BBC Proms, a musical feast for the senses

As ever, the BBC’s annual musical extravaganza is all set to start in fine style with an evening of amazing music at the Royal Albert Hall.

Clive Myrie hosts the proceedings; keeping him company are much-loved broadcaster Sandi Toksvig and TikTok organ phenomenon Anna Lapwood. They – and the thousands lucky enough to have bagged a ticket – will be listening to Sibelius’s ever popular Finladia, Grieg’s dramatic Piano Concerto (performed by classical superstar Paul Lewis), and Britten’s evergreen Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

Sibelius fans are in for a double treat too because his rarely-performed Snofrid, is making its Proms debut. Plus, there’s a chance to hear a world premiere from Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak.

As first nights go, it’s a feast for the senses, but it’s merely an amuse-bouche to a packed and hugely varied eight-week schedule.

David Pickard, Director, BBC Proms, explains: “There is no other classical music festival in the world to match the range and breadth of the BBC Proms.

“It is the place where so many discover orchestral music for the first time – whether through a cornerstone of the classical repertoire, ground-breaking new work or collaborations with some of today’s most exciting artists.

“Our musical range in 2023 extends from Bach to Bollywood and geographically from Gateshead to Great Yarmouth, as we continue to build on Henry Wood’s vision of ‘the best of classical music for the widest possible audience’.”

He’s not kidding: there really is something for everyone.

The opening weekend features Keep the Faith: Northern Soul, a stomping celebration of the underground British club phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s, while the aforementioned Lapwood makes her Proms solo recital debut with a programme of evocative music.

The Proms also marks several musical milestones, including 150 years since Sergey Rachmaninov’s birth, as well as 100 years since the birth of Gyorgy Ligeti, and the death of Croatian composer Dora Pejacevic, setting them cheek-by-jowl against various world premieres.

The 2023 season also features a wealth of opera and oratorio, with a complete performance of Berlioz’s five-act grand opera The Trojans, and the highly anticipated UK premiere of Gyorgy Kurtag’s first opera, Endgame.

Younger viewers aren’t forgotten by the Prom schedulers either, with Horrible Histories present ’Orrible Opera, an irreverent introduction to the genre featuring the Orchestra and Chorus of English National Opera, while film fans and gamers shouldn’t miss Fantasy, Myths and Legends, in which Anna-Maria Helsing conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra.

The ‘Proms at’ chamber concerts are on hand to take the experience beyond the confines of London, with events at Aberystwyth, Derry, Dewsbury, Perth and Truro. Plus, the BBC Concert Orchestra will be at the Hippodrome in Great Yarmouth as part of their ongoing residency.

The season ends, as always, with the traditional pomp and circumstance of the Last Night of the Proms, featuring the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and BBC Singers.

This year’s festival finale is led by Marin Alsop, who is joined by Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Lise Davidsen, and features the world premiere of 1922, a celebration of the BBC’s centenary from British composer James B Wilson.

How’s that for going out with a bang?