The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, better known as the BBC Proms, were founded in 1895, with the intention of presenting concerts in a less formal atmosphere for those unfamiliar with classical music (audience members were originally allowed to wander around the hall and eat, drink, and smoke while the music was playing—hence “promenade”). This year, the composer Mark-Anthony Turnage extended that idea into the music itself with his new piece Hammered Out, which incorporates a straightforward version of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” as one of it’s central themes.
There are already remixes available, of course, but none worth hearing as of yet. Personally, I wish Turnage had been a little more daring with his use of the song—this comes dreadfully close at times to those horrible old London Symphony Orchestra versions of pop hits. Still, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of this sort of thing.
H/T: Alex Ross
