O noble toil.

Music Today I bought some headphones. I didn’t break the bank, they’re a pair of Philips made ear-muffs from Argos costing £14.99, but I’m guessing that technology has moved on again because they’re miles better than the ones I bought closer to the turn of the century which were about the same price, plasticy, uncomfortable and made my ears hurt. These are much more comfortable with a spongy wrapping around the earpieces for a snugger fit and about the only side effect is that they make my ears sweat -- but not in an unpleasurable way.

The upshot of all this is that tonight’s Prom 14, Haydn’s The Seasons, sounded fantastic, as though I was sitting in the Hall actually, better probably as the whole range of the orchestra and voices of the choir and soloists flooded my field of listening. I’ve the giant photograph of the Albert Hall taken from the gods which appeared in The Guardian last week blu-tacked to my wall and I imagine that the sound I was hearing was what you could expect to find hovering up there.

The piece itself was banquet of sound, entirely compelling, exhilarating and exhausting. Apparently The Seasons was fairly poorly reviewed on first preformance because rather than dealing with the usual weighty themes of Christian religion or heroes of classical mythology it considered the more realistic issues of the weather and everyday life, which is probably why it’s apparently so popular in Britain actually and suggests it’s the Brett Dean’s Vexations and Devotions of its time.

The soloists essentially sang an explanation of what the music was representing in the passage of the seasons, pointing out the different weather features and changes in nature. When a pipe played we were told it was that of the shepherd and it gives the imagination something to do. I’d say that the whole piece expresses the chaotic shifts between the sun and the rain and the snow far better than a certain piece by Vivaldi and by the end of the night I really felt as though I'd been through a whole other year -- although obviously not because I don't want to be thirty-three just yet.

Speaking of The Guardian, their reviewers have been a bit critical of the performances this year but I hope they give this production the respect it deserves. I thought the Handel and Hayden Society of Boston (led by Sir Roger Norrington) and accompanying soloists were first rate. Toby, Jon and Sally all seemed to be having a great time, really engaging with the audience and pleased with the reception. That’s something I’ve loved about the Proms, the way that the players and promenaders communicate with one another, no invisible barrier in this arena divorcing the crowd from what’s happening on stage.

Tomorrow, Verdi's The Scottish Opera. It's going to be a long night.