BBC Proms 2008

As the Proms comes to a close, I wondered if anyone had any overall reactions? Better than last year? Worse?

Well owing to travel I could only attend about eight or nine Proms this year, but I think in some important respects it's been a very good first year for Roger Wright, most notably for me in the heavy focus on Messiaen, Stockhausen and to a lesser extent Carter. The line-up of soloists and touring orchestras seemed ample and diverse, and there was a real buzz about some of the bigger concerts, though that's no change from previous years I guess. Not so sure about the whole Doctor Who Prom but not having been there it wouldn't be fair to comment further. The total coverage of various BBC outlets was outstanding though- the previews on each Prom online hit the right balance of erudition and education, and the playback monolith iPlayer was an outstanding resource (shame it isn't available outside the UK).

Unfortunately I don't particularly like Messiaen. I did try listening to as much as I could stand on the radio but I came out liking it less than when I started. There's nothing in the music that allows me to get involved with it in any pleasant way, and my husband feels the same way, perhaps we just don't know enough about music. What a relief, for me, to get back to Vaughan Williams, lots of pieces I didn't know but loved.

Yes, I'm not a great fan of Messiaen either, I'm afraid. However the balance between this sort of music and Early Music (where my main interest lies) was an improvement this year on the last I think, which can only be a good thing.