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Proms Extra really is at the Royal Albert Hall. | :00:00. | :00:09. | |
Tonight, we're all about Tchaikovsky, Holst and Jamie Cullum, | :00:10. | :00:11. | |
plus we'll be getting you in the mood for the John Wilson | :00:12. | :00:14. | |
Think of us as the cheeky best man to the blushing | :00:15. | :00:48. | |
And last week, here inside the Hall, the audience gathered | :00:49. | :00:52. | |
And the Proms just keep on coming, and we're only half way | :00:53. | :02:40. | |
Now, l'm not the only one let loose inside the Hall tonight, l have some | :02:41. | :02:45. | |
First up, a lady who is no stranger to the joys of performing | :02:46. | :02:51. | |
with the John Wilson Orchestra, and indeed the West End stage. | :02:52. | :02:53. | |
She's a real Northern lass, originally from Salford but now | :02:54. | :02:56. | |
She gets her family to bring her pudding when they come to visit | :02:57. | :03:00. | |
as you can't get decent pudding, chips and gravy down South. | :03:01. | :03:02. | |
We could only stretch to chips but she said she'll stay. | :03:03. | :03:08. | |
And also joining us tonight is a renowned jazz musician | :03:09. | :03:13. | |
and celebrated broadcaster who knows Gershwin like the back of his hand, | :03:14. | :03:17. | |
and feet, having performed works like Rhapsody in Blue and other | :03:18. | :03:20. | |
He's also part of the Proms Extra family. | :03:21. | :03:30. | |
And you're going to be forming here in a couple of days. I must learn my | :03:31. | :03:45. | |
repertoire. It is the Shakespeare Prom. And a bit of Kiss me Kate and | :03:46. | :03:52. | |
some orchestral pieces. That is on Thursday, we will be tuning in. And | :03:53. | :03:57. | |
what have you been up to, Julian M quite a few things, a lot of | :03:58. | :04:02. | |
educational initiatives. I'm Ambassador for the BBC and just | :04:03. | :04:08. | |
training young jazz musicians in the ways of jazz, helping them forward. | :04:09. | :04:13. | |
I have a scheme called the trio university, more on that later! Well | :04:14. | :04:21. | |
we have got Gershwin and the John Willesden August, a great | :04:22. | :04:25. | |
combination. Looking forward to it? Very much, John Wilson is a man | :04:26. | :04:31. | |
passionate about music. -- the John Wilson Orchestra. Especially with | :04:32. | :04:37. | |
Hollywood, uncovering some of the scores from the MGM films. Someone | :04:38. | :04:42. | |
like him delving deeply into Gershwin, I think really means that | :04:43. | :04:45. | |
the music is going to be done justice. We will note that you like | :04:46. | :04:50. | |
it if you call him a jazz cat! Well, Proms Extra will be | :04:51. | :04:53. | |
here watching the build up to the Gershwin Gala courtesy | :04:54. | :04:55. | |
of the John Wilson Orchestra, who will be on stage in about half | :04:56. | :04:58. | |
an hour or so to perform some Now, whilst we're here, | :04:59. | :05:01. | |
Proms Extra has pleaded with an Albert Hall insider to guide | :05:02. | :05:05. | |
us into the inner sanctum, to see who's around and smell | :05:06. | :05:08. | |
the excitement building up. Quite frankly, there was only | :05:09. | :05:10. | |
one man for the job. That's broadcaster and head | :05:11. | :05:12. | |
of the John Wilson fanclub, Petroc, I see you got | :05:13. | :05:15. | |
the memo to dress up. If ever there was a night for formal | :05:16. | :05:27. | |
wear at the BBC Proms this is it. One of the most eagerly awaited | :05:28. | :05:33. | |
events in the Proms calendar. This famous stage empty and in darkness | :05:34. | :05:37. | |
at the moment but very soon some of the greatest orchestral players | :05:38. | :05:40. | |
drawn from across the UK will be here making music with a great trio | :05:41. | :05:45. | |
of soloists and fantastic wire as well. Performing music by George | :05:46. | :05:50. | |
Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin. And let's not forget that famous | :05:51. | :05:54. | |
Proms audience. You do not often see the arena empty, the doors will open | :05:55. | :05:58. | |
very soon and I think it will be packed pretty tightly there this | :05:59. | :06:03. | |
evening. This is the eighth appearance at the Proms by the John | :06:04. | :06:09. | |
Wilson Orchestra full. John Wilson himself is passionate, enthusiastic | :06:10. | :06:12. | |
and incredibly energetic. But I managed to get him to sit down for a | :06:13. | :06:16. | |
couple of minutes after rehearsal this afternoon and we began by | :06:17. | :06:21. | |
talking about authenticity. If the spirit of Ira and George Gershwin we | :06:22. | :06:25. | |
here tonight, he would want them to improve of what he has done. -- | :06:26. | :06:31. | |
approved. It is important that we play all the right notes! And in the | :06:32. | :06:38. | |
right style, which is kind of elusive these days. Not many people | :06:39. | :06:43. | |
are playing this music Day in and day out and there was a certain way | :06:44. | :06:49. | |
to play it, the depth of the sound. We have got to work at that every | :06:50. | :06:54. | |
time to stop but every last semi-clear is authentic to the | :06:55. | :06:58. | |
original motion picture sound. What she knew earlier in rehearsal, | :06:59. | :07:02. | |
you're tough with the orchestra but you also have a great relationship | :07:03. | :07:06. | |
with them. They are players that you are personally selected. We have | :07:07. | :07:09. | |
been learning together for 20 years now. I learn from them. I try to | :07:10. | :07:17. | |
guide them to the vision I have of the music. It is very much a | :07:18. | :07:21. | |
collaboration. So many treats coming up this evening, do have a favourite | :07:22. | :07:27. | |
song? The man that got away, it is a song that I wrote and dashed that | :07:28. | :07:33. | |
Ira wrote, it is possibly the greatest popular song of that idiom | :07:34. | :07:38. | |
ever written. It is your eighth appearance of the Proms and I sensed | :07:39. | :07:42. | |
the energy and tension and excitement, it does not get any | :07:43. | :07:47. | |
less. You're pretty geed up when you go out there. Yes, it is the | :07:48. | :07:50. | |
highlight of the year and very exciting. I would be lying if I said | :07:51. | :07:55. | |
anything else. A bit nervous, but the right kind of nervous. No one is | :07:56. | :08:01. | |
complacent. We are on the edge first team spot in the good way. We | :08:02. | :08:06. | |
rehearse hard and we want to do the concert, we are all excited about | :08:07. | :08:10. | |
it. That was John Wilson spitting immediately after rehearsal this | :08:11. | :08:15. | |
morning. His orchestra on BBC Two at 7:30pm and bike every prom, on Radio | :08:16. | :08:21. | |
3 is well this evening. Presented by, forget about the Olympics, the | :08:22. | :08:25. | |
only super Saturday worth considering is here at the Royal | :08:26. | :08:28. | |
Albert Hall. I will go backstage to try to find some solace to talk to | :08:29. | :08:32. | |
later in the programme. Back to you now, Katie. | :08:33. | :08:37. | |
You have worked with John Wilson many times. I would like to show you | :08:38. | :08:44. | |
my all-time favourite clip of you singing with him. Go for it. | :08:45. | :08:57. | |
# Tap your troubles away. # Tap your troubles away. | :08:58. | :09:17. | |
Every time I watch that I just laugh. Will you aware of what was | :09:18. | :09:26. | |
going on? I thought perhaps I had my skirt tucked into my underwear, I | :09:27. | :09:30. | |
could hear 5000 people laughing. And it was Dave and Maude! It was quite | :09:31. | :09:38. | |
amusing. I'm reliably informed that they made the early train. As you | :09:39. | :09:43. | |
can hear from the tannoy, we are in the Albert Hall waiting for the John | :09:44. | :09:49. | |
Wilson orchestra to come on stage and start their prime. Tell us what | :09:50. | :09:52. | |
it is like backstage, getting ready for one of the Proms? We both know | :09:53. | :09:59. | |
the hall so well now, and the bullring that runs around, there is | :10:00. | :10:02. | |
a lot of frenetic activity, people warming up, the fantastic medical | :10:03. | :10:06. | |
singer is getting ready. The soloists applying a lot of make-up. | :10:07. | :10:14. | |
And the orchestra is so large, a lot of people are back there doing their | :10:15. | :10:18. | |
stuff. Tom Croxton who looks after the audience -- the orchestra, make | :10:19. | :10:21. | |
sure everyone has their music sorted out. Those musicians are tremendous | :10:22. | :10:29. | |
and hand-picked. Yes, they are a community. And John has chosen them | :10:30. | :10:37. | |
lovingly, really. If anyone could choose an orchestra that is made up | :10:38. | :10:42. | |
of their favourite players and the most excellent players, then John | :10:43. | :10:50. | |
Wilson is making that a reality. I know everyone, the queue was | :10:51. | :10:53. | |
extraordinary acts out and we have had a lot of people saying one night | :10:54. | :10:57. | |
is not enough, I look forward to this each year. It is going to be | :10:58. | :11:04. | |
great. The amount of music that George and Ira Gershwin Road, there | :11:05. | :11:08. | |
could be three Proms! Well the audience are going to come in any | :11:09. | :11:15. | |
minute. Whilst we wait, with intent to a of repertoire once described as | :11:16. | :11:17. | |
music that sticks out the year. This is a quad piece in the | :11:18. | :11:35. | |
repertoire. Absolutely, every musician is sensitive about what | :11:36. | :11:42. | |
they write. Try Scott the scenes was quite a gentle character. -- | :11:43. | :11:47. | |
Tchaikovsky. Many people poking their noses and especially | :11:48. | :11:51. | |
violinists, trying to save his unplayable or it doesn't sound | :11:52. | :11:54. | |
great. When it finally got performed I think two years after he wrote it, | :11:55. | :12:01. | |
it was like, that is how it should sound. Of course the great | :12:02. | :12:04. | |
violinists through the ages have caught on and it has become a staple | :12:05. | :12:09. | |
in the canon of violin repertoire. Would you agree with those who say | :12:10. | :12:14. | |
it is quintessentially Russian peace? I would agree. It is buoyant, | :12:15. | :12:22. | |
it is lively and gritty. But so impressive to see any great | :12:23. | :12:28. | |
violinist play put up and Pekka Kuusisto just does it the most | :12:29. | :12:33. | |
immense justice, it is beautiful. He brings out some of the third | :12:34. | :12:37. | |
Guinness as well, many performers do not. Yes, he enjoys every moment of | :12:38. | :12:44. | |
it. -- some of the folky aspect. You feel that the piece is in safe hands | :12:45. | :12:49. | |
when he does it and it is. He connects in a way that you really | :12:50. | :12:54. | |
appreciate. Well we can see him in action now. With the BBC Scottish | :12:55. | :12:56. | |
Symphony Orchestra. Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto | :12:57. | :13:05. | |
as performed by Pekka Kuusisto. MUSIC: Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto | :13:06. | :13:09. | |
performaed by Pekka Kuusisto. Pekka Kuusisto making | :13:10. | :13:45. | |
his debut at the Proms, and l believe on that night, | :13:46. | :13:47. | |
Pekka cemented his place as one That performance, safe and in the | :13:48. | :14:03. | |
hands of a master, but also what a showman. Absolutely, he went further | :14:04. | :14:09. | |
to show his connection with the audience by singing song. We will | :14:10. | :14:13. | |
hear a bit of that, do not give it away! He played that piece just with | :14:14. | :14:21. | |
immense buoyancy and love. When you watch it you can see that he is | :14:22. | :14:26. | |
loving every moment. He's not concerned about himself, he is just | :14:27. | :14:29. | |
loving the music and it comes across. Even before the fun and | :14:30. | :14:34. | |
games started with the encore, he had the audience eating out of his | :14:35. | :14:39. | |
hand. When I watched it, there was virtuosity but also how playful he | :14:40. | :14:44. | |
was. I thought he was just 17! So enthusiastic. And the section, where | :14:45. | :14:51. | |
he plays a cappella without the orchestra is unbelievable. The | :14:52. | :14:55. | |
finger work just stunning and he teases people with some beautiful | :14:56. | :15:00. | |
high notes that he takes on. Really gorgeous to watch. And also the way | :15:01. | :15:06. | |
he connects with the audience. I watched it. The atmosphere was | :15:07. | :15:10. | |
phenomenal by all accounts. He was playing with us. He's a very | :15:11. | :15:17. | |
personable guy, very approachable. And I did not realise it was his | :15:18. | :15:22. | |
debut, that is incredible. He played also with the violin players. When a | :15:23. | :15:26. | |
soloist can connect with the rest of the guys in the gang, that was | :15:27. | :15:31. | |
really lovely. Well be alluded to the encore and it was great. This is | :15:32. | :15:35. | |
what happened when he got the whole hall singing along. | :15:36. | :15:48. | |
One more time, very clear articulation, please! Great, this is | :15:49. | :15:53. | |
the last verse! 6000 people singing in finish in | :15:54. | :16:16. | |
your encore, that's not bad going. You connect with the audience, we | :16:17. | :16:20. | |
saw you earlier in your clip, do you learn that orders it, naturally? I | :16:21. | :16:26. | |
think any stand in this place or any concert hall you play, you have to | :16:27. | :16:30. | |
do that. It's a great thing about being a live performer. You invite | :16:31. | :16:35. | |
people in. Playing to a live audience you have to give it to | :16:36. | :16:39. | |
them. You have to lean in and find eye contact with someone, whether | :16:40. | :16:42. | |
it's at the top of the gallery or the guys down at the front in the | :16:43. | :16:49. | |
mosh pit. Watching your work, you do that as well. It's intimate, and you | :16:50. | :16:53. | |
have to be comfortable with yourself in order to do that. That's the | :16:54. | :16:59. | |
thing that comes across. That inner confidence, that self-confidence. He | :17:00. | :17:04. | |
thought, I'm just going to have a giggle. He trusts in what he's | :17:05. | :17:08. | |
doing. And he trusts the audience to get it. And nobody can not be | :17:09. | :17:16. | |
charmed by that. He includes people. Did it take you a while to get | :17:17. | :17:21. | |
confident before you could enjoy feeding off the audience? It's a | :17:22. | :17:25. | |
funny thing, we talked about it earlier, when you are a musician, an | :17:26. | :17:30. | |
entertainer, it chooses you, it calls to you. For some of us, the | :17:31. | :17:36. | |
ability to connect with the audience, the more people you see | :17:37. | :17:40. | |
either on the stage or offstage, the more comfortable you feel. It's a | :17:41. | :17:44. | |
very strange thing, because even before you go on, you think it will | :17:45. | :17:49. | |
be the opposite. Then you get out and actually, the warmth you feel | :17:50. | :17:52. | |
with the audience and the members of the group on the stage, it's like | :17:53. | :17:57. | |
you are being embraced. It feeds you and the way you want to perform. It | :17:58. | :18:01. | |
really does. Do you think we should see more of that sort of engagement | :18:02. | :18:07. | |
in classical concerts? The great thing about classical concerts, it | :18:08. | :18:11. | |
applies to everyone, my little girls, they are four and nine, | :18:12. | :18:18. | |
hello, girls! The audience for Pekka's prom was all ages. Young | :18:19. | :18:23. | |
children and old people. And the Holst covered all ranges as well. | :18:24. | :18:29. | |
Live art is very inclusive. I've got my nephew coming tonight. I don't | :18:30. | :18:36. | |
think you also you have to do that. What's wonderful about the Proms is | :18:37. | :18:39. | |
that it invites it but doesn't have to have it. It can be completely | :18:40. | :18:44. | |
silent and you can concentrate on the music in the most pure way. It | :18:45. | :18:48. | |
doesn't have to pander to a certain kind of entertainment. But that | :18:49. | :18:55. | |
honesty he radiates is something people really appreciate. And it's | :18:56. | :18:56. | |
obviously him. Do go to the BBC iPlayer to see | :18:57. | :18:57. | |
Pekka's amazing performance. And from one heavenly body | :18:58. | :19:00. | |
to another - I'm talking about Gustav Holst's inimitable | :19:01. | :19:03. | |
work The Planets, This seven movement work has | :19:04. | :19:05. | |
influenced the likes of film composer John Williams, | :19:06. | :19:13. | |
plus tough metal giants Iron Maiden, who apparently used the Mars | :19:14. | :19:15. | |
movement to get the fans going before they came | :19:16. | :19:17. | |
on to perform. In this performance there | :19:18. | :19:19. | |
were no metalheads - just the rough, tough, | :19:20. | :19:21. | |
and fearless National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain | :19:22. | :19:23. | |
giving their all. MUSIC: The Planets - | :19:24. | :19:29. | |
Jupiter by Gustav Holst. What a sight to behold - 164 pumped | :19:30. | :20:12. | |
up teenagers on a Saturday night, giving it some in a hall | :20:13. | :20:16. | |
in South Kensington. It could only be the NYO | :20:17. | :20:18. | |
of Great Britain performing Gustav Holst's | :20:19. | :20:21. | |
The Planets at the Proms. But after. What a combination. And | :20:22. | :20:42. | |
Edward Gardner, the conductor connects with them in such a great | :20:43. | :20:46. | |
way. Every advantage they have in terms of their energy and accuracy, | :20:47. | :20:51. | |
even the swaying of the strings in particular, it just connects it. You | :20:52. | :20:55. | |
relish every single note. This piece really suits them. Anna-Jane was | :20:56. | :21:06. | |
there. My sister was there, and you talk about Iron Maiden, but my | :21:07. | :21:09. | |
sister wanted to walk down the aisle at her wedding to Mars. The youngest | :21:10. | :21:15. | |
player was 14. Millie Ashton, their leader, is just 18. And they all | :21:16. | :21:21. | |
played like soloists, 164 of them. They blended beautifully but all | :21:22. | :21:25. | |
wanted to be the star and that's so exciting. What about your trumpet | :21:26. | :21:31. | |
player? I think her name is Zoe Perkins, remarkable, just 17 or 18. | :21:32. | :21:35. | |
And the gender spread was great. You usually think is the double bass or | :21:36. | :21:41. | |
trumpet being men, but there were women in there as well. If you were | :21:42. | :21:51. | |
here you could hear the roar of the doors being opened and the Proms | :21:52. | :21:55. | |
audience flooding in. It's like the sound of the sea. Do you ever get | :21:56. | :21:59. | |
the impression you are watching a youth Orchestra or could you shut | :22:00. | :22:02. | |
your eyes and think you are listening to professionals? It | :22:03. | :22:06. | |
didn't feel like you are getting any less because of the youth. In fact, | :22:07. | :22:13. | |
you were probably getting more. And the music connected. It spoke | :22:14. | :22:20. | |
powerfully. I think as powerfully as any professionally considered | :22:21. | :22:25. | |
orchestra might deal with it. It was impressive, and it was a sight to | :22:26. | :22:30. | |
behold. That enthusiasm and energy youngsters bring to any performance, | :22:31. | :22:34. | |
you were a child star yourself. I danced around as a small one. It's | :22:35. | :22:39. | |
that thing as an adult, a 44-year-old woman, I think, how do | :22:40. | :22:44. | |
they have that strength? But between 14 and 18 you have that bravado and | :22:45. | :22:49. | |
it came across. Out of the seven pieces, the two I didn't know so | :22:50. | :22:52. | |
well, you're a nurse and Neptune, they were my favourite because they | :22:53. | :22:57. | |
were so beautiful. -- Uranus and Neptune. There was the new Pluto | :22:58. | :23:05. | |
movement, the Conor Matthews peace, not the first time it's been heard | :23:06. | :23:10. | |
here, but it's about 15 years old. Did it fit in? I thought it was | :23:11. | :23:15. | |
absolutely perfect. In the orchestration, the skill that | :23:16. | :23:22. | |
matched the stuff Holst's. The style. I thought it was absolutely | :23:23. | :23:28. | |
in keeping with the style. It was like a revelation. And it came | :23:29. | :23:34. | |
perfectly at the end. Because you've got to really bring it when you are | :23:35. | :23:37. | |
doing the last movement. You have to really bring it, and it was brought. | :23:38. | :23:43. | |
Colin was there as well, and he got a nice applause. He was sat behind | :23:44. | :23:47. | |
me, I whispered well done to him at the end. | :23:48. | :23:49. | |
You are very welcome to get starry-eyed by going to the BBC | :23:50. | :23:52. | |
website to see The Planets by Holst as performed by the NYO | :23:53. | :23:55. | |
And our cosmic journey continues, from the planetary landscape | :23:56. | :23:58. | |
to a space odyssey as explored in Chord of the Week | :23:59. | :24:00. | |
by our own out of this world superstar, David Owen Norris. | :24:01. | :24:07. | |
The crucial cord from Richard Strauss's tone poem Also sprach | :24:08. | :24:15. | |
Zarathustra. Strauss uses different keys to represent different ideas in | :24:16. | :24:20. | |
the Frederick Meacher poem he based his piece on. The poem deals with | :24:21. | :24:25. | |
the relationship between mankind and nature. Strauss makes B the key of | :24:26. | :24:31. | |
man kind, so this is humanity dancing in B Major. And just as we | :24:32. | :24:40. | |
are poised to get our breath back on the cord we call the dominant, in | :24:41. | :24:47. | |
comes the trumpet with this, not in B, but C, Strauss's key of nature. | :24:48. | :24:55. | |
And that's also the theme we here at the very opening of the peace. Our | :24:56. | :24:59. | |
Chord of the Week is really two chords at once. A cord from the | :25:00. | :25:04. | |
world of mankind struggling against a cord from the world of nature. | :25:05. | :25:11. | |
Having set up this opposition between mankind and nature, how does | :25:12. | :25:16. | |
Strauss resolve it at the end? The strings and flutes play Mankind's B | :25:17. | :25:24. | |
Major, but the bases keep plucking away at the theme of nature in C. | :25:25. | :25:30. | |
And its nature that has the last word. | :25:31. | :25:41. | |
Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, and its chord, which the NYO | :25:42. | :25:56. | |
of Great Britain performed in full on the same night as The Planets. | :25:57. | :25:59. | |
Chord of the Week and David Owen Norris will be back next Saturday. | :26:00. | :26:03. | |
Proms Extra is here inside the Royal Albert Hall | :26:04. | :26:05. | |
and we have my guests - jazz musician and broadcaster, | :26:06. | :26:07. | |
Julian Joseph and West End star AJ Casey. | :26:08. | :26:10. | |
We're patiently waiting and bursting with excitement | :26:11. | :26:14. | |
for the John Wilson Orchestra Prom which is a Gershwin Gala. | :26:15. | :26:19. | |
Julian - what is it about George and Ira Gershwin that | :26:20. | :26:22. | |
Trap the amazing thing about George Gershwin, he seems to encapsulate | :26:23. | :26:35. | |
everything that America was about at that golden time from the 1920s | :26:36. | :26:42. | |
onwards. Jazz, Broadway, all these things that are burgeoning, new | :26:43. | :26:47. | |
inventions. New creations that have come out of this new world. That was | :26:48. | :26:53. | |
called America. And he just captured the whole essence of it. He was | :26:54. | :27:03. | |
open, creative, fertile, energetic. The melodies are just to die for. | :27:04. | :27:09. | |
And they are timeless, like you say. Still today they have so much | :27:10. | :27:15. | |
relevance and power. It's really not surprised to hear a Brahmer | :27:16. | :27:21. | |
featuring the music of Gershwin or that John Wilson, the great | :27:22. | :27:24. | |
articulate of music from this period, would choose this as | :27:25. | :27:30. | |
something he would really celebrate. AJ, George's wonderful music and Ira | :27:31. | :27:34. | |
Gershwin's wonderful lyrics. What are they like to sing? Incredible, | :27:35. | :27:38. | |
the melody goes where you wanted to go as a singer. Sometimes you get an | :27:39. | :27:42. | |
interesting song that goes to replace you don't feel you want to | :27:43. | :27:47. | |
go with your voice Gershwin does. Someone to watch over me, you can't | :27:48. | :27:51. | |
believe that song is nearly 100 years old, written in 1926. Stunning | :27:52. | :27:58. | |
tunes. Another thing about Gershwin, I always find, and you probably find | :27:59. | :28:02. | |
this, there is always a counter melody. Yes. There is always a | :28:03. | :28:07. | |
counter melody in the way the music is written. If you take something | :28:08. | :28:14. | |
like Summertime. The moving of the strings under it. All these moving | :28:15. | :28:19. | |
parts. It's a signature thing in all his songs. | :28:20. | :28:21. | |
Well stay tuned, the Gershwin Prom is not far away. | :28:22. | :28:23. | |
Now last Thursday saw a musical giant who can veer from pop, | :28:24. | :28:26. | |
to rock to jazz, taking over the Albert Hall. | :28:27. | :28:28. | |
I'm talking about Jamie Cullum, who had a sensational Prom back | :28:29. | :28:31. | |
in 2010, and was back to show the crowd just what | :28:32. | :28:33. | |
# I've been praying from the start # I'm kicking up a storm | :28:34. | :28:53. | |
# In the Valley I was born # I can hear the | :28:54. | :29:10. | |
# I'm on the edge of something. # So I just keep calling, every | :29:11. | :29:20. | |
time. # I'm on the edge of something. | :29:21. | :29:31. | |
# So I just keep evolving, every time. Three standing ovations for | :29:32. | :29:45. | |
Jamie Cullum at his prom. What is it about Jamie, it just appeals to such | :29:46. | :29:50. | |
a wide audience. Once again he has that open face the same as Pekka | :29:51. | :29:55. | |
Kuusisto, a very easy nature to jump into. The plant was incredible, who | :29:56. | :30:01. | |
could go from that straight on till Cole Porter song. No one else would | :30:02. | :30:06. | |
do that, it was beautiful. And acquire and the Heritage Orchestra | :30:07. | :30:10. | |
were amazing and the guests that he had on. John Wilson player, John | :30:11. | :30:17. | |
Stokes, also played with Jamie. So beautiful performance. He is often | :30:18. | :30:21. | |
referred to as a crossover jazz artist but jazz is always about | :30:22. | :30:27. | |
collaborating with other musicians. Certainly, as a jazz musician, | :30:28. | :30:30. | |
because of the way that we are required to learn our craft, you can | :30:31. | :30:34. | |
very easily or more easily than in some situations, adopt other kinds | :30:35. | :30:40. | |
of music and spirals and really get to the nub of things because you | :30:41. | :30:45. | |
used your ears and you try to be as honest as possible. But Jamie is | :30:46. | :30:50. | |
also generous, he's a generous person, and a generous musician. He | :30:51. | :30:59. | |
had a wonderful vocalist guesting with him and he is prepared to share | :31:00. | :31:05. | |
the stage with whoever he loves. The Heritage Orchestra, it is a | :31:06. | :31:09. | |
collaborative effort. He is the architect of that wonderful show, | :31:10. | :31:13. | |
but he collaborates. Jules Buckley and all the various elements. It is | :31:14. | :31:20. | |
wonderful to see that connection and I really admire that. With any | :31:21. | :31:24. | |
artist you want to connect all the different facets of your life and | :31:25. | :31:27. | |
your art and put it together in your music. We often listen to his radio | :31:28. | :31:33. | |
show and he always brings in new artist. Beverley Knight, he has done | :31:34. | :31:39. | |
a pop single but he covers everything. | :31:40. | :31:40. | |
You can see the broadcast of the Jamie Cullum Prom | :31:41. | :31:42. | |
Now, earlier Proms presenter Petroc Trelawney was onstage in | :31:43. | :31:46. | |
Hello. The front of house looks so glamorous this evening with all the | :31:47. | :32:00. | |
lights and the dry ice. It is little scruffy backstage but just think of | :32:01. | :32:04. | |
the history of the score draw, the thousands of Proms artists, tens of | :32:05. | :32:09. | |
thousands, who have walked down here over the great history of this | :32:10. | :32:13. | |
festival. Three of those artists tonight with me now. Louise Dearman, | :32:14. | :32:19. | |
Julian Ovenden and Matthew Ford. Louise, you onstage in a short time. | :32:20. | :32:27. | |
I am nervous but more excited than nervous, it is an incredible venue, | :32:28. | :32:31. | |
my all-time favourite in the world of performance and my third year | :32:32. | :32:37. | |
running doing the Proms. Other concerts feature Gershwin, other | :32:38. | :32:41. | |
orchestras, other halls, what is so special about this John Wilson | :32:42. | :32:47. | |
Orchestra? There's no other orchestras in the world is good and | :32:48. | :32:51. | |
as dedicated as this. And have the music to play at, of one thing. John | :32:52. | :32:56. | |
has dedicated decades to recreating this music. And the orchestra, | :32:57. | :33:02. | |
they're the experts and it. They're like the SAS for this kind of music! | :33:03. | :33:08. | |
John is a bit like the general commanding the SES. Watching him | :33:09. | :33:12. | |
today at rehearsal, he's pretty tough. He is fierce, he's | :33:13. | :33:21. | |
marvellous, incredible. It is is his enthusiasm, players love playing | :33:22. | :33:25. | |
with him. Many people will know you as an actor in the West End, Julian, | :33:26. | :33:31. | |
but you began as a singer at the age of eight or nine. Age seven as a | :33:32. | :33:36. | |
chorister. At St Paul's Cathedral. And that gives you a good grounding. | :33:37. | :33:40. | |
You would think! I'm still nervous as hell. There is a reason why the | :33:41. | :33:47. | |
call at the Bull run, I always feel I'm about to go in and face a large | :33:48. | :33:53. | |
animal in the hall! Andrew Edis, what is it about George and Ira | :33:54. | :33:58. | |
Gershwin, I think it's important we remember it is both brothers. It is | :33:59. | :34:03. | |
phenomenal music and the programme put together by John Wilson is | :34:04. | :34:07. | |
stunning. The variety in the music George Gershwin is sensational. And | :34:08. | :34:11. | |
thrilling to listen to and thrilling to sing. I'm getting to sing some of | :34:12. | :34:16. | |
my all-time favourite songs. And those lyrics. There are some very | :34:17. | :34:23. | |
wordy tunes that you will hear later on but each of the songs is a story. | :34:24. | :34:29. | |
And that is why they stand the test of time, they are a story that | :34:30. | :34:32. | |
touches peoples hearts when they hear them. And we have plenty of | :34:33. | :34:41. | |
stories to tell tonight. You have and the -- particularly tough first | :34:42. | :34:45. | |
number. Thanks for pointing out! Tell us about the challenge that | :34:46. | :34:50. | |
lies ahead. It is written for an extraordinary French singer. He was | :34:51. | :35:02. | |
one of those incredible French tenors, extra ordinary voices, and | :35:03. | :35:06. | |
this song, I never heard it sung in this key before. I paid John to try | :35:07. | :35:16. | |
to take the key down but sadly lost! It was not authentic enough. So | :35:17. | :35:20. | |
tonight I will be wearing especially tight trousers! Louise, you were | :35:21. | :35:27. | |
here last year, just make a quick comparison with Brent style and | :35:28. | :35:32. | |
Gershwin? That is really hard. They're both men of theatre. | :35:33. | :35:38. | |
Absolutely, for me especially, by doing these Proms, these concerts | :35:39. | :35:42. | |
with the John Wilson Orchestra, I'm getting to explore these composers | :35:43. | :35:46. | |
and I have learned songs that I have to admit I have never heard before, | :35:47. | :35:50. | |
never performed before. It is a whole new ball game for me as well. | :35:51. | :35:55. | |
I know you're going to have a fantastic evening tonight. Thank you | :35:56. | :36:00. | |
for being with us and it will be a thrilling night here at the Royal | :36:01. | :36:01. | |
Albert Hall. The Hall is filling up now | :36:02. | :36:04. | |
for the experience that And as a little treat, | :36:05. | :36:11. | |
Proms Extra thought we'd remind you, and ourselves, what it is that makes | :36:12. | :36:15. | |
the John Wilson Orchestra # It to darned hot. | :36:16. | :36:18. | |
# Lets fly away! I hope that snapshot | :36:19. | :36:51. | |
of John Wilson and his Orchestra has got you in the mood | :36:52. | :36:53. | |
for what is coming at 7:30. My guests are still with me, | :36:54. | :36:56. | |
Anna-Jane Casey and Julian Joseph. It is a celebration of the legacy of | :36:57. | :37:09. | |
Gershwin, which is huge. It is huge. All the different dimensions in | :37:10. | :37:19. | |
which George in particular operated, he wrote Broadway shows, he wrote | :37:20. | :37:26. | |
piano and orchestral pieces, ballets, he wrote the iconic pieces | :37:27. | :37:33. | |
and to coin a phrase from Duke Ellington, he an artist and I would | :37:34. | :37:39. | |
apply the same terms as Duke Ellington, beyond category. And the | :37:40. | :37:45. | |
John Wilson Orchestra also beyond category, I would say. And you said | :37:46. | :37:49. | |
earlier, there is enough repertoire for plenty more Gershwin Prom. They | :37:50. | :37:54. | |
could do three years worth, they really cool. I'm interested to see | :37:55. | :37:58. | |
what songs they will have, perhaps some gems that we do not know. We | :37:59. | :38:02. | |
would like to see something that were not so familiar with. | :38:03. | :38:04. | |
And that's almost it for this evening. | :38:05. | :38:06. | |
Proms Extra will be back next week, where we'll be looking | :38:07. | :38:09. | |
at Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto, the "Proms At" concerts, | :38:10. | :38:10. | |
and there'll be a post-match analysis of tonight's Gershwin Gala. | :38:11. | :38:13. | |
Don't forget the BBC iPlayer - it's not just there to look pretty. | :38:14. | :38:16. | |
There are lots of Proms still online for you to catch up with. | :38:17. | :38:19. | |
And so there's just time for me to say thank you to my guests, | :38:20. | :38:23. | |
AJ Casey - good luck for next Thursday in the Shakespeare - | :38:24. | :38:26. | |
The Proms Extra crew are off to go and watch the concert | :38:27. | :38:35. | |
from their camper van, whilst I'm staying to lead | :38:36. | :38:37. | |
you into the Gershwin Prom, starting in a couple of minutes | :38:38. | :38:40. | |
Don't go too far because, in the words of Ira Gershwin - | :38:41. | :38:45. |