Did anybody attend this? I watched it on BBC2 and had a pretty good time, at least in the first half. I was pretty surprised at the excellent job that the National Youth Orchestra made of Ameriques: it had obviously been rehearsed pretty thoroughly and the orchestra sounded (and looked) secure. Yes, there were complaints, but they were minor - (e.g., unconvincing trombone group decrescendos, a couple of less than incisive Eb clarinet solos, a siren that sounded not in the least bit scary). Boris Berezovsky was impressive in the Rachmaninov - in fact he seemed the ideal pianist for the work.
The bad news was the Copland 3rd Symphony, which was new to me. It seemed a really flabby work, frankly, and it was presented with considerably less gusto and precision than the preceding pieces. I'm usually quite sympathetic to Copland, but not on this occasion: or perhaps it was just the performance?

Mr W Pedia will tell you something about him, Don B. I don't know any more than that myself, apart from the fact that I find his early (1980s) music rather interesting and everything he's done since then somewhat empty and overingratiating in comparison.

Dear Stanley

I felt ashamed for the enjoyment I felt for this Prom!!  Been wrapted over the knuckles, but what care I?

# 4       
                  Dear Anty,
           

                                              O divine music
                                              renew our hearts.         

                                              Michael Tippett   King Priam

Other way round, IRF: Fanfare first (1942), then incorporated into the symphony (1944-6) (with a key-change that still jars me after all these years).