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Archive for June, 2011

Seal and Div4s are joining in Antwerp. Therefore, we would like to point to our preview on the German tour.
Are we happy with Seal on the program? Yes, however: his last CD with soul classic certainly wasn’t bad but no one at NOTP is waiting for covers, for sure not “It’s a man’s world” which was brought in 2004 in the version by James Brown. So bring us the original Seal, without pointing too much to the fact that he’s also Mr. Heidi Klum.

John Miles is Mister Proms. He played at the first edition of Night of the Proms in 1985 and since he keep participating to the shows, both as an individual artist as mentor of the Electric Band. His hit Music (was my first love) from 1976 is almost the anthem of the NOTP visitors; as from the first piano chords the audience always reacts very enthusiastically.
John wrote the song in 30 minutes; was produced by Alan Parsons and orchestrated by Andrew Powell. It’s the perfect combination of an electrical and symphonically orchestra, changing speed, rhythms, pitch and instrumentation; it contains two melody lines, the first and the last parts are sung while the middle is pure instrumental.
Around 3:40, John Miles keeps his audience in an exited tension for almost a half-minute before he continues. Good music, humor and a festive ambiance: this is Night of the Proms.

In the new menu item ‘History’, we will weekly comment on one video from the rich history of the Night of the Proms shows.

The first Night of the Proms show in 1985 started with the Sonnenaufgang from Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra; since the, each show (except for 2004 until 2008) started with this piece. Below, you can hear the version of 2009 which will fade into Nox Argentea, written by Franck van der Heijden for the 25th anniversary of NOTP, who delivered a big contribution through his arrangements and orchestrations to the succesful mix of pop and classical music.
You van see and hear here the strength of NOTP: a professional orchestra with a big leader (Il Novecento, the Electric Band and choir Fine Fleur lead by Robert Groslot), a perfect quality of the sound and light show (for many years lead by Geert Vanhout), and superb arrangements.

Through some recordings of the shows, we will present the different past editions of the Night of the Proms.

We already knew DIV4S and John Miles would be present in Germany: now also Seal and Alison Moyet will be there on the German tour.

Seal, also known as Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adelo Samuel, was already a headline of the NOTP shows for Rotterdam in 2005. He started his career in 1990 with Adamski’s Killer and in 1991 he scored with Crazy, and in 1995 with Kiss from a rose (soundtrack for Batman Forever). For more facts and hits we would like to point to Wikipedia. The combination of Pop and Soul by Seal surly looks attractive, as far as it goes to his songs. In 2005, Seal and Il Novecento was interesting but not that much to name it as a crowd favorite for NOTP. Most of the people know Seal, but few of them can sing on of his hits.

That’s why we hope that besides Alison Moyet and Seal, an artist with a big act will be noted on stage in Germany. And we recommend to the organizers to mix the artists like in Antwerp 2007 (Chic, Macy Gray, Kid Creole).

Website Seal
Seal on our NOTP video page

Alison Moyet is more an artist form the ’80s and she’s one of the five best-selling female British singers. The slightly older will know her from hits like Love resurrection, Is this love, That ole devil called love, All cried out, etc… About her life you can read more at Wikipedia. We saw her in 2009, when she took part on the NOTP show in Charleroi and had nothing to notice about the quality of her low voice. But she wanted to present herself as a diva and chosen, except for Love resurrection, for slower songs, a typical error for those who are the first time at Night of the Proms. Since not everyone know her greatest hits, she surly will have to bring a medley with other hits like ‘Is this Love’, and will have to bring more show on the stage to earn the respect of a crowd bigger then 10 000 men. A woman with her qualities should have no problem with that.

Website Alison Moyet
Love resurrection during Charleroi 2009
All cried out during Charleroi 2009

Bad news from Warsaw. The safety precautions for building the new soccer stadium have to be defined in more details causing the construction up to ten months of delay. The show for the 17th of September 2011 will be cancelled. NOTP will go to Poland, but later on. Will be continued…
It’s already the end of May 2011 and so far only DIV4S announced their presence to the fall shows of Night of the Proms. Also John Miles will be there.
	Who will join in Antwerp and The Netherlands? We don’t know, but we make a guess.
	Night of the Proms is an excellent place for a comeback: check with Roxette and Boy George. Our hearts started racing in April when Kate Bush did not rule out a comeback on stage, for the first time since 1979. However, now we can read in The Independent that she won’t perform. Does she still doubt? Come on Kate, Night of the Proms is perfect for you.
	Duran Duran. In the same blog of the 11th of August 2010, Jan also wrote about Duran Duran who ‘despite positive indications decided not to come’ and about ‘nice positive signs’ like ‘not this year, but I’d like to propose this for next year’.
	On Youtube you can see ‘A view to a kill’ in 2005 with the Orlando Symphony Orchestra.
Duran Duran is touring through Europe but their lead singer, Simon Le Bon, has troubles with an angina which caused them to postphone six recent shows. Understandable that the announcement is postponed (if it true that they would come of course)!
Due to vocal problems, Bryan Ferry had to decline a possible performance at NOTP. He knew some health issues in April 2011 and had to reschedule shows.
He just started a tour in Scandinavia and his last planned show would be for the 15th of October; enough time to make it back to Antwerp!
	After 1990 and 1997, Alan Parsons would still be welcome in Antwerp and Rotterdam. In Charleroi and Germany he got lots of success with the wonderful Sirius/Eye in the Sky and the beautiful symphonic Silence and I. But if he would join, we all wish he would also bring Don’t answer me, which he didn’t perform at NOTP since 1990.
	And of course, we still hope for Kim Wilde, who was very successful with Night of the Proms in Germany, Charleroi and Denmark.
	We can’t find back any reference to a previous announced show in Germany at the 19th of November. Fans, can you help to bring her to NOTP?
And why not go the Italian way? Eros Ramazzotti has perfect songs to sing with a symphonic orchestra.
According to his website, no tour is planned to 2011. His name, combined with DIV4S, would be a nice introduction for Italy where they try to organize some NOTP shows since many years.
Seal. There were repeated rumors that he would join in Antwerp after his performance in Rotterdam (2005). In 2010, after his performance at Suikerrock in Tienen (Belgium), those rumors only became more explicit. In his blog of the 11th of August 2010, organizer Jan wrote about is positive contacts with Seal.
On the website of Seal no fall shows are announced yet.
	Olivia Newton John has also nothing planned during the fall according to her website. Xanadu, Summer Nights, and why no You’re the one that I want with John Miles as John Travolta?
You want more suggestions? We have lots of them. We’re hopelessly devoted to Night of the Proms.

And if our predictions are not coming true, we still have the fun dreaming about it…