Proms: Going all MGM
Aug. 1st, 2009 09:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sawylMusicals aren't really my thing, but despite that, I really enjoyed tonight's prom, which featured a celebration the golden age of MGM.
There was a lot to like. The five soloists were excellent and complemented each other superbly, with a range of tones and styles running from Broadway to classical. But the orchestral players were really spectacular. Seeing them play through the pieces live made it possible to see just how complex many of the arrangements are — the barn dance from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers looked particularly fiendish — and how much work they had to do to make the whole thing sound effortless.
And serious kudos to conductor and re-arranger John Wilson who re-orchestrated the music by ear from all the old movies after the studio trashed their copies of the score to build a car-park...
There was a lot to like. The five soloists were excellent and complemented each other superbly, with a range of tones and styles running from Broadway to classical. But the orchestral players were really spectacular. Seeing them play through the pieces live made it possible to see just how complex many of the arrangements are — the barn dance from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers looked particularly fiendish — and how much work they had to do to make the whole thing sound effortless.
And serious kudos to conductor and re-arranger John Wilson who re-orchestrated the music by ear from all the old movies after the studio trashed their copies of the score to build a car-park...
