Performance aims to hit all the right notes
John Wilson may have been born in Gateshead in the early 1970s, but his heart seems to belong to another era – specifically, the golden ages of Hollywood and Broadway. And tonight, he’s taking another trip back in time for the BBC Proms 2016 (Saturday, BBC2, 7.30pm) as he brings us the music of one of the 20th century’s most important songwriting duos, George and Ira Gershwin. If you’re not a regular follower of the Proms, where his concerts have become something of an annual highlight, the conductor and his orchestra dedicate themselves to recreating music from the stage and screen – Wilson once spent an entire morning reconstructing just four bars from the soundtrack of the Wizard of Oz. It may be a labour of love, but luckily it turns out there are plenty of people who appreciate the effort, including some famous fans. When the John Wilson Orchestra made their prom debut in 2009 with A Celebration of Classic MGM Film Musicals, they were accompanied by singers including Curtis Stigers and Seth MacFarlane, aka the man behind Family Guy, who crooned numbers from movies such as High Society, Singin’ in the Rain and the aforementioned The Wizard of Oz. MacFarlane clearly enjoyed the experience as he reunited with the Orchestra in 2012 for The Broadway Sound, which featured numbers from Guys and Dolls, On the Town and The Most Happy Fella, as well as last year’s Sinatra tribute. But while the concerts may have been a big hit with audiences – and US TV comedy stars – they have also prompted some criticism from people who think it’s all a little too populist for the Proms, which should be more about arias than show tunes. However, Wilson is quick to defend his latest project, telling The Telegraph: “The Proms have done things much more populist than this. What about the Radio 1 Ibiza Prom last year? “Gershwin songs may have had massive popular appeal at one point, and may have been what people’s grandparents danced to in the dance halls, but we present them with as much seriousness as a Beethoven symphony. They just happen to be fun. What’s wrong with that?" Most viewers will probably conclude ‘nothing at all,’ as Katie Derham introduces the Gershwin Gala as-live from the Royal Albert Hall.