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An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Nick Kimberley's rating
Reader rating
Choosy: Thomas Adès is picky about what he conducts
Like most composers who are also conductors, Thomas Adès is choosy about what he conducts.
His mainly Russian Prom with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra looked rather mainstream for Adès's quirky eclecticism, but maybe that's the point: we should always expect the unexpected.
The centrepiece was Adès's own Tevot, which begins in apparent calm. Yet the flutes' "wrong" notes suggest that something is amiss.
Restless menace is the dominant mood, awful violence seems inevitable and melody is incidental, but it is there, albeit fleetingly.
At last the piece reaches a safe haven, the flutes finally getting the "right" notes. Serenity settles as the piece moves towards a quiet ending that is perhaps slightly too long in coming. Nevertheless, Adès's almost cinematic control of musical atmosphere makes Tevot an imposing edifice.
The concert opened with Musorgsky's A Night on the Bare Mountain, music that shouldn't be too manicured. Adès and his players, solidly reinforced by the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, duly revelled in its wild savagery.
To follow, excerpts from Musorgsky's Boris Godunov, with John Tomlinson as Boris, the most complex bass role in opera. The beauty of Tomlinson's voice may be fading, but its majesty and power are magnificent. Vocal wear and tear could even be seen as fitting the character.
Louis Lortie was the athletic soloist in Prokofiev's cheeky First Piano Concerto, loving every flamboyant moment as his fingers - surely many more than 10 - capered up and down the keyboard.
To close, Adès offered selections from Borodin's Prince Igor, including the famous Polovtsian Dances. In her brief solo, soprano Anna Dennis revealed a voice of impressive weight, but this music puts orchestra and chorus centre-stage, and Adès gave the Birmingham forces their head. They make a good team; a pity they don't play in London more often.
• www.bbc.co.uk/proms.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
