When Henry Wood first conducted the Prom concerts back in 1895 at the Queen's Hall in Langham Place he aimed to bring the excitement of orchestral music to a public weaned on worthy choral work and uplifting oratorio. He drew in the very latest novelties by Richard Strauss and Dvorak, both of whom were still alive, and Tchaikovsky, who had died only two years earlier. Wood then became bolder, introducing Debussy, Sibelius and Schoenberg. "Stick to it!" he exhorted his players as they struggled with Schoenberg's brand-new Five Orchestral Pieces in 1912. "This is nothing like what you will have to play in 25 years' time!" --- Nicholas Kenyon |
