Bookended by John Williams themes, hosted by CBBC presenters and serenaded by model dinosaurs, this year's second Children's Prom (presented twice, as Proms 21 and 23) went out of its way to grab the attention of young listeners. However, what lifted this event from gimmickry was smart programming, genial hosting and some carefully detonated surprises.
Chief among these was the orchestral debut of drum'n'bass DJ Goldie. For those who know him only as a gilt-fanged C-list reality TV celebrity and occasional EastEnders gangster, it's worth remembering that he was responsible for 1995's exquisitely sculpted prog-jungle album Timeless. His orchestral debut, Sine Tempore, was a similarly multilayered, highly textured work, starting with snippets of African percussion, adding a babbling choir and building tension around a pedal bass and neurotic strings.
For the remainder of the Prom, children were kept interested by the puppet dinosaurs (which came to life during the Jurassic Park theme), the anecdotes from special guest David Attenborough (here to add gravitas to the Darwin theme), and a triumphant reading of the Star Wars theme (which closed the concert). But they were also enraptured by a programme that was packed with fascinating and often quite challenging obscurities.
These included the Icelandic composer Jón Leifs's volcano-themed work Hekla (a terrifying barrage of hammers, crashing rocks, sirens, full choir, organ and even a cannon); Arvo Pärt's whimsical If Bach Had Been a Beekeeper (a series of clockwork clicks, buzzing strings and walking basslines); and Britten's churning yet romantic Storm Interlude from Peter Grimes. Even Delius's chocolate-boxy pastoral favourite On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring sounded perfect in this context.
It's difficult for any family show to entertain and challenge children and grownups alike. To do so while preventing even the most hyperactive infants from fidgeting for two hours is cause for celebration.
The Proms continue until 12 September. Details: www.bbc.co.uk/proms
