LMM Executive Director Rob Adediran is appearing as a recurring guest on the BBC Proms coverage this summer. Rob will be blogging from behind the scenes of The Proms for London Music Masters, so make sure you follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates!
So, two proms under my belt! The first was live on BBC 2 and BBC4, which was fun but quite intense for the whole team. The standout moment was fellow guest commentator Greg Beardsell showing the world how ‘The Floss’ (google it if you don’t know what it is, or ask someone under 13!) can be used to demonstrate hemiola rhythms in Leoš Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass. I know, it surprised us all! See here if you missed it, TV gold: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07hjpgd
My role as a guest for the Proms is to be an enthusiast for the musicians and the repertoire, share personal insights and expertise (ahem) and celebrate all that is great about the Proms! Easy. Doing it live on national TV? More of a challenge.
When you see on your screens, it looks amazing! The hall is beautifully lit, the sound is great, we have all had our make-up done and our outfits checked to make sure they don’t clash with each other or create strobe effects on screen. It is supposed to feel effortless for the viewer. But, OMG it takes so much effort from the production team and crew to create that effect. There is a lot of running around, last minute script changes, panic over microphones cutting out, more panic because we can’t hear our cues over the audience applause – it is like a giant hamster wheel which rolls incessantly throughout the whole summer. But hats off to them, the production team is incredible.
One of my favourite moments during my second outing was watching the pianist Yeol Eum Son performing Mozart’s 15th piano concerto with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. I was in the production room watching one of the screens and could hear in my headphones the director Helen Mansfield directing all of the camera changes. She was following a meticulously marked up score and counting down to each of the shot changes. What was lovely was that she was counting in time with the music as if she was conducting the cameras. It makes total sense as each new angle corresponded with the beginning or end of a phrase or highlighted a soloist, the whole thing was mesmerising.
Friday’s broadcast on BBC 4 (tune in at 19.30) was recorded a couple of days ago. The excellent, and very funny, Suzy Klein was presenting and I hope the fun we had chatting about a very eclectic programme comes across on screen.
The best feedback I have had so far has been from my wife’s great grandma (who is 90 in a few weeks, Happy Birthday Vera!). She had a strong opinion about the fact that I was wearing a t-shirt rather than a shirt with my jacket on the night! Over emphasising the casual in smart casual… If you have any feedback about my choice of outfit or anything else do get in touch. I can’t promise an onscreen shout out but I can smile really hard and you will know it is for you… 🙂
Prom 7 will be broadcast on Friday 26th July at 7.30pm on BBC4.
