Tiddly prom prom prom

I finally made it back to the proms today. I've only been there once this season so far - disappointingly most of the performances I've been interested in were sold out months in advance (oh, and can I just take this opportunity to wholeheartedly condemn the proms online booking mechanism which doesn't tell you which performances have been sold out, but instead forces you to go through each different price bracket one by one until you discover that nothing is available. Sigh.). Still today's perfomance more than made up for it.

The Vienna Philharmonic was being conducted by Bobby McFerrin (yes, he of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" fame), who also participated as a performer. And it was an absolute treat. In a standout performance all round there were two absolute highlights: The first was McFerrin's acappella performance. It was the first time I've seen anyone vocally accompany themselves whilst singing - it was an impressive display of circular breathing and vocal dexterity. He then managed to persuade the audience to accompany him much to their/my delight. And finally he accompanied the audience. Yes you read that last bit right. He managed to persuade the crowd, not only to sing Ave Maria, but to sing it hauntingly well - and this was with the Royal Albert Hall filled to near it's 5000 person capacity. It was an extraordinary moment.

The second highlight was the first encore. McFerrin conducted the orchestra performing The William Tell Overture. A cappella. The orchestra appeared to be enjoying themselves tremendously and to say the crowd adored it would be an understatement. Several minutes of standing ovation managed to persuade McFerrin to return for a solo encore.

Wonderful, wonderful stuff.