BBC Proms 2018

Tuesday 28th August 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 19:30 to 22:00 (2 hours and 30 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Rotterdam Philharmonic are joined by pianist Yefim Bronfman for Liszt's Second Piano concerto, followed by Bruckner's Fourth Symphony. Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Penny Gore Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major c.7.55pm Interval: Proms Plus: Sebastian Faulks, OBE, author of best-selling novels including Charlotte Grey and Birdsong, comes to the Proms to talk about his new novel Paris Echo. It tells the story of Hannah, a 31-year-old American, who is researching the lives of French women during the German occupation of Paris in 1940-1944. Set against this is the tale of Tariq, a 19-year-old boy who has run away from his home in Morocco, searching for sex and adventure. Does history and a greater cultural awareness help us lead better lives? Presented by Anne McElvoy c.8.15pm Bruckner: Symphony No 4 in E flat major 'Romantic' Yefim Bronfman, piano Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates its 100th anniversary with its first visit to the Proms in five years, under the baton of Chief Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Subtitled the 'Romantic' by the composer, Bruckner's Fourth Symphony draws deeply on the German Romantic tradition of Weber and Wagner for its colourful musical drama. Yefim Bronfman is the soloist in Liszt's Second Piano Concerto, a work originally conceived as a 'concerto symphonique', which offers a fascinating reimagining of the traditional relationship between soloist and orchestra.

Wednesday 29th August 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 18:00 to 20:30 (2 hours and 30 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Vasily Petrenko, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in music by Strauss, Elgar, Bartok and a world premiere by Iain Bell Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Martin Handley Elgar: In the South (Alassio) Iain Bell: Aurora c. 6.45pm Interval Proms Plus Dr Nathan Case and Dr Melanie Windridge discuss the latest scientific research into the Aurora Borealis with New Generation Thinker Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough. c.7.05pm R Strauss: Ständchen; Das Bächlein; Morgen!; Zueignung Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra Adela Zaharia (soprano - Iain Bell) Miah Persson (soprano - R Strauss) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko (conductor) Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra present a concert that moves from the lush, late-Romantic soundscapes of Strauss's songs (with soprano Miah Persson) and the sweeping melodic generosity of Elgar's Italy-inspired overture In the South to the leaner, more percussive intensity of Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra - a virtuosic showcase for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert also includes the world premiere of Iain Bell's concerto for coloratura soprano and orchestra, Aurora, featuring soprano Adela Zaharia.

Wednesday 29th August 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 21:30 to 00:00 (2 hours and 30 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Sir András Schiff plays JS Bach's 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' (Book 2) Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented Sarah Walker JS Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 Sir András Schiff, piano The two volumes of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier are a window onto an extraordinary musical imagination - an infinitely varied, beguiling series of musical reflections and questions. Following his complete performance of Book 1 last year, distinguished pianist and Bach specialist Sir András Schiff returns to perform the complete Book 2. Much more than just a musical sequel, this volume pushes harmony and counterpoint further than ever before in its fascinating and uniquely challenging sequence of works. There will be no interval Broadcast on BBC Four on Friday 31 August.

Thursday 30th August 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 19:30 to 21:15 (1 hour and 45 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Verdi's Requiem with the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra with conductor Orozco-Estrada and Lise Davidsen, Karen Cargill, Dmytro Popov and Tomasz Konieczny Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Georgia Mann Verdi: Requiem Lise Davidsen, soprano Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano Dmytro Popov, tenor Tomasz Konieczny, bass London Philharmonic Choir London Philharmonic Orchestra Andrés Orozco-Estrada, conductor Rising conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada continues this season's sequence of Requiems with Verdi's mighty concert-hall setting - an 'opera in church vestments'. Embracing the full gamut of human emotion, from the most tender and fragile of hopes to the visceral terror of the Day of Judgement, it's a work that transforms private grief into an astonishing public statement. An international team of soloists includes the exciting young Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen and renowned Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill.

Saturday 1st September 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 19:30 to 22:15 (2 hours and 45 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Kirill Petrenko in ballet music by Dukas and Franz Schmidt's Symphony no 4, plus Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No 3 with Yuja Wang as soloist. Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Martin Handley. Dukas: La Péri - Fanfare and Poème dansé Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 3 in C major 8.20pm Interval: Proms Plus Talk: Musicologist and broadcaster Erik Levi introduces Schmidt's Symphony No. 4. 8.45pm Franz Schmidt: Symphony No 4 in C major Yuja Wang (piano) Berliner Philharmonic Conductor Kirill Petrenko A landmark concert sees the Berlin Philharmonic perform for the first time in London under its new Chief Conductor Designate, Kirill Petrenko. 'In this work Mahler's spirit is resurrected,' said a colleague of Franz Schmidt's Fourth Symphony, a piece whose Romantic character is charged with the grief of personal loss. Dynamic pianist Yuja Wang is the soloist in Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto, with its explosive closing battle of wills between soloist and orchestra. The concert opens with Dukas's exotic, Impressionistic ballet score La péri, prefaced by the arresting curtain-raising fanfare the composer later added.

Sunday 2nd September 2018 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 14:00 to 16:00 (2 hours long)

Live at the BBC Proms.

Mahler Symphony no 3 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conductor Andris Nelsons and the mezzo soprano Susan Graham plus the CBSO Chorus and Youth Chorus. Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Andrew McGregor Mahler Symphony No 3 in D minor Susan Graham (mezzo-soprano) CBSO Chorus and CBSO Youth Chorus Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons (conductor) Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, American mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and the CBSO Chorus perform Mahler's Third Symphony. With its post horn calls, children's voices imitating the sound of cowbells and quotations from the Wunderhorn songs, Mahler's Third Symphony teems with the joy of heavenly love and life itself.

Sunday 2nd September 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 20:00 to 22:15 (2 hours and 15 minutes long)

Kirill Petrenko and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Play Beethoven and Strauss. Live From the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Martin Handley Strauss. Don Juan Death and Transfiguration 8.20: Interval Proms Plus: Crime writer Belinda Bauer and novelist Patricia Duncker consider the challenges posed by describing sex and death in fiction. Presented by Matthew Sweet. Beethoven: Symphony No 7 in A major Berliner Philharmoniker Kirill Petrenko, conductor For their second concert, the Berliner Philharmoniker and its Music Director Designate Kirill Petrenko pair two of the 19th century's greatest symphonic poems with Beethoven's much-loved Seventh Symphony. If Don Juan celebrates the life of the body - energetic passions, desires and cynical ambitions - then the composer's Death and Transfiguration, a vivid portrait of the last hours of a dying artist, explores ideas of the mind and spirit. These two colourful musical narratives are set against the dance-driven energy of Beethoven's symphony.

Monday 3rd September 2018 (starting this afternoon)
Time: 13:00 to 14:00 (1 hour long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker perform Debussy, Ravel, L. Boulanger and the world premiere of a BBC commission by Nina Šenk Live from Cadogan Hall, London Presented by Petroc Trelawny Lili Boulanger Nocturne (version for violin and piano) Claude Debussy Sonata for flute, viola and harp Nina Šenk Baca BBC commission: world premiere Lili Boulanger Trois morceaux pour piano Maurice Ravel Introduction and Allegro Berliner Philharmoniker Hear some of the Berliner Philharmoniker's finest players perform as soloists in a concert of 20th-century French chamber music. Marking the 100th anniversaries of both Debussy and Lili Boulanger, the programme includes the latter's evocative sequence of miniatures, Trois morceaux, alongside the neo-Classical melancholy of the former's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. The concert also includes a world premiere by Slovenian composer Nina Šenk, using the same instrumental forces as Ravel's vivacious Introduction and Allegro There will be no interval.

Monday 3rd September 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 19:30 to 22:00 (2 hours and 30 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons in Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony and joined by Baiba Skride in Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's 'Symposium Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Andrew McGregor Bernstein: Serenade after Plato's 'Symposium c.8pm: Interval: c.8.20pm: Shostakovich: Symphony No 4 in C minor Baiba Skride, violin Boston Symphony Orchestra Andris Nelsons, conductor This second concert by Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra sets Bernstein's intensely lyrical Serenade (after Plato's 'Symposium') for solo violin and orchestra - a work composed for Isaac Stern and performed here by the prize-winning Latvian violinist Baiba Skride - alongside Shostakovich's uncompromising Fourth Symphony. This dazzling musical manifesto of the composer's modernist beliefs was withdrawn under duress before its scheduled 1936 premiere and wasn't heard publicly until 25 years later.

Wednesday 5th September 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 19:30 to 22:00 (2 hours and 30 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and John Eliot Gardiner perform Berlioz with mezzo Joyce DiDonato and viola player Antoine Tamestit. Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Donald Macleod. Berlioz Overture 'Le corsaire' Berlioz La mort de Cléopâtre Berlioz The Trojans - Royal Hunt and Storm Berlioz The Trojans - Dido's death scene c.7.50pm Interval Proms Plus: Broadcaster and classicist Bettany Hughes talks to presenter Alex Clark about our knowledge of Troy and introduces readings from contemporary fictional incarnations of the epic stories behind Berlioz's grand opera Les Troyens which have been written from the women's point of view. c.8.10pm Berlioz Harold in Italy Joyce DiDonato (mezzo soprano) Antoine Tamestit (viola) Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Sir John Eliot Gardiner (conductor) Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique continue their cycle of Berlioz performances, which will reach its climax next season in the 150th-anniversary year of the composer's death. Some of Berlioz's most colourful and dramatic works come together here in a programme that draws not only from concert works including the filmic overture Le corsaire and the magnificent symphony with solo viola Harold in Italy, but also from Berlioz's great opera The Trojans. Star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato joins the orchestra to sing Dido's heartbreaking final scene.

Thursday 6th September 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 19:00 to 20:45 (1 hour and 45 minutes long)

Live at the BBC Proms.

Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Peter Oundjian with soloists Erin Wall, Allan Clayton and Russell Braun in Britten's War Requiem Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Kate Molleson 7.30pm Britten War Requiem Erin Wall (soprano) Allan Clayton (tenor) Russell Braun (baritone) Huddersfield Choral Society RSNO Junior Chorus RSNO Chorus Royal Scottish National Orchestra Peter Oundjian (conductor) A powerful statement of the composer's pacifist beliefs - composed in the shadow of the Second World War, but harking back to the carnage of the First via the war poetry of Wilfred Owen - Britten's War Requiem today remains one of the most devastating artistic responses to conflict: a work that mourns but also rages against the senseless violence and destruction of war. The Huddersfield Choral Society, RSNO Chorus (175 this year) and RSNO Junior Chorus (40 this year) join the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and its outgoing Music Director Peter Oundjian for a performance marking 100 years since the end of the First World War.

Thursday 6th September 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 22:15 to 23:30 (1 hour and 15 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms: Tallis Scholars, Director Peter Phillips.

Allegri Miserere, Browne O Maria salvatoris, Pärt Nunc Dimittis, works by von Bingen, Gallus, Padilla and Tallis. Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London Presented by Verity Sharp Hildegard von Bingen: Ordo virtutum - In principio omnes Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla: Deus in adiutorium Jacobus Gallus: Pater noster Gregorio Allegri: Miserere Thomas Tallis: Te lucis ante terminum (I) Arvo Pärt: Nunc dimittis John Browne: O Maria salvatoris Tallis Scholars Peter Phillips (director) Before the fanfares and celebrations of the Last Night of the Proms comes a late-night moment of contemplation led by Peter Phillips and the Tallis Scholars. Recreating the Christian office of Compline, the final service of the church day, they weave together a sung meditation spanning over 1,000 years of sacred music. The delicate tracery of Renaissance polyphony by Padilla and Gallus gives way to the 21st-century 'Spiritual' Minimalism of Arvo Pärt, and at the centre of it all sits Allegri's exquisite Miserere.

Friday 7th September 2018 (starting this evening)
Time: 19:00 to 22:15 (3 hours and 15 minutes long)

Live at BBC Proms.

Handel: Theodora with Louise Alder as Theodora and Arcangelo directed by Jonathan Cohen. Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London. Presented by Donald Macleod Handel Theodora Louise Alder (soprano) Theodora Iestyn Davies (counter-tenor) Didymus Benjamin Hulett (tenor) Septimius Ann Hallenberg (mezzo-soprano) Irene Tareq Nazmi (bass) Valens Arcangelo Chorus Arcangelo Jonathan Cohen (conductor) Parts 1 and 2 (beginning) c. 20.25 Interval: Professor Suzanne Aspden discusses Handel's Theodora, including the staging and its 18th century context. Recorded earlier at Imperial College Union. Parts 2 (end) and 3 In a battle between love and faith, which will triumph? Following the success of last year's Israel in Egypt, the Proms continues its journey through Handel's oratorios with the composer's own favourite and one of the most powerfully dramatic works he ever produced. An all-star cast is led by Louise Alder and Iestyn Davies as tragic lovers Theodora and Didymus. Jonathan Cohen directs his period ensemble Arcangelo.