Prom power

As the whole world knows, London has been putting its best foot forward this summer, and has done it very impressively. From the success of the Olympics to the best-contested Test Match I’ve ever been to (the final result, notwithstanding) it has been a pleasure to be part of the scene. But of all the glamorous events on offer the ones that have probably received the least publicity — because they happen every year — are those that unfold nightly in the Albert Hall. There, without fail, unbelievable numbers of people go to hear all kinds of classical music, some as challenging as anything in the canon. It is really remarkable that when the Proms put on a concert of compositions by John Cage (which they did on 17 August, involving music that veered between total silence and intense dissonance) the turnout can run to the kind of numbers other festivals could only expect if they were fielding the Vienna Philharmonic playing Beethoven.