BBC Concert Orchestra - Prog Rock: A Fanfare For The Common Man (2026)

The BBC Proms season is underway again, and Saturday 18th July's Prom was titled 'Prog Rock: A Fanfare for the Common Man'. Back in the heady days of the late 1960's and early-to-mid 70s, Prog(ressive Rock) was music unconstrained by established forms and conventions of blues, rhythm and blues, or folk music, although it often contained elements of these – and other genres including jazz. Indeed, a number of Prog Rockers had a background in jazz music, and like most musicians in these bands, they could really play. Much of the Prog Rock canon is difficult stuff involving unconventional time signatures, complex structures and harmonies and requires virtuosic playing and singing to pull it off. In a packed Albert Hall, the audience were treated to an aural tour of Prog Rock Land, rather like one of those old LP samplers which gave you tracks from many different bands. On this occasion, the variety of the music was cleverly guaranteed by having enlisted no fewer than seven different arrangers for the twenty songs performed by the always excellent BBC Concert Orchestra. One orchestrator, no matter how skilled, would have given us something more akin to a Prog Rock suite, which would have been less varied and not as interesting. Perhaps inevitably, the concert opened with Emerson, Lake and Palmer's re-working of Aaron Copland's 'Fanfare for the Common Man', arranged by Robert Ames for orchestra and rock band, and he also conducted the whole show. He proved ideal in leading proceedings, as he has a passion for the music and a masterful ability to keep the orchestra on track through tricky changes of tempo, dynamics and time signatures. As a nice touch, Carl Palmer played drums, and has lost none of his impressive ability. Ames then took us through pieces which had been first recorded by Jethro Tull, Genesis, Renaissance, The Moody Blues, Van der Graff Generator, Yes and Mike Oldfield. All were well played and nicely sung by the orchestra and singers Gruff Rhys, Guy Garvey, Jane Weaver, Peter Hammill and The Staves. 

A high point of this first half was Soft Machine’s 'Out-Bloody-Rageous', which lived up to its title with some fiendishly difficult rhythms and a top of the range, largely improvised sopranino sax solo by Andy Findon, while Peter Hamill was another surprise guest, taking lead vocal on his own 'Refugees'. Part two gave us music by Keith Emerson, Genesis, Gentle Giant, The Incredible String Band and Supertramp, and a highlight was a medley of non-UK tracks from Focus, Osibisa and Frank Zappa, all very skilfully orchestrated by Christian Balvig. Fiona Brice's arrangement of three King Crimson songs was equally brilliant and superbly sung by Guy Garvey and Gruff Rhys. As the concert moved towards its conclusion there had to be a taste of Pink Floyd, and there was, with 'The Great Gig In The Sky'. Still poignant and full of longing, the original improvised female vocal part was sung with heart and great skill by Vanessa Haynes. Again arranged by Fiona Brice, the orchestra’s masterful control made for a memorable musical experience for everyone listening. The evening ended appropriately with 'The Great Gates Of Kyiv' from Mussorgsky's 'Pictures At An Exhibition'. The original orchestration of this piano piece was by Ravel, before Keith Emerson arranged it for his rock band, and Robert Ames adapted it further. There’s no doubting the evening’s success, and the programme rightly earned several encores, and brought many in the audience to their feet to deliver rapturous applause. Here is the full concert, with just the announcements removed for a smoother flow, and although I felt that a couple of the tracks didn't work as well as others, it was an innovative idea, and is well worth a listen if you're a prog rock fan. 

Track listing

01 Fanfare For The Common Man - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (arr. Robert Ames)
02 Living In The Past - Jethro Tull (arr. Sam Gale)
03 Out-Bloody-Rageous - Soft Machine (arr. Sam Gale)
04 I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) - Genesis (arr. Sam Gale)
05 Northern Lights - Renaissance (arr. Christian Balvig)
06 Nights In White Satin - The Moody Blues (arr. Fiona Brice)
07 Refugees - Van Der Graaf Generator (arr. Adam Dennis)
08 And You And I - Yes (arr. Peter Riley)
09 Tubular Bells, Part One (excerpts) - Mike Oldfield (arr. Adam Dennis)
10 Karn Evil 9: 1st Impression, Part 2 - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (arr. Robert Ames)
11 Sylvia - Focus (arr. Christian Balvig)
12 Komfo - Osibisa (arr. Christian Balvig)
13 Peaches En Regalia - Frank Zappa (arr. Christian Balvig)
14 21st Century Schizoid Man/I Talk to The Wind/Court Of The Crimson King - King Crimson                                                                                                                              (arr. Fiona Brice)
15 Entangled - Genesis (arr Fiona Brice)
16 On Reflection - Gentle Giant (arr. Sam Gale)
17 Maker Of Islands - The Incredible String Band (arr. Christian Balvig)
18 Great Gig In The Sky - Pink Floyd (arr. Fiona Brice)
19 Crime Of The Century - Supertramp (arr. Christian Balvig)
20 The Great Gates Of Kiev - Emerson, Lake & Palmer - (Mussorgsky arr. Robert Ames)

Performers:
Guy Garvey vocals
Jane Weaver vocals
Gruff Rhys vocals
Carl Palmer drums
Peter Hammill vocals
Vanessa Hayes vocals
The Staves vocals
BBC Concert Orchestra
Robert Ames conductor

Three Friends - Three Friends (2026)

In October 2008, Gary Green, one of the founders of Gentle Giant, and later member of the band Malcolm Mortimore planned to form a new group called Rentle Giant, consisting of five members, and with the intention of performing a repertoire dedicated to the mighty Gentle Giant. They where soon joined by one of the other founders of GG, Kerry Minnear, and that resulted in a change of name, to what else but Three Friends. Since 2009 they have toured the world, bringing the music of one of the most important groups in the history of prog to a wider audience, and in particular playing songs that the original band didn't tend to include in their concerts. The arrangements of the songs respect the originals, and the playing showcases the excellent musicianship of all the members. In late 2009 Minnear left the band for personal reasons, and was replaced by keyboardist Gary Sanctuary, and with the addition of Lee Pomeroy on bass, Mick Wilson on vocals and Charlotte Glasson on violin, they have played a series of well-received concerts around the world, some of which have been recorded for posterity. What better way to introduce the band to a wider audience than with a recording of the complete 'Three Friends' album as performed by Three Friends, the band.  

Track listing

01 Prologue
02 Schooldays
03 Working All Day
04 Peel The Paint
05 Mr Class And Quality
06 Three Friends

Thanks to geofmcm for the idea and the music, and AI for the cover.

For fans of Gentle Giant & The Mahavishnu Orchestra

I was watching some horror shorts on Youtube the other night, and for some reason a couple of music videos popped up in the recommended pane, and it's as if they knew exactly what I liked to listen to... (worryingly I think that's exactly the case). However, in this instance I'll let them off, as the videos were an hour long concert from Gentle Giant, recorded at the Paris Theatre for the BBC in 1978, and two concerts from the Mahavishnu Orchestra from 1972 -  a half hour gig recorded for the BBC and an hour and twenty minute live concert from France.
I'm a fan of both bands, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra in particular, having half a dozen bootlegs from their classic early 70's period, so being able to see them as well is a treat. If you like either of these bands and haven't seen these videos then do yourself a favour and check them out. It's astonishing to see the Giant's live rendition of 'On Reflection', and John McLaughlin & Co produced some of the best music in the world during their heyday.

Gentle Giant live at the Paris Theatre 1978

The Mahavishnu Orchestra live at the Paris Theatre 1972

The Mahavishnu Orchestra live at Chateauvallon, France 1972