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Launching the 2014 BBC Proms

2014-04-24T12:03:46+00:00

Janine Jansen, Sakari Oramo, Paloma Faith, Katie Derham and Joey from War Horse

It’s that time of year again and so the day has come for the launch of this year’s BBC Proms – always an exciting day for the Proms team, when we finally get to talk publicly about the plans that have been built over the last three years.

It’s also a relief that, despite rumours and second guessings on websites and message boards, the whole season manages to remain under wraps until the embargo time is reached today.

Though this year marks our 120th season, the vision of the festival has remained the same since its inception – to bring the best classical music to the largest possible audience. The Proms has always sought to build new audiences. One of the key areas of our work in this area is our ticket prices, not least our Promming (standing) tickets, which this year are held at £5 for the ninth year running. Without the support of the BBC licence-fee payers, this extraordinary value for money would not be possible.

The audience for the Proms is now genuinely international and it is the global classical music world that we celebrate in welcoming many international orchestras to the Proms (and indeed to the UK) for the first time this summer. I am delighted that, alongside our more regular orchestral visitors from across Europe and the USA, we are able to welcome ensembles from Australia, China, Greece, Iceland, Lapland, Qatar, South Korea, Singapore and Turkey.

Almost half of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall are given by our BBC orchestras and I cannot remember a time when such flourishing and exciting partnerships have existed in these groups. Without these orchestras, the BBC Singers and the two BBC choruses, planning the Proms on this scale would not be possible, or as creative and distinctive. It would also be impossible to keep exploring new ideas and fresh programming without the dedication and sheer hard work of the Proms team.

In addition to the feast of music from abroad, we have in recent years celebrated British music. We continue that momentum this year, not least by honouring two fine living composers both celebrating their 80th birthdays this year. The music of Sir Harrison Birtwistle and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies is featured this summer as is that by Walton, another knighted Lancastrian!

We also mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss as we present three of Strauss’s operatic masterpieces: Elektra, Der Rosenkavalier and Salome. There is also the staging of a non-operatic work when Sir Simon Rattle, star soloists and the Berlin Philharmonic present Peter Sellars’ realisation of Bach’s St Matthew Passion.

Bach’s other great Passion setting, the St John, is conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, one of our British conductors celebrating significant birthdays this year. Sir Roger (80 this year) will, like Sir Andrew Davis (70), Donald Runnicles (60) and Edward Gardner (40), conduct two Proms and it is a thrill to welcome back Sir Neville Marriner in his 90th-birthday year, with the orchestra he founded, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, alongside its new Music Director, Joshua Bell.

Sakari Oramo, Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, will be in charge of the Last Night for the first time, and there are two Proms each conducted by Jirí Behlolávek, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly and Valery Gergiev.

Joey from War Horse

Among the concerts honouring the World War One anniversary is the War Horse Prom, in which the extraordinary puppets from the National Theatre’s acclaimed production make an appearance alongside the Proms debut of Gareth Malone and the Proms Military Wives Choir.

There are more debuts too. Look out for the first ever CBeebies and BBC Sport Proms, and first appearances at the Proms by Paloma Faith, the Pet Shop Boys and Rufus Wainwright, as well as other special Late Night Proms including Laura Mvula making her first solo appearance.

All this and much more, including the wide-ranging and attractive Proms Chamber Music and Proms Saturday Matinee series at Cadogan Hall; an array of commissions and premieres, including two of the last works by the late Sir John Tavener; and soloists such as Janine Jansen and Roderick Williams on the Last Night.

As ever, all the Proms are broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and there will be additional broadcasts on Radio 1, Radio 2 and for the first time on both Radio 4, with a commission for its PM programme, and Radio 5 live in its 20th anniversary year. There is a remarkable commitment from our TV colleagues to bring the Proms to an ever expanding audience across BBCs One, Two and Four and for the first time CBeebies will broadcast a special prom. We’re also delighted to welcome presenters from the worlds of music and arts, many of whom have not presented Proms before and will join our established presenters to bring these Proms to our television audiences. There is also a significant development in our digital Proms offer with new initiatives such as a dedicated Proms button on the BBC iPlayer Radio app, six interactive BBC iWonder guides, and the addition of BBC Playlister.

So, wherever you are and however you choose to listen, watch and interact, I hope you enjoy the 2014 BBC Proms.

BBC Symphony Orchestra - Proms countdown

2013-07-08T15:24:10+00:00

The week leading up to a Proms season opening is always special – there’s a buzz in the office, a confident feeling of the familiar mingled with the challenges of such a high profile Festival. Even the weather has picked up, the summer sun is shining hard and the cooling systems of the Royal Albert Hall will be on red alert (I hope).

But this time it feels even more different and the excitement is mounting for an additional reason. The arrival of the orchestra’s new chief conductor, the wonderful Sakari Oramo, who takes up the position officially when he picks up the baton on the First Night and launches into Julian Anderson’s new work, Harmony. Of course, we all know that he is chief conductor from the first rehearsal on Tuesday but the public will have to wait a few days to celebrate. And celebrate we all will – it’s a huge and thrilling programme for the First Night and I can’t think of a better way to launch this new chapter in our life and welcome to the BBCSO family one of today’s great conductors.

Sakari Oramo

On Tuesday, I will go down to the conductor’s room, knock, enter and be greeted with a big Finnish hug and that warm smile that has so charmed everyone on the podium and off. At 1029 we’ll both head into Maida Vale Studio 1 where I will formally welcome Sakari and anticipate a huge enthusiastic cheer from his new orchestra. That’s a part of my job I love best. It’s a special moment.

Nixon in Maida Vale (with tight pants)

2012-09-05T09:02:17+00:00

John Adams conducts at the Proms

BBC Symphony Orchestra sub-principal viola Phil Hall reports from John Adams's rehearsals for the opera Nixon in China at the Proms.

John Adams is in his happy place. I can always tell; he starts swinging his hips to the beat, eyes closed and smiling as if lost in the groove he has created. Indeed a lot of the time his opera Nixon in China is more groovy than a '60s LP and John clearly enjoys conducting his 25 year-old masterpiece. The style of music may seem a bit incongruous given the serious political subject matter but the opera operates on different levels simultaneously and incorporates humorous moments alongside the sad, and dance routines in with Maoist ideology. Similarly one hears influences of Wagner and Stravinsky next to Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller clothed in 1980s' Minimalism. It's infectious too as I see smiles on many players' faces. 'I gave up Minimalism after this,' ohn admits sheepishly. 'I had wrung all I could out of an E flat major chord...'

It's always a pleasure collaborating with John. He brings so much enthusiasm and energy to rehearsals and concerts but is also insistent on getting things exactly how he wants and that includes making changes to his composition as he goes along: 'After 25 years I have decided I don't like this bit ... can I try it without the bass clarinet? Nothing personal you understand...' He makes other small changes to the orchestration and also to what he is beating. At one point, half way through rehearsals, John stops, shakes his head and says the words every orchestra likes to hear: 'You know, I've done this piece a lot, even with the wonderful Met Opera orchestra, but you guys are just incredible, you have the steepest learning curve.' But then he continues: 'This is like a New York Times review - having said all that, I'd like to run the second Act again...'

When composing this unusual opera in the 1980s, John considered that the music nearest to the soul of the Nixons would be Glenn Miller. As a consequence the orchestra is more of a big band with a string section (we are particularly enjoying that rare orchestral beast, the baritone sax, which adds real punch to the proceedings). But being a late 20th-century opera, the scoring also contains two grand pianos, a synthesizer and a lone, overworked percussionist, Alex Neal, who is surrounded by about a thousand (give or take) instruments. John addresses him: 'Alex, can you give me the horse rhythm please?' (Alex duly beats out a galloping da-da-dum da-da-dum, à la Lone Ranger on his legs with his hands, giving a passable impression). But John isn't convinced - 'Hmm, the pitch is too low...can you wear tighter pants?'

That's something I never thought I'd hear in a rehearsal!

John Adam's Nixon in China is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at 7pm on Wednesday 5 September, and is available for seven days on the BBC iPlayer.

For more information about the music and broadcasts, visit the Proms event page
Find out more about John Adams
Read details and a synopsis of Nixon in China

Gurrelieder - A Chorus of Approval

2012-08-16T15:24:44+00:00

Bolt-Gurrelieder

Earlier this week, Phil Hall reported on the BBC Proms performance of Schoenberg's Gurrelieder from the orchestra's perspective. Now BBC Symphony Chorus soprano Carole Cameron gives the view from the choir seats ...

Well clearly this is the only gig in town tonight!

The first rehearsal found director Stephen Jackson, reminiscing about a previous performance, when he'd been demonstrating how he wanted a passage sung. The Narrator commented 'mmm, nice voice'. It was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau...

It can be seen as a 'cough and a spit' for us ladies of the chorus but what a spit! As soon as I see 'Farben Froh' in the score, I hear the voice of our former German language coach Geraldine Franks, fondly known 'Mrs Deutsch', intoning '23 double Rrrrrs and 23 double FFFFs please'. Tonight we're fortunate to have been coached by her successor Norbert Meyn, no mean tenor himself, and infamous in rehearsal for being inclined to take over from whoever is officially conducting, such is his enthusiasm.

This will be my fourth 'Gurrelieder' and it's still an absolute 'must do'. The first was particularly memorable: my father was in the audience and as he, and I, came back down to earth he said, 'Well, I never thought I'd see Hans Hotter on stage; I certainly never imagined my daughter would be on the same stage.'

But our line-up of soloists was definitely the best I've heard. We are over 450 performers, and as a result we've been in an unusual set of venues recently, not just seeking refreshment without a massive queue. Inevitably, when most of us were rehearsing at Cadogan Hall on Monday last week, one of our sopranos managed a two-minute guest appearance in a Mark Elder rehearsal in Maida Vale Studio 2, before realising that all was not well. On Wednesday we visited the Friends' Meeting House, near Euston, and on Saturday, Central Methodist Hall Westminster. On Sunday, the day of the performance, we invited all involved to our 'warm down': usually Stephen Jackson's notes on rehearsal but this time BBC Symphony Chorus Pimms in the Park and picnic. The ladies of Crouch End Festival Chorus won the football.

The week's best Jacksonism: 'Basses, I don't care what orifice that top E flat comes out of...' LOL!

The conductor, Jukka-Pekka Saraste last worked with us in 2005 on Rachmaninov's The Bells. He's dry, laconic even, but very clear. Sunday morning's rehearsal instruction was, 'Don't be too civilised in your singing. We could do it all mezzo forte, but....'

Stand, breathe: 'Seht': the sun - and the pitch - rises, adrenalin starts to flow. We rise above the 1st sopranos into the sun, perched on a top A, descending to the glorious, endless [breathe again] C major final chord. There are worse ways of spending your Sunday...

The 2012 Proms on TV, part two

2012-07-27T16:24:35+00:00

As I write this I am waiting for Martin Creed's Bells to ring out over the country. And I am wondering how Danny Boyle is feeling this morning. For everyone who puts on events, there is always this moment just before, the quiet moment, when the stage is empty, just waiting for everything to begin. The moment when you think to yourself, goodness, will it all be okay! And you feel sick with anxiety! It's something you always think you will get better at but that feeling is always there, as intense as ever. But tonight is a whopping great big event like no other! So I can't imagine how everyone's feelng today, so I want to start by sending huge good vibes to Danny Boyle and wish him and his team all the very best of luck for the opening ceremony tonight. When it's all over Danny, please come to the Proms and chill out with us okay!

The other big event tonight for us is Daniel Barenboim and the West Eastern Divan orchestra performing their last concert in the Beethoven series at the Proms at 6.30pm. It's live on Radio 3 this evening and broadcast on BBC Two tomorrow night, together with a new documentary Barenboim on Beethoven, with the maestro himself, and the orchestral musicians and Tom Service talking us through the symphonies and why they are so special. The other concerts are on the iPlayer if you need to catch up. From the reaction in the hall this week, I think the audience won't let them leave tonight. You want to lock the doors and make them just keep on playing. The music-making is incredible, the precision of the playing out of this world, the interpretation of the music, just so powerful and moving. I do recommend you catch up with these performances on iPlayer.

Talking of chilling out at the Proms, the other night I want up to the gallery in the Royal Albert Hall. Great view from there, the hall looks so beautiful with the new lighting and stage design. The great thing to do up there is just lie flat out on the floor and let the music wash over you. It's a great place to be for the Proms.

I am now totally maxed out on my 3G on my iphone and turning to my lovely old radio at home, so next week in the evenings I will be on the sun (hopefully) lounger finally in my garden with the Radio on extension cable listening to Bach's B Minor Mass (Aug 2nd 7.30pm) and the Scottish Symphony doing Wagner and Bruckner. On TV we have Bach Live too on Thursday, Wagner live Friday and Handel's Water Music on BBC Two on Saturday night. God Bless technology.

The first time I heard Wagner's music live was years ago when I was working with Sir Peter Hall when he directed the Ring in Bayreuth with Sir Georg Solti. One of the many moments in my life when the privilege of working in music has been overwhelming. The English Ring was controversial and likely to be shot down. Bill Dudley the designer turned to Peter as they edged forward and took their curtain call expecting to be murdered by the audience - a general rule with The Ring cycle was: shot down first year, liked a little bit in second year, and third year hailed as the greatest Ring ever - and he whispered "it's only rock and roll".

Good luck to Danny Boyle and wishing you all a glorious Olympic opening weekend!

Jan Younghusband is BBC commissioning editor, Music & Events

Listen to every prom live on BBC Radio 3 and in high-quality HD Sound online
Details of every Prom, with programme notes, clips, pictures and links to every broadcast on TV and radio on the BBC Proms web site.
All nine of the Beethoven Symphonies can be heard in full for thirty days in our 'Beethoven at the Proms' collection online.

Final countdown to the 2012 BBC Proms

2012-07-12T10:12:02+00:00

Roger Wright at the Royal Albert Hall

The 118th season of BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concerts is about to begin and, thanks to the unique way the BBC is funded through the licence fee, the artistic quality remains exceptional and ticket prices as low as ever.

The vision of those first Proms in 1895 was to bring the best classical music to the largest possible audience and it remains true today. However the way in which that vision is delivered has changed because of technology which now allows audiences to hear the concerts when they want and see so many on TV; because of online listening that audience goes far beyond the UK, and this year our international audiences can hear the Radio 3 broadcasts in HD sound for the first time this summer.

It promises to be a summer like no other with so much focus on London, and I am really looking forward to this year's Proms more than any other I've known. I'm delighted that the response to the events has been so positive and that there has been a real sense of the scale and ambition of our plans. I'm pleased too that the Proms forms such a major part of the London 2012 festival.

As with any Proms festival, there will be some unexpected challenges ahead. Please follow the Proms website for the most up-to-date information about the concerts and other information about the festival in general.

In the next 24 hours I will have heard rehearsals and/or performances including Debussy's masterpiece Pelleas and Melisande, Lerner & Loewe's great musical set in London, My Fair Lady, and the all-British opening night with four conductors involved in a baton relay! With Daniel Barenboim and his Beethoven symphony cycle, a celebration of Delius, the two London opera houses performing Berlioz and Britten, the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics each giving two concerts, and so much more, I hope that there is something for everyone to enjoy.

But the question on everyone's lips remains ... Will Wallace have finished his BBC commission on time? Fingers crossed. Not long to wait to find out!

PS: In recent years I have very much enjoyed answering your questions about any aspect of the BBC Proms. I look forward again to your questions which I will try to answer throughout the festival. Please email proms@bbc.co.uk with the subject 'Ask the Director' to submit a question about the Proms this season.

Roger Wright is Controller, BBC Radio 3 and Director, BBC Proms