Ring, ring.

Music Remember how much I enjoyed Prom 15, Verdi's Macbeth?

Prom 39, Wagner's Götterdämmerung began at 4:00.

It's just finished. I remain unconvinced. Except for when Wagner drops in themes which sound like The Flight of the Valkyries. I quite like those. Oh and the big orchestral sounds. And the bit with the dwarf.

It's an amazing performance achievement but I'm afraid I'm a bit like Woody Allen's character at the opening of Manhattan Murder Mystery and saying to Diane Keaton: 'I can't listen to that much Wagner, ya know? I start to get the urge to conquer Poland.'

One good episode of The West Wing later ... I suppose I am slightly disappointed with myself -- I had planned ahead, read the programme notes and listened intently whilst the announcer carefully described the plot, enjoyed the interviews but as with Macbeth I simply couldn't tell what was going on most of the time and although I let the music wash over me, after a while it become pretty frustrating. I wrote and posted this in the meantime and it was eventually simply on in the background which seems like a really duff way to treat the work of the performers. Perhaps one day I'll see it performed and change my opinion entirely.