Oh dear, Philippa Ibbotson really does seem to have got herself tied up in logical and rhetorical knots here. There’s something appalling about the Last Night of the Proms you see. All that flag waving, singing, Britannia and soon.
In recent years its programmes have represented increasingly diverse
cultures and ages in music (though neglecting, for some reason, to
correct the woeful underrepresentation of female composers and
conductors). But some things are hard to change, and the Last Night of
the Proms, being one of them, has remained resolutely entrenched in its
format.
Celebrating diversity. Not quite my cup of tea but chacun a son gout seems to be the correct attitude these days.
On this evening dialects are swept aside for a splendidly British
accent, as one of the most widely watched events in classical music –
which advertises itself as "watched and listened to by an audience of
many millions around the globe" – brings nationalism to centre stage.
It is odd that a series of such grand cultural ambition, musical
creativity and eclecticism should devote its finale to such rampantly
unashamed jingoism.
Gosh. I never realized that dialects are to be celebrated but accents are not. Is that why teh BBC now employs all those announcers whocannot be understood by anyone hailing from more than 5 miles from said announcer’s birthplace? Is not British a dialect? Is not, in fact, Jingoism a dialect, fully as worthy of celebration as any other? For if all cultures are equal, all to be respected, why should one be singled out as unworthy?
Few people would wish to kill the joy that music can inspire, and it
would be a shame to dampen the spirits of this evening. But with a bit
of imagination there are, surely, all manner of other ways in which
they could be raised. It is important to celebrate music, to recognise
its potential to unite humanity, to help us understand the universality
of our feelings. And the world is changing. We are changing. Perhaps it
is time for the Last Night of the Proms to change too.
Can’t help but be left with the feeling that she really does think that a celebration of Britishness should not be allowed.
In the comments section there’s some lovely stuff too.
August 17, 2006 04:26 AM
And
that this should have been written by a person called Philippa. What
serpents the genteel middle classes have nurtured in their bosom.
August 17, 2006 08:19 AM
…
As for the patriotic nature of the program, I can think of few
countries apart from England where the notion that there was something
wrong with a concert of patriotic music celebrating what is perceived
to be good about your own country would be seen as anything other than
ludicrous.
August 17, 2006 03:58 AM
Dear
God this newspaper goes from bad to worse, how many nights do the Proms
go on for, can’t you let those who you despise enjoy themselves for one
of those (forty is it?) without you preaching about it? Personally I’m
not a big fan of the last night but really is there nothing else for Ms
Ibbotson to get worked up about?
This commenting on things really is fun, eh? Where a few years ago such a piece might have got Pippa a few gentle congratulations from fellow bien pensants it now attracts the mob pointing out the foolishness of her opinions. Tastes and definitions of said foolishness differ, of course, but it must be something of a shock to some writers to find that the audience really rather disagrees with many of their opinions.
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