has to be so natural.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00To be natural is the hardest thing to do in life
0:08:00 > 0:08:02because we learn this,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06we learn that, but to be natural is actually the most difficult.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11For that, I find it always very challenging, actually, to do Mozart.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Is that a challenge you find as a performer as well, Tai?
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I would agree very much with what you're saying.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17The whole natural thing, to be organic,
0:08:17 > 0:08:22to be yourself but yet be him, or be whoever you have decided he's
0:08:22 > 0:08:25trying to represent in the particular piece.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26- Sometimes...- Yeah.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Sorry, sometimes we get to talk to audience after concert and
0:08:29 > 0:08:34they will say, "That sounded so natural, so easy. That was very easy, right?"
0:08:34 > 0:08:38But... Actually, in fact, usually that's very hard to make it sound
0:08:38 > 0:08:41natural and organic.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43- That's the challenge but when it works...- Yes.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44..magic happens, right?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Well, if you want to see the grand master Haitink at work,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50then go to the BBC iPlayer, you'll find this Proms performance with
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Haitink and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Now, cast your mind back to 7th September 2013
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and the Last Night of the Proms.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01It was a night of firsts,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Marin Alsop became the first woman to conduct
0:09:03 > 0:09:05the Last Night of the Proms and
0:09:05 > 0:09:08it was also the first time that anyone had heard this...
0:09:08 > 0:09:11MUSIC: Masquerade by Anna Clyne
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Composed by Anna Clyne, that piece of music is called Masquerade,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28and it's part of the new look Proms titles all over the BBC.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29So, you'll be hearing it a lot.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32As you can see, we like nothing more than a makeover
0:09:32 > 0:09:34here at Proms Extra so we headed up to Salford,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36home of the BBC Philharmonic,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38where, under the baton of conductor John Wilson,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41they were recording the new Proms theme tune.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44ORCHESTRA TUNES UP
0:09:46 > 0:09:50One of the exciting things about being a composer, or challenges
0:09:50 > 0:09:53too, is when you are composing, it's very solitary, you are by yourself.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58You are at your piano working away and then suddenly you are in front
0:09:58 > 0:10:02of 90-100 musicians, bringing this music to life
0:10:02 > 0:10:06so it is always a mix of excitement and also a little anxiety,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10just hoping that it is going to sound as you imagined it to sound.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14From the top, one, two, three.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17MUSIC PLAYS WITH DRAMATIC FLOURISH
0:10:23 > 0:10:28One of the challenges in rearranging Masquerade for this purpose
0:10:28 > 0:10:32was to find moments where the music would synchronise precisely
0:10:32 > 0:10:33with the visuals.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35So if you got a sudden change of shot,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37you want the music to shift at that same point.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42So, the images impose a structure on the music.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46Not bad?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48I'm wondering, actually, if they should hold forte
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- and then come down, actually. - Let's try it.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54When you're recording it, you have to make sure the timings are exact.
0:10:54 > 0:10:5731, just give me some click, please.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59CLICKING
0:10:59 > 0:11:00One, two, two, two.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03The way we do that is that the conductor has the click track
0:11:03 > 0:11:07which is like a metronome which he'll hear through an earpiece.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Through that we make sure that these things align perfectly
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and that the timing is precisely 20, 30 or 40 seconds.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Each of these different musics opens with a very distinct sound,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22which is the sound of a whip crack.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23CRACK!
0:11:23 > 0:11:26That very percussive opening gesture that sets in motion
0:11:26 > 0:11:28the strings with these fast scale.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29One, two, three.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32MUSIC ERUPTS
0:11:35 > 0:11:40These sort of fanfare-like brass sounds that give a sense of joy and wonder.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48So, that then sort of blossoms into the imagination that comes to
0:11:48 > 0:11:51life at the Proms, at the Royal Albert Hall
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and how to really evoke that through music.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- Yeah, it's better.- It's the best two chords as well.- Yeah.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Bravo, everybody, thanks very much. Thanks...
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Phew!
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And that is a little insight into the new Proms makeover.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12You've all recorded, it's a fascinating process.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Tai, is it one you enjoy?
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Yes and no, because what is missing in a recording is the vibe of
0:12:17 > 0:12:19the audience, the energy,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23the synergy that is created by the amount of people in this space.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26And so when you are in a recording situation, in a studio,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29without that audience, it is
0:12:29 > 0:12:33how you create that spinning top without them being there.
0:12:33 > 0:12:34I totally agree with that.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I've done many recordings over the years where we will take that
0:12:37 > 0:12:39project and put it live and sometimes
0:12:39 > 0:12:42we've actually ended up releasing the live version instead
0:12:42 > 0:12:46of the stuff we slaved away for three days in the studio to record.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- Yeah, yeah. - It often gets very technical.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53You guys were just talking about the challenge of working to
0:12:53 > 0:12:56a click track, that seems a very unmusical process somehow?
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Yes, sometimes when we do film scores, you have to follow...
0:13:00 > 0:13:02That's just...
0:13:02 > 0:13:05That's much more challenging than opera or ballet,
0:13:05 > 0:13:09anything, your company, you have to follow a clock.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11That wouldn't, you know...
0:13:11 > 0:13:15I mean, generally, the theory is that you have three takes
0:13:15 > 0:13:18or at least in my world, if you're doing often what would be
0:13:18 > 0:13:22shorter pieces, you've got about three takes to nail it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Once you go past the third take, the energy naturally starts to
0:13:25 > 0:13:30diminish so you need to try, as Tai said, to keep this energy up and
0:13:30 > 0:13:31really imagine that you're live
0:13:31 > 0:13:35and sort of performing to an audience to try to get that peak.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Yeah. Really usually the best is that run-through actually.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43From beginning to end, the run-through usually is the best.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44Always record the rehearsal.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46You can always retouch, yes,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49but the run-through usually has a better flow.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51It's the same with demos for artists,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53with a lot of artists, with the demo you can never get it.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58Oh, wow. Well, we've got no more makeovers but still to come here on Proms Extra...
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I don't think so anyway! David Owen Norris and his jumbo chord,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03and we go behind the scenes at the Royal Albert Hall
0:14:03 > 0:14:05with tenor Stuart Skelton
0:14:05 > 0:14:07and at the end of the show, we've got a performance by Tai,
0:14:07 > 0:14:08which will be marvellous.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10First though,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13for two decades, Sir Malcolm Sargent was the colourful,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17chief conductor of the Proms until his death in 1967.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20He was a great believer in bringing classical music to the masses,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and he played a big part in bringing the Proms to a TV audience.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27To mark the 50th anniversary of his death, last week's Proms Extra
0:14:27 > 0:14:32guest, Sir Andrew Davis, recreated Sargent's 500th Prom from 1966.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35It was shown last night on BBC Four,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37and we have a clip, and, yes, it is in colour.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19That was Sir Andrew Davis conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra
0:15:19 > 0:15:21in a performance of Popular Song from Walton's Facade.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Other pieces in that Prom honouring Malcolm Sargent
0:15:24 > 0:15:27included Elgar's Cockaigne Overture, The Perfect Fool by Holst
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Xian, it was quite a festival of English music.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33There was Berlioz and Schumann as well,
0:15:33 > 0:15:35but there was a lot of this English sound world.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Is it one you like and are familiar with?
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Erm, I would...
0:15:39 > 0:15:42I like it very, very much, but actually this is the kind of music
0:15:42 > 0:15:46you don't get to hear that much outside the UK, which is a shame.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51I always find this kind of music has a lot of humour and charm in it.
0:15:51 > 0:15:57That makes it very British or English, however you call it.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02Outside the UK, really we don't get to play it often.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- Shame.- It is a shame!
0:16:04 > 0:16:08We don't play a lot of English composers' music.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Britten, Elgar, that's pretty much what you hear,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14but really not enough.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- It's all going to change after tonight, I can see it.- It should.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Tai, was Walton's Facade a piece that you knew and liked?
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Absolutely, yes. I think I was introduced to it
0:16:23 > 0:16:25in my middle teens at some point.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Fast forwarding a few years.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32I love ballroom dancing and so this,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- as a sort of a parody of all those dances...- My kind of girl.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37..I love it.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41No, it's a highly entertaining piece from start to finish
0:16:41 > 0:16:44and I think Sir Andrew Davis was the perfect conductor
0:16:44 > 0:16:46as well on that occasion. I don't know if you agree.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I would agree.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52I think that the charisma of his mannerisms perfectly seemed
0:16:52 > 0:16:54to mirror the music as it went along.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Of course, if no-one has told him this before,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00he absolutely has that TV thing down, you know.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02THEY LAUGH
0:17:02 > 0:17:03I tell you the other thing that struck me,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05because I was at the Prom and enjoyed it very much,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07but also you go back 50 years,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10I think there were seven or eight pieces of music in the programme.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13It felt like the Last Night of the Proms, almost.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15We're so used to having maybe three works
0:17:15 > 0:17:17and it's quite a nostalgic trip.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Is it one that you would like to see more of now,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24to reintroduce a longer, more varied programme, shorter pieces?
0:17:24 > 0:17:26I think that's a great idea.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29I really think, actually, we should also reduce
0:17:29 > 0:17:31the general timing of a concert.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35This one was long, though.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Not only shorter pieces, more pieces, shorter pieces,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42and slightly shorter concert. I think.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46In a way, I think it works better for modern-day life.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49What do you think, Jules, would you agree with that?
0:17:49 > 0:17:52I think that there's definitely an element of truth in it.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I think sometimes 75 minutes as a concert
0:17:54 > 0:17:57often for an audience feels better than 90.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02But, in a way, regardless, how you're going to piece together
0:18:02 > 0:18:05a programme of many short pieces is always a challenge
0:18:05 > 0:18:09and for that you always need to bear in mind who is the audience
0:18:09 > 0:18:12and what are they coming for, and you want to try to take them
0:18:12 > 0:18:16on a trip that really reaches the feeling of an arrival point
0:18:16 > 0:18:20when often the pieces themselves might not necessarily be
0:18:20 > 0:18:21so related to one another.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- May I ask a really silly question? - Hit me.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27When you're putting together shorter pieces, do you ever think
0:18:27 > 0:18:29this piece stopped on this note
0:18:29 > 0:18:30so the next one has to start on this note.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32- Sure.- Really?- Yeah, yeah.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36When I do programming, I should really think about that.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37Like keys, tempos.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39- Keys, I've thought.- Vibe.- OK, yes.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43But the note, hm, very interesting.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I suppose I'm sometimes able to take liberties
0:18:46 > 0:18:48with the music I'm often working in,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52so I might create segues with the orchestras on the spot,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55we'll work something out as we did on the Scott concert,
0:18:55 > 0:19:01- but I'm not sure I could take those liberties with...- Tchaikovsky.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- Tchaikovsky.- He's not around to ask, to be fair.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06He wouldn't probably mind.
0:19:06 > 0:19:07True.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Well, we've just heard a little snippet of Walton's Popular Song
0:19:10 > 0:19:12so we're going to delve a little bit further into that music,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16courtesy of Proms Extra's keyboard wizard, David Owen Norris.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19HE PLAYS DISCORDANT CHORD
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Quite a shocking discord
0:19:21 > 0:19:24but actually our chord of the week
0:19:24 > 0:19:28is just the end of William Walton's Popular Song from Facade.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32HE PLAYS PASSAGE FROM POPULAR SONG
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Facade is a series of brilliant parodies of musical styles
0:19:36 > 0:19:40current in the 1920s, and I think Walton got the idea
0:19:40 > 0:19:43for this chord from a little piece published 100 years ago
0:19:43 > 0:19:47in the middle of the First World War while Walton was studying at Oxford,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Nola by Felix Arndt.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54HE PLAYS PASSAGE FROM NOLA
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Now, that chord...
0:19:56 > 0:19:59is a dominant seventh...
0:19:59 > 0:20:01with an extra note,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and Walton, the young tearaway, thought what if that extra note
0:20:04 > 0:20:07had a dominant seventh all of its own?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09And then I can play them together.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14And then I can add an extra note!
0:20:15 > 0:20:18But why was he thinking of Nola in the first place?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Well, here's Nola.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23HE PLAYS PASSAGE FROM NOLA
0:20:23 > 0:20:27And here's Popular Song, practically Nola upside down.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30HE PLAYS SIMILAR PASSAGE FROM NOLA
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Here's a riff from Nola.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Here's a riff from Popular Song.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45In fact, they are so similar that you can simply weave them together.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Nola.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Popular Song.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58And even both at once.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05We love him. We just love him.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08The Don of the chords will be back on Proms Extra next week
0:21:08 > 0:21:11with his notes on Beethoven's 9th Symphony, well, you can't miss it.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Now, I did want to ask all of you but I think
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I'm going to just focus on you, Tai, I'm putting you on the spot.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21How do you respond after you finish performing? What do you do?
0:21:21 > 0:21:22Do you have any little rituals?
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Yes. As soon as I walk offstage, especially if things have gone well,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29- I do a happy dance which I will not demonstrate right now.- Oh, shame.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Which looks very happy, I think.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36That's my thing.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40And then I just, you know, maybe I go have a glass of champagne,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42which is always nice.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46And just decompress. It takes a while before the adrenaline disappears.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50I can't go and take a nap after a concert, it's not possible.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54I am slightly distraught that you're not going to do the happy dance
0:21:54 > 0:21:57but the reason I was asking this is in the last series,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59we asked pianist Stephen Hough to tell us how he got ready
0:21:59 > 0:22:02for his Proms concert but we wanted to know what happens after a show.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05This time, Proms Extra persuaded tenor Stuart Skelton to let us
0:22:05 > 0:22:09follow him before and after his performance of Beethoven's Fidelio.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15It's euphoria.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17I don't think there's any other word for it.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Performing live is everything.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23The bringing the audience along with you.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Making them love you, making them hate you,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30making them fear for you, making them feel for you.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32You've given of yourself to the point
0:22:32 > 0:22:35where when you're done, there's nothing left.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41When I'm singing, I'm actually quite fastidious
0:22:41 > 0:22:42about protecting my voice.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45One of the things I get constant teasing about from my colleagues
0:22:45 > 0:22:48is that I don't drink 72 hours before
0:22:48 > 0:22:52any performance or any rehearsal with orchestra,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55just to make sure that little tiny bit of gristle
0:22:55 > 0:22:56and cartilage in there behaves itself
0:22:56 > 0:23:00for the two or three or four hours you're on stage.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02The euphoria for me is all about anticipation
0:23:02 > 0:23:05of that first martini and a couple of cocktail onions.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07I'm genuinely serious.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11You can almost taste the cold gin, you know.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I've put a beer in here for afterwards.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It's staying cold for the time being.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16Shh!
0:23:22 > 0:23:25HE VOCALISES
0:23:26 > 0:23:29If you sing a note and the voice cracks or splits, or doesn't sound,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33pick yourself up, get up, keep going as if nothing happened.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36There's not a singer on the planet that can remember any word
0:23:36 > 0:23:39from a decent review, but we know word for word
0:23:39 > 0:23:43everyone that slated us, every time without fail.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46And then you go home, you obsess over it for 24 hours
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and then you realise you're the only person that cares now
0:23:49 > 0:23:52so you might want to stop and suck it up, daffodil.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58His first note, there's nothing underneath him, it's just the voice,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02that's what was everyone in, makes that space very small very quickly.
0:24:04 > 0:24:16# God. #
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And there is no do-overs, there's no Mulligans,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25so you should feel empty at the end, a physical exhaustion.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28It's euphoria, it's relief and being able to be with your colleagues
0:24:28 > 0:24:30and come off the stage and look at each other
0:24:30 > 0:24:34and know that what you gave was everything you had to give.
0:24:36 > 0:24:37Hiya.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Hot, sweaty. Really good.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Everyone is obviously very happy, it was a terrific performance.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46We're just ecstatic.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Good show, what a reaction from the crowd, eh?
0:24:49 > 0:24:54MUSIC: Back In Black by AC/DC
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Exhilarating.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Cheers.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I'll come back to that later.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Cover the glasses up. I'll take them down to the photo shoot.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13It's a good day. A really good day.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Come along for the ride, guys.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18It's like after work drinks.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Whatever job you do, on a Friday night,
0:25:20 > 0:25:23the office group or whatever, let's head down to the pub
0:25:23 > 0:25:25for a couple of rounds. It's exactly the same thing.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27You just happen to have other people here
0:25:27 > 0:25:30and your job just happened to have been in front of 6,000 people.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Here you go. Cheers.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Part of what we do is connecting with an audience
0:25:34 > 0:25:35when you're performing.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I think the other half is connecting with the audience
0:25:38 > 0:25:43when we're not performing, and the way to do that is just to be you.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44How are you? Hiya.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47How are you? Hiya.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Hiya. How are you doing?
0:25:49 > 0:25:53'And I try to get changed into civvies.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55'I need to get back to real life.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57'I'm nobody.'
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I'm the guy headed to the bar for the first martini
0:26:00 > 0:26:01just like everyone else.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07See you later, guys. Bye-bye, thanks!
0:26:14 > 0:26:16The wonderful Stuart Skelton, and I can tell you
0:26:16 > 0:26:19that you can see him performing in Beethoven's Fidelio tomorrow night,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23BBC Four at 9:30, straight after Xian Zhang's Prom which is at 7:30.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25And if that's not enough of the man,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27he's going to be here in the studio with me next week
0:26:27 > 0:26:32and we are all looking forward to the drinks after the show already.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Now, let's turn to the man behind Proms such as Quincy Jones,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38the Radio 1 Ibiza Prom, the Urban Prom, Jamie Cullum, and so forth.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Jules, you're the man. You conducted the Scott Walker Prom
0:26:41 > 0:26:42just this last week.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- Was it fantastic?- It felt good.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I have to ask the question,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50because not everybody will know about the genius of Scott Walker,
0:26:50 > 0:26:52tell us a little bit about the man, the artist.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Scott Walker is an artist who originally was in a group
0:26:56 > 0:26:59called the Walker Brothers.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02He was brought to public fame through this group.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05And at a certain point in the mid '60s, he just decided
0:27:05 > 0:27:09he wanted to break away and do his own thing.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12He therefore set about recording a series of solo
0:27:12 > 0:27:16albums in a very short period of time, like 1967-70.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21And he teamed up with an incredible arranger called Angela Morley
0:27:21 > 0:27:23who at that point was writing stuff for the BBC Big Band
0:27:23 > 0:27:25and the BBC Radio Orchestra,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28and also another guy called Reg Guest.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32And between them they basically crafted these albums which have
0:27:32 > 0:27:37gone on to become cult albums because what's unique about
0:27:37 > 0:27:41Scott is that he makes an album, he puts his heart and soul into it.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44He listens to it, so the legend goes,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47he listens to it once and then moves straight on to the next album.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50So he never performs it, he never listens to it again.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53And this music has never been performed since 1967
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and another legend has it that in '70, he was offered
0:27:57 > 0:27:59an orchestra and the Albert Hall,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02but for whatever reason it didn't happen so it's something
0:28:02 > 0:28:06I think a lot of people have been waiting a long time to hear.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Well, let's not keep them waiting any longer.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11It's time to see a little bit of the Scott Walker Prom right now.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13# It's raining today
0:28:16 > 0:28:20# But once there was summer and you
0:28:22 > 0:28:25# And dark little rooms
0:28:30 > 0:28:34# And sleep in late afternoons
0:28:36 > 0:28:39# You are all right now
0:28:41 > 0:28:51# So stop a while behind our smile... #
0:28:52 > 0:28:59# My life's a meaningless pursuit of meaningless smiles
0:28:59 > 0:29:03# Why can't God touch me with a sign
0:29:07 > 0:29:12# Perhaps there's no-one there answered the booth
0:29:12 > 0:29:19# And Death hid within his cloak and smiled... #
0:29:19 > 0:29:22# Plastic palace Alice
0:29:24 > 0:29:28# Blows gaping holes to store her fears
0:29:28 > 0:29:32# Inside her lover's head
0:29:36 > 0:29:42# Listen, they're laughing in the halls
0:29:42 > 0:29:46# They rip your face with lies
0:29:46 > 0:29:51# To buzzing eyes you cry for help
0:29:51 > 0:29:58# Like gods they bark replies. #
0:30:01 > 0:30:04The stars there paying tribute to Scott Walker with
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Jules Buckley conducting the Heritage Orchestra.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Schooling an audience into the genius mind of Scott Walker
0:30:09 > 0:30:12who we hear was there, and indeed we have proof.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14One of the soloists Susanne Sundfor tweeted this picture of her
0:30:14 > 0:30:17and John Grant with Scott Walker after the show saying
0:30:17 > 0:30:20she got to meet her hero and, Tai, you were there,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23tell us what your impressions of it were?
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Emotional, actually. Quite emotional.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31All the performances were incredibly touching.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35But also it was an education for me
0:30:35 > 0:30:41because I grew up listening to so many great rock, pop singers.
0:30:41 > 0:30:47Huge ballads, Broadway and just the realisation of the impact
0:30:47 > 0:30:51that he had on all of these different artists and art forms.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55It means quite a lot to music in all of its forms, I think.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58And just to be a part of that audience that was so emotionally
0:30:58 > 0:31:03engaged and so happy to be there and enjoying themselves so much.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06It was fantastic and I thank this man sitting right here.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Jules, you were saying artists were queuing up to be part of this
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Prom but it's not just about the singers,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15though even though their performances were marvellous.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18The orchestra was very much centre stage in all these arrangements.
0:31:18 > 0:31:19Yeah, absolutely.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21On one album of Scott's, Scott 3,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24there's a track called It's Raining Today.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28And what's very interesting is that at the time, think about it,
0:31:28 > 0:31:32'67, you have no references, you have no Spotify, you don't
0:31:32 > 0:31:35have CDs, you can't really delve into these classic
0:31:35 > 0:31:40pop albums to find some orchestral inspiration, so,
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Angela Morley came up with this crazy atonal cluster chord
0:31:44 > 0:31:47that's a combination of string harmonics, string trills,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50some wind notes that are fading in and out.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54And that abstractly works against this tonal and very,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58sort of, more melodic guitar bass, sort of groove.
0:31:58 > 0:32:04That track alone stands the test of time against so many pop albums,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Radiohead, Anohni, Last Shadow Puppets,
0:32:07 > 0:32:11Marc Almond, you name it, they've all been influenced by Scott Walker.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13And none more so than David Bowie
0:32:13 > 0:32:16who once, on radio Scott Walker phoned in
0:32:16 > 0:32:20and wished him happy birthday and he wasn't even able to speak.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23This is the gravity of the man we're talking about.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27So I think for many people in the audience, there was this cathartic
0:32:27 > 0:32:33feeling, you know, they were waiting to hear these tracks because it was
0:32:33 > 0:32:36a revolutionary type of production technique
0:32:36 > 0:32:39in that day and age. It was orchestra up front
0:32:39 > 0:32:41instead of the...
0:32:41 > 0:32:44often, sort of wallpaper style at the back thing you get.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47Xian, is this a style of music you'd like to conduct?
0:32:49 > 0:32:54I think nowadays conductors do all genres, all sorts.
0:32:54 > 0:32:59We do film scores, we do ballet, dances, waltzes.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03Of course, anything. Tango.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08I just performed with Indian musicians and the sarods, all sorts.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12I think they're all connected, eventually. All forms are connected.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16It's just wonderful hearing what the Proms comes up with very year
0:33:16 > 0:33:19but particularly you, Jules. Is there anything on your list now,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22genres you've yet to bring to the hall?
0:33:22 > 0:33:24I was thinking about Eminem, actually.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29No, seriously speaking, actually, Flying Lotus would be awesome.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Anderson Paak, someone like that.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35An artist that's absolutely at the forefront of what's going on
0:33:35 > 0:33:37at this point in time.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40And you mentioned Eminem because I know, Tai, you want to work with him.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42I am a huge fan, yes.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46- I am looking forward to that day. It's coming.- We could team up.
0:33:46 > 0:33:47Absolutely.
0:33:47 > 0:33:53- You said that now on air. - Let's shake on it live on TV.- OK.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55- I love it.- Fantastic.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58If you want to see Jules at work, head to the BBC iPlayer
0:33:58 > 0:34:00where you will find the Scott Walker Revisited Prom in all its glory.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03This is also a good time to remind you that besides the iPlayer,
0:34:03 > 0:34:05the Proms can be consumed in all sorts of ways,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07there's the Proms website, every concert is broadcast
0:34:07 > 0:34:10live on Radio 3, and the Proms has gone all modern and got
0:34:10 > 0:34:13itself a weekly podcast presented by the comedienne, Vikki Stone,
0:34:13 > 0:34:14which is great.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17All of that is yours to feast on, do it responsibly.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19Earlier in the show, you saw the tenor Stuart Skelton
0:34:19 > 0:34:23winding down after his performance in Beethoven's only opera,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Fidelio and you can see that on BBC Four tomorrow at 9.30.
0:34:26 > 0:34:27Here's a clip.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31MUSIC: Fidelio by Beethoven
0:35:14 > 0:35:18Juanjo Mena, conducting Fidelio on BBC Four tomorrow night at 9.30,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21and Stuart Skelton is coming to join me in the studio next week
0:35:21 > 0:35:22so do tune in for that.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27It's a week of voices as Proms highlights to listen out for on Radio 3 include
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Finnish folk music at Cadogan Hall.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32We've got the conductor William Christie and the Orchestra
0:35:32 > 0:35:34and Choir of the Age of Enlightenment coming together
0:35:34 > 0:35:38to perform Handel's oratorio, Israel in Egypt, and there's
0:35:38 > 0:35:41a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie on Friday.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43That's also on BBC Four at eight o'clock
0:35:43 > 0:35:45which is handy because we're reviewing it next Saturday
0:35:45 > 0:35:47on this show.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Now, I'd like to thank my guests,
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Xian Zhang and Jules Buckley. Good luck, Xian, for your Prom tomorrow.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55- Thank you.- Very much looking forward to that one.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Lots of excitement about that Prom, I must say.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59Jules, all the crew want to carry your baton to the
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Mingus Prom cos it's the only way they are going to get tickets.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Actually, it's funny you say that cos I left it in the hall
0:36:05 > 0:36:07after the Scott concert.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11- No.- If anyone's seen it, it's about this long.
0:36:11 > 0:36:12We're on it, we'll find it.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17And thank you to violinist Tai Murray who is playing the show out with Humoresque
0:36:17 > 0:36:20by Sibelius, accompanied by her pianist Fiachra Garvey.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22Goodbye.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26MUSIC: Humoresque by Sibelius