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Every time I hear the Blue Danube I always think of just before lunch on 1st January, if not on that same date in 1992 when it was heard on the Richard Wilson-played dentist's hi-fi in The Trouble with Mr Bean. The calendar year is just over ten hours old; getting up after drinking a bit more than usual just a few hours before, and literally facing the music, classical style. A traditional which from a television perspective, has been around since the late 1950s. Interesting that according to a Wikipedia map, Australia is not one of the countries which officially shows the concert considering their participation in the Song Contest, although one assumes that the internet and cable overrides that. The incoming ident proves to us that Eurovision doesn't just do the annual Song Contest in May. When Austria hosted the contest in the past decade, a lot of the opening scenes were reminiscent of the New Year concert.
Up until the 1980s highlights were seen in the evenings on BBC 2 with hardly any live coverage in the morning; this is still the case when it is seen on BBC Four. This year was no exception; European Germanic musicians of classical music entertaining any of us who managed to get out bed early, i.e. mid-morning to see it. The art of women dancing in beautiful dresses; two young boys going on an adventure, and the smartly-dressed band members who play in time to the music, with frequent applause at every interval. I had only been interested in this in the past ten years or so, and although I don't listen to classical music too much, save for moments such as bereavements and the like, where one wouldn't want the earworm of pop music at an inappropriate time. It is nice; it has a regular date and time fixture; and it is there when and where one expects it. I do feel that it can pick up an audience of viewers who wouldn't otherwise watch or go to any other classical concert event. Last Night of the Proms, anyone?
One doesn't have to know one's Beethoven from one's Handel; as someone who is more interested in musicals at public events, I prefer to think of it as a once a year novelty. I congratulate Austria's state broadcaster for putting on yet another splendid performance and I hope to see them again at the start of 2025.
Up until the 1980s highlights were seen in the evenings on BBC 2 with hardly any live coverage in the morning; this is still the case when it is seen on BBC Four. This year was no exception; European Germanic musicians of classical music entertaining any of us who managed to get out bed early, i.e. mid-morning to see it. The art of women dancing in beautiful dresses; two young boys going on an adventure, and the smartly-dressed band members who play in time to the music, with frequent applause at every interval. I had only been interested in this in the past ten years or so, and although I don't listen to classical music too much, save for moments such as bereavements and the like, where one wouldn't want the earworm of pop music at an inappropriate time. It is nice; it has a regular date and time fixture; and it is there when and where one expects it. I do feel that it can pick up an audience of viewers who wouldn't otherwise watch or go to any other classical concert event. Last Night of the Proms, anyone?
One doesn't have to know one's Beethoven from one's Handel; as someone who is more interested in musicals at public events, I prefer to think of it as a once a year novelty. I congratulate Austria's state broadcaster for putting on yet another splendid performance and I hope to see them again at the start of 2025.