"This is the night mail crossing the border, bringing the cheque and the postal order...." -- W H Auden

Music I'm currently recording tonight's late Prom to listen to tomorrow which I once thought of as cheating but I'd much rather enjoy it with a clear head. It's the beginning of the final week and time has flown by.

Highlights of this past week have been Prom 60, with the Bavarian Radio Symohony Orchestra's rendition of Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra (or a chance to hear what happens after the bit that was in 2001); their repeat of Beethoven's 9th during Prom 62 in a different tempo from the first Prom of the year but with no less passion and the Saturday Prom from Cadogan Hall with Samuel West and the Nash Ensemble recreating Britten & Auden's Night Mail, during which I was able to recreate the effect seen in the hall by running up my own video copy; and last night's superb Prom 65 with the San Francisco Symphony's version of Mahler's Symphony No. 7.

If I was to say that I've missed not hearing any of the Proms in situ I'd be lying; I've added promming to my list of things I want to do before you know what happens. Before tonight's show, presenter Donald Mcloud seemed surprised that the tube strike hadn't stopped the hall from being full. But I suspect music fans will do their upmost to get to this kind of concert, always unique.

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