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BBC Proms Archive

Audio News for January 10, 2017

by | Jan 10, 2017 | Audio News

David Bowie’s Impact on Classical Music – During the past year, a number of classical musicians and composers have done their own tributes to the legendary musician. They run from straight ahead covers to stirring original compositions. Shortly after Bowie’s death Amanda Palmer of the The Dresden Dolls and composer Jherek Bischoff released a short duo album, A David Bowie String Quartet Tribute. The BBC Proms had a evening seeking to re-imagine Bowie’s musical legacy in new classical soundscapes. He had been a fan of classical music and did not shy away from weaving orchestral arrangements into his work. Some even consider him the ultimate crossover artist – due to his ability to bring so many people together by blending his eclectic tastes. More Companies Add Amazon Alexa to Their Hardware – The Amazon personal assistance is capable of providing music playback and weather, traffic, and other real-time information. But this year at CES, many manufacturers are using the voice assistant in their hardware. Whirlpool, GE, Dish, Lenovo and Ford Motors said they plan to add the voice-activated helper to their hardware. Google release a device similar to the Alexa last year called Google Home. Apple is working on an […]

Audio News for July 26, 2016

by | Jul 26, 2016 | Audio News

Responding to Catastrophe wth Culture – Politics intrusion on culture can be unnerving. Stalin restricted the work of Shostakovich, The Third Reich’s appropriation of Wagner prompted Israel to adopt an unofficial ban on his music. The ban was set aside in 2001 by Daniel Barenboim, who also set up the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, comprised principally of Israelis and Palestinians. Shostakovich’s Festive Overture is remembered today as a towering symbol of freedom from musical dictatorship. After the attack in Nice, Sakari Oramo, conductor of the first night of the BBC Proms, preceded his scheduled program with a rendition of La Marseillaise. The entire Albert Hall audience rose to its feet at the end with rapturous applause, reminiscent of the scene in Casablanca when La Maseillaise was sung by everyone else at Rick’s club, overpowering the voices of the Nazis. And this was not the first time the Proms had altered their program in the wake of catastrophe. After 9/11, the BBC added Beethoven’s Ode to Joy to their final night celebrations. No single national anthem can serve to rally us all. Paris and Ansbach were attacks on culture, focusing on musical events; Nice was an assault on identity. Both culture and […]