By Chris Billingham
“When [the Cybermen] come in,
you can hear the screams behind me and I do have to just turn round and enjoy
it”
Ben Foster, Conductor of the
Doctor Who Prom
When the BBC aired the
Doctor Who Prom, the opening segment featured conductor Ben Foster, smiling and
saying “I keep meeting people outside and they say ‘Oh, I’m learning the violin’
or ‘I’m learning the trombone’, and you think ‘Great, I hope coming to a
concert like this will inspire them to want to be in orchestras’”. The montage
then cuts to a fan dressed as the 11th Doctor waving a sonic
screwdriver (an iconic prop from the series) and exclaiming “Hello! Welcome to
the BBC Proms!”. To me, this moment beautifully sums up why proms such as the
Doctor Who Prom 2013 are so important. The evening is both a great way to
introduce classical music to new audiences (including younger children, importantly)
and a celebration of the iconic British television show. While other proms have
the same aim (as discussed here, the Urban
Classics Prom is another brilliant example of a prom reaching new audiences),
what other evening combines monsters and aliens with cheers of delight and
shrieks of terror?
Murray Gold, musical
director of Doctor Who since its 2005 revival, wrote and composed the majority
of the pieces performed. Gold has composed for film, stage and television
throughout his long career. With works including the soundtracks to television
shows such as Shameless, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and Queer as Folk. His
Doctor Who soundtracks have earned him two entries into Classic FM’s Hall of
Fame and a number of BAFTA nominations. Regular Doctor Who conductor and
arranger Ben Foster, also a multiple BAFTA winner, conducted the London
Philharmonic Choir and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, highlighting the
strength of the evening’s musicality. Similarly, Gold’s compositions, in
particular ‘I Am The Doctor’, ‘The Final Chapter of Amelia Pond’ and ‘The Name
of The Doctor’, provoke an emotional connection, causing you to want to both
run and be still with your thoughts. The evening also featured works by
Debussy, Bach and Bizet as pieces by all three have appeared in the show
throughout its history.
Fan site Doctor Who Online
described the evening as “a truly fantastic and
eternally memorable evening and the perfect way to celebrate The Doctor's half
century”, perfectly summing up why the evening is so important for fans. Over
the past fifty years, Doctor Who has become an iconic part of British culture
and people’s lives. Music exists as a celebration and reflection of culture and
emotions, with classical music in particular inspiring passion and grandeur,
making it the perfect companion to Doctor Who. The Doctor Who Prom is the
perfect way to celebrate this companionship and serve as an introduction to
classical music.
Did you watch the evening? To let us know your
thoughts, comment below or join in the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter
pages!
For more information Southern Sinfonia and our upcoming concerts, click here.
Image attribution// Doctorwhotv.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment