The Proms, more formally known as
The BBC Proms, or
The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily
orchestraAn orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the
Royal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is an arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
in
South KensingtonSouth Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
,
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. Founded in 1895, each season currently consists of over 70 concerts in the Albert Hall, a series of
chamber concertsChamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
at
Cadogan HallCadogan Hall is a 900-seat concert hall on Sloane Terrace in Chelsea, London, in the United Kingdom. Previously, the building was the First Church of Christ, Scientist, completed in 1907 to designs by the architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm. By 1996, the congregations had diminished dramatically...
, additional Proms in the Park events across the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
on the last night, and associated educational and children's events. In 2009 the total number of concerts will reach 100 for the first time. In the context of classical music festivals,
Jiří BělohlávekJiří Bělohlávek is a Czech conductor. His father was a barrister and judge. In his youth, he studied the cello with Milos Sádlo. Bělohlávek is a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
has described The Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".
Proms is short for
promenade concertSee The PromsAlthough the term Promenade Concert is normally associated today with the series of concerts founded in 1895 by Robert Newman and the conductor Henry Wood – a festival known today as the BBC Proms – the term originally referred to concerts in the pleasure gardens of London where the...
, a term which arose from the original practice of audience members promenading, or strolling, in some areas of the concert hall during the concert.
Promming now refers to the use of the standing areas inside the hall (the arena and gallery) for which ticket prices are much lower than for the reserved seating. Single-concert Promming tickets can be bought, with few exceptions, only on the day of the concert, which can give rise to long queues for well-known artists or works. Proms concertgoers, particularly those who stand, are sometimes described as "Promenaders", but are most commonly referred to as "Prommers". Prommers can buy full- or half-season tickets instead for guaranteed entry, although not the assurance of a particular standing position. A number of Prommers are particularly keen in their attendance, and see it as a badge of honour to achieve the "grand slam" of attending every concert of the season (a "little slam" being every concert at the Royal Albert Hall). In 1997, one programme in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
documentary series
Modern Times covered this dedicated following of enthusiasts.
History
Although earlier
promenade concertSee The PromsAlthough the term Promenade Concert is normally associated today with the series of concerts founded in 1895 by Robert Newman and the conductor Henry Wood – a festival known today as the BBC Proms – the term originally referred to concerts in the pleasure gardens of London where the...
series had existed, the first Proms concert was held on 10 August 1895 in the
Queen's HallThe Queen's Hall was a classical music concert hall in Central London, England, opened in 1893 and was beloved by Londoners until its destruction by an incendiary bomb in 1941. It is best known for being where the Promenade Concerts were founded by Robert Newman, with Henry J...
in
Langham PlaceLangham Place is a street in Westminster, central London, England. It connects Portland Place to the north with Regent Street to the south in London's West End.- Buildings :...
, under the auspices of impresario
Robert NewmanRobert Newman was an English businessman and musical impresario. He is most celebrated as the founder of the series of classical music concerts that are now known as The Proms....
. Newman's idea was to encourage an audience for concert hall music who, though not normally attending classical concerts, would be attracted by the low ticket prices and more informal atmosphere. In addition to promenading, eating, drinking and smoking were all allowed. He stated his goal as follows:
"I am going to run nightly concerts and train the public by easy stages. Popular at first, gradually raising the standard until I have created a public for classical and modern music."
With financial backing from the otolaryngologist Dr George Cathcart, Newman hired Henry Joseph Wood as the conductor for this series of concerts, called "Mr Robert Newman's Promenade Concerts". Wood built the "Queen's Hall Orchestra" as the ensemble devoted to performing the promenade concerts. Although the concerts gained a popular following and reputation, Newman went bankrupt in 1902, and the banker
Edgar SpeyerSir Edgar Speyer, 1st Baronet was an American-born financier and philanthropist. He became a British subject in 1892 and was chairman of Speyer Brothers, the British branch of his family’s international finance house, and a partner in the German and American branches...
took over the expense of funding the concerts. In 1914, anti-German feeling forced Speyer out of his post. After Speyer, music publishers
Chappell & Co.Chappell & Co. was an English company that published music and manufactured pianos.-History:It was founded in 1810 by Samuel Chappell in partnership with music professors Francis Tatton Latour and Johann Baptist Cramer. Cramer was also a well-known London composer, teacher and pianist...
took control of the concerts.
Newman continued to work in the artistic planning of these promenade concerts until his sudden death in November 1926. With time, Wood became the name which was most closely associated with the concerts. As conductor from that first concert, Wood was largely responsible for expanding the repertoire heard in later concerts, such that by the 1920s the concerts had grown from being made up of largely more popular, less demanding works, to presenting music by contemporary composers such as
Claude DebussyAchille-Claude Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he was one of the most prominent figures working within the field of Impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions...
,
Richard StraussRichard Georg Strauss was a German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, particularly of operas, Lieder and tone poems...
and
Ralph Vaughan WilliamsRalph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores...
. A bronze bust of Wood, belonging to the
Royal Academy of MusicThe Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, is placed in front of
the OrganThe Grand Organ situated in the Royal Albert Hall in London, is the second largest pipe organ in the United Kingdom. It was originally built by Henry "Father" Willis and most recently rebuilt by Mander Organs, having 147 stops and 9997 speaking pipes....
for the whole season. While now known as the BBC Proms, the text on the tickets (along with the headline "BBC Proms" next to the BBC logo), still says "BBC Music presents the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts'".
In 1927, the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
— later based at
Broadcasting HouseBroadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London, England.Architect George Val Myer designed the building in collaboration with the BBC's civil engineer, M T Tudsbery. The interiors are the work of the Australian-Irish architect...
next to the hall — took over the running of the concerts. When the
BBC Symphony OrchestraThe BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
(BBC SO) was formed in 1930, it became the main orchestra for the concerts. At this time the season consisted of nights dedicated to particular composers; Mondays were
WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas...
, Fridays were Beethoven, with other major composers being featured on other days. There were no Sunday performances.
With the outbreak of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1939, the BBC withdrew its support. The Proms continued though, under private sponsorship, until the Queen's Hall was gutted by an
air raidThe Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, in World War II. While the Blitz hit many towns and cities across the country, it began with the bombing of London for 57 consecutive nights...
in 1941 (its site is now the St George's Hotel and BBC Henry Wood House). The following year, the Proms moved to their current home, the Royal Albert Hall, and the BBC took over once more. In 1944, however, increased danger to the Royal Albert Hall from bombing meant that the Proms moved again, this time to the
Bedford Corn ExchangeBedford Corn Exchange is located on St Paul's Square in the Castle area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.-History of the Corn Exchange:The building was designed to be a concert venue and meeting space, as well as a place of business. The basement contained offices, cloakrooms, kitchen, hall...
. This venue had been the home of the BBC Symphony Orchestra since 1941 and played host to the Proms until the end of the war. After the war, other orchestras were invited to perform in the Proms, such that the BBC SO was no longer the sole orchestra responsible for all Proms concerts.
Wood continued his work with the Proms until his death in 1944. In the years after the war, Sir
Adrian BoultSir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor.-Biography:Boult was born in Chester and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. As a schoolboy, he attended Sir Henry Wood's Saturday afternoon and Sunday concert series, seeing Debussy and Arthur Nikisch conduct...
and
Basil CameronBasil Cameron was an English conductor. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England, the son of a German immigrant family. His birth name was Basil George Cameron Hindenberg...
took on principal conducting duties for the Proms until the advent of
Malcolm SargentSir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works...
as Proms chief conductor in 1947. Sargent held this post until 1966. He was noted for his immaculate appearance (
evening dressThe term evening dress can refer to:* Full evening dress, or white tie, the most formal civilian dress code, especially in the United Kingdom* More generally, any of various types of formal wear, including black tie and mess dress...
, carnation) and his witty addresses where he good-naturedly chided the noisy Prommers. Sir Malcolm championed choral music and classical and British composers, especially
Samuel Coleridge-TaylorSamuel Coleridge-Taylor was an English composer who achieved such success he was called the "African Mahler". -History:...
. The charity founded in his name,
CLIC SargentCLIC Sargent is a cancer charity in the United Kingdom, of which Cherie Blair is a patron. It was formed by the merger of Sargent Cancer Care for Children and Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood and specializes in providing support for children....
, continues to hold a special Promenade Concert each year shortly after the main season ends. CLIC Sargent, the
Musicians' Benevolent FundThe Musicians' Benevolent Fund is a United Kingdom charity offering help and support to working and retired musicians, other professionals in the music industry, and their dependants....
and further musical charities (chosen each year) also benefit from thousands of pounds in donations from Prommers after most concerts. When asking for donations, Prommers from the Arena regularly announce to the audience the running donations total at concert intervals through the season, or before the concert when there is no interval.
From the 1950s, the number of guest orchestras giving concerts in the season began to increase, with the first major international conductors (
Leopold StokowskiLeopold Stokowski was a famous orchestral conductor, well known for his free-hand performing style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from many of the great orchestras he conducted.In America, Stokowski performed with the Cincinnati Symphony...
,
Georg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He holds the record for having received the most Grammy awards, having personally won 31, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.- Early career :Solti was born György Stern in Budapest to a Jewish family; his...
and
Carlo Maria GiuliniCarlo Maria Giulini was an Italian conductor, and violist.-Biography:Giulini was born in Barletta, Italy and studied the viola and composition at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome...
) performing in 1963, and the first foreign orchestra, the
Moscow Radio Symphony OrchestraThe Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio is one of the most prestigious orchestras in Russia. It was founded in 1930 as the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, providing music for the entire radio network of the USSR...
, performing in 1966. Since that time, almost every major international orchestra, conductor and soloist has performed at the Proms. In 1970,
Soft MachineSoft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the so-called "Canterbury scene," and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre....
's appearance led to press attention and comment as the first "pop" band to perform there.
The Proms continue today, and still present newly commissioned music alongside pieces more central to the repertoire and early music. Innovations continue, with pre-Prom talks, lunchtime chamber concerts, children's Proms, Proms in the Park either appearing, or being featured more heavily over the past few years. In the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, all concerts are broadcast on
BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music, but jazz, world music, drama and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation Artists scheme...
, an increasing number are shown on
BBC4BBC Four is a BBC television channel available to digital television viewers in the UK. The part successor to BBC Knowledge. BBC Four launched on 2 March 2002....
with some also broadcast on
BBC1
and
BBC2
. The theme tune played at the beginning of each programme broadcast on television is an extract from the end of the "Red" movement of
Arthur BlissSir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was a British composer.-Birth, education and WWI:Born to an American father and English mother, Bliss attended Bilton Grange Preparatory School and Rugby before entering Cambridge University...
's
A Colour SymphonyA Colour Symphony, Op. 24, F. 106, was written by Arthur Bliss in 1921-22. It was his first major work for orchestra and remains one of his best known...
. It is also possible to hear the concerts live from the BBC Proms website. The Last Night is also broadcast in many countries around the world.
In 1996, a related series of eight lunchtime chamber concerts was started, taking place on Mondays during the Proms season. In their first year these were held in the
BrittenEdward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, violist and pianist.-Life:...
Hall of the Royal College of Music (just across Prince Consort Road from the Albert Hall). The following year they moved slightly further afield, to the
Henry ColeSir Henry Cole was an English civil servant and Inventor who facilitated many innovations in commerce and education in 19th century Britain, and introduced the world's first commercial Christmas card.- Biography :Henry Cole was educated at Christ's Hospital in London...
Lecture Theatre at the
Victoria and Albert MuseumThe Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. Named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, it was founded in 1852, and has since grown to now cover some and 145 galleries...
. In 2005 they moved further again, to the new
Cadogan HallCadogan Hall is a 900-seat concert hall on Sloane Terrace in Chelsea, London, in the United Kingdom. Previously, the building was the First Church of Christ, Scientist, completed in 1907 to designs by the architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm. By 1996, the congregations had diminished dramatically...
, just off London's
Sloane SquareSloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the fashionable London districts of Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Chelsea, located southwest of Charing Cross. The square is part of the Hans Town area designed in 1771 by Henry Holland Snr. and Henry Holland Jnr...
. These allow the Proms to include music which is not suitable for the vast spaces of the Albert Hall.
From 1998 to 2007, the
Blue Peter Prom, in partnership with long-running BBC television programme
Blue PeterBlue Peter is a long-running BBC television programme for children. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC Channel.It is named after the blue-and-white flag hoisted by a ship in port when it is ready to sail...
, was an annual fixture. Aimed at children and families, the Prom is informal, including audience participation, jokes, and popular classics. High demand for tickets — which are among the lowest priced in the season — saw this Prom be split in 2004 into two Proms with identical content. In 2008, the Blue Peter Prom was replaced with a
Doctor Who PromProm 13: Doctor Who Prom was a concert showcasing incidental music from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, along with classical music, performed as part of the BBC's annual Proms season on 27 July 2008 in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
.
The 2004 season also featured the Hall's newly rebuilt
pipe organThe Grand Organ situated in the Royal Albert Hall in London, is the second largest pipe organ in the United Kingdom. It was originally built by Henry "Father" Willis and most recently rebuilt by Mander Organs, having 147 stops and 9997 speaking pipes....
. It took two years to complete the task (2002–2004) and was the work of Noel Mander, Ltd., of London. It was the first complete restoration of the instrument since Harrison and Harrison's work in 1936.
The tradition of Promming remains an important aspect of the festival, with over 1000 standing places available for each concert, either in the central arena (rather like the
groundlingA groundling was a person that frequented the Globe Theatre in the early 1600's who was too poor to pay to be able to sit on one of the three levels of the theater. By paying one penny, they could stand in "The Pit", also called "The Yard", just below the stage and watch the play...
s in the pit at
Shakespeare's GlobeShakespeare's Globe Theatre, which officially opened in 1997, is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. It is approximately from the site of the original theatre...
) or high in the hall's gallery. Promming tickets cost the same for all concerts (£5 as of 2008), providing a considerably cheaper option for the more popular events. Since the tickets cannot be bought in advance (although there are season tickets available), they provide a way of getting in to otherwise sold-out concerts.
The Proms today
2009 Season
In the 2009 season, which ran from 17 July to 12 September 2009, the total number of concerts reached 100 for the first time. The principal anniversary composers included:
- George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-English Baroque composer, who is famous for his operas, oratorios, and concerti grossi. His life and music may justly be described as "cosmopolitan": he was born in Germany, trained in Italy, and spent most of his life in England...
(250th anniversary of his death)
- Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn was an Austrian composer. He was one of the most important, prolific and prominent composers of the classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these genres...
(200th anniversary of his death)
- Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period....
(200th anniversary of his birth)
- Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell , was an English Baroque composer. Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements but devised a peculiarly English style of Baroque music.-Early life and career:...
(350th anniversary of his birth)
Other composer anniversaries noted in the 2009 Proms included:
- Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen is a Dutch composer and pianist based in Amsterdam. He teaches composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague...
(70th birthday)
- Harrison Birtwistle
Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle CH is a British contemporary composer.- Life:Birtwistle was born in Accrington in Lancashire and in 1952 entered the Royal Manchester College of Music in Manchester on a clarinet scholarship...
(75th birthday)
- John Casken
John Casken is an English composer, born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, England.Casken read Music at the University of Birmingham, studying Composition and Contemporary Music with John Joubert and Peter Dickinson. He then went on to study in Poland with Andrzej Dobrowolski on a Polish Government...
(60th birthday)
- George Crumb
George Crumb is an American composer of modern and avant-garde music. He is noted as an explorer of unusual timbres and extended technique. Examples include spoken flute and glass marbles poured onto an open piano.-Biography:Crumb was born in Charleston, West Virginia, and began to compose at an...
(80th birthday)
- Frederick Delius
Frederick Albert Theodore Delius CH was an English composer.- Life :Frederick Delius was born in Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire in the north of England. His parents were German: Julius and Elise Pauline Delius had moved from Bielefeld, Germany to Britain to set themselves up in the wool...
(75th anniversary of his death)
- Edward Elgar
Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO was an English composer. Several of his first major orchestral works, including the Enigma Variations and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, were greeted with acclaim. He also composed oratorios, chamber music, symphonies, instrumental concertos,...
(75th anniversary of his death)
- Jonathan Harvey
Jonathan Harvey is a British composer. He has held teaching positions at universities and music conservatories in Europe and the USA and is frequently invited to teach in summer schools around the world....
(70th birthday)
- Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets.Having studied at the Royal College of Music in London,...
(75th anniversary of his death)
- Albert Ketèlbey
Albert William Ketèlbey was an English composer, conductor and pianist.-Biography:Ketèlbey was born in Alma Street in the Lozells area of Birmingham, England, the son of George Ketelbey , and Sarah Aston. At the age of eleven he wrote a piano sonata that won praise from Edward Elgar...
(50th anniversary of his death)
- Bohuslav Martinů
Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Martinů (Martinu) Bohuslav Martinů (Martinu) was a prolific Bohemian Czech composer, who wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works....
(50th anniversary of his death)
- Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE , is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:Davies was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. He took piano lessons and composed from an early age...
(75th birthday)
- Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
(50th anniversary of his death)
The humorist and music
impresarioImpresario Impresario Impresario (from the Italian impresa, an enterprise or undertaking Origin: mid 18th century, from Italian impresa, ‘undertaking.’ New Oxford American Dictionary.
Impresa: enterprise; deed; company...
Gerard HoffnungGerard Hoffnung was an artist and musician, best known for his humorous works.Born in Berlin, and named Gerhard, he was the only child of a well-to-do Jewish couple, Hilde and Ludwig Hoffnung...
was also remembered with the performance in the Last Night of
Malcolm ArnoldSir Malcolm Henry Arnold, CBE was an English composer and symphonist.Malcolm Arnold began his career playing trumpet professionally, but by age thirty his life was devoted to composition. He was bracketed with Benjamin Britten and William Walton as one of the most sought-after composers in Britain...
's
A Grand Grand Overture, which was commissioned for the first Hoffnung Music Festival. The 2009 Proms featured
BollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the Indian film industry. Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the...
music for the first time, as part of a day-long series of concerts and events also covering
Indian classical musicThe origins of Indian classical music can be found from the oldest of scriptures, part of the Hindu tradition, the Vedas. It is also significantly influenced by Persian music....
. Performers in the day included
Ram NarayanRam Narayan , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician who popularized the bowed instrument sarangi as a concert solo instrument in Hindustani classical music and became the first internationally successful sarangi player.Narayan was born in Udaipur and learned to play the...
,
Rajan and Sajan MishraRajan and Sajan Mishra are two brothers, who are singers of the khyal style of Indian classical music. They were awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2007, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, jointly in 1998 and the Gandharwa National Award for 1994-1995....
, and
ShaanShaan , is an Indian singer. He was the host for the popular show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa from 2000–2006 and also for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs. Shaan is also the host for another popular reality show called Star Voice of India...
. Noted historical anniversaries covered in the 2009 Proms included the 75th anniversary of the MGM film musical, and the 10th year of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
There was a child-oriented Prom to mark the
DarwinCharles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist who realised and presented compelling evidence that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors, through the process he called natural selection...
bicentenary as well as a Free Family Prom including the Proms Family Orchestra.
2008 season
The 2008 season ran from 18 July to 13 September 2008. The BBC released details of the season slightly earlier than usual, on 9 April 2008. Composers whose anniversaries were marked include:
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores...
, 2008 being 50 years since his death
- Elliott Carter
Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...
and Olivier MessiaenOlivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 11 and numbered Paul Dukas, Maurice Emmanuel, Charles-Marie Widor and Marcel Dupré among his teachers. He was appointed organist at the church of La Trinité in Paris in 1931, a...
, each in his centenary year
- Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov , also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as "The Five." Noted particularly for a predilection for folk and fairy-tale subjects as well as his extraordinary skill in orchestration, his...
, to mark the centenary of his death
- Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries...
, whose 80th birthday would have fallen during the season (he died on 5 December 2007).
The celebration of Stockhausen was centred on two large-scale concerts on 2 August 2008, and complementing Vaughan-Williams's interest in
folk musicThe term folk music originated in the 19th century as a term for musical folklore. It has been defined in several ways; as music transmitted by word of mouth, music of the lower classes, music with no known composer...
, the first Sunday was given over to a celebration of various aspects of British folk, including free events in Kensington Gardens and the Albert Hall, and ending with the first-ever
céilidhA céilidh is a traditional Gaelic social dance originating in Ireland and Scotland, but now common throughout the Celtic diaspora. Other spellings encountered are ceilidh, céilí and cèilidh...
in the Albert Hall itself.
Other changes included additional pre-Prom talks and events. For the first time, there was a related talk or event before every Prom, held in the
Royal College of MusicThe Royal College of Music is a conservatoire located in the South Kensington district of London, England.-Background:The Royal College of Music's building, designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, is situated on Prince Consort Road in the district of South Kensington, next to Imperial College, directly...
. The popular family-oriented Prom this year became the
Doctor Who PromProm 13: Doctor Who Prom was a concert showcasing incidental music from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, along with classical music, performed as part of the BBC's annual Proms season on 27 July 2008 in the Royal Albert Hall in London...
, (in place of the
Blue Peter Prom of recent years). The
Doctor Who Prom included a mini-episode of
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious alien time-traveller known as "the Doctor" who travels in his space and time-ship, the TARDIS, which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s police box...
, "
Music of the Spheres"Music of the Spheres" is a mini-episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that premièred at the Royal Albert Hall in London before the Intermission of the Doctor Who Prom on 27 July 2008, for which it was especially made. The Doctor Who Prom, including the audio for...
".
Just over a month before the announcement,
Margaret HodgeMargaret Eve, Lady Hodge, MBE is a British politician and Labour Party Member of Parliament for Barking...
, a Minister of State at the
Department for Culture, Media and SportThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, for example broadcasting...
suggested "that the Proms was one of several big cultural events that many people did not feel comfortable attending" and advocated an increase in multicultural works and an effort to broaden the audience. Her comments received wide criticism in the musical world and media as being a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the Proms, with the
Prime MinisterJames Gordon Brown is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party. Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007, after the resignation of Tony Blair and three days after becoming leader of the governing Labour Party...
even distancing himself from her remarks.
2007 season
The 2007 season ran from 13 July–8 September 2007, with the first concert beginning with Walton's
Portsmouth PointPortsmouth Point is an overture for orchestra by the English composer William Walton, composed in 1925. The work was inspired by Rowlandson's print depicting Portsmouth Point. Walton recalled that the main musical had come into his mind whilst riding the #22 bus in London...
and included Elgar's
Cello ConcertoSir Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 was his last notable work, and is a cornerstone of the solo cello repertoire.- History :...
performed by
Paul WatkinsPaul Watkins is an Welsh classical cellist and conductor. He studied cello with William Pleeth, Melissa Phelps and Johannes Goritzki. In 1988, he won the BBC Young Musician of the Year in the string section....
and Beethoven's
Ninth SymphonyThe Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire and is considered one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces.The symphony was the first example of...
. Following the previous year's Voice day,
brass instrumentA brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
s were specially featured with two concerts on 28 July 2007. Early press coverage focused heavily on the fact that musical theatre star
Michael BallMichael Ashley Ball is an Olivier Award winning English actor, singer, and radio and TV presenter who is best known for the song "Love Changes Everything" and musical theatre roles such as Marius in Les Misérables, Alex in Aspects of Love, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Edna...
would be the central performer in a concert on 27 August and a concert of British film music on 14 July. This led to media accusations of "
dumbing downDumbing down is viewed either as a pejorative term for a perceived over-simplification of, amongst other things, education, news and television, or as a statement of truth about real cultural trends in education and culture...
", despite
Nicholas KenyonSir Nicholas Roger Kenyon CBE is an English music administrator, editor and writer on music. He was responsible for the BBC Proms 1996-2007 following which he was appointed Managing Director of the Barbican Centre, Europe's largest multi-arts centre.- Education and Career :After attending St...
's defence of the programme. Anniversaries marked in this Proms season included the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Edward Elgar, the 100th anniversary of the death of
Edvard GriegEdvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist who composed in the Romantic period. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric...
and the 50th anniversary of the death of
Jean SibeliusJean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity....
as well as marking 80 years since the first BBC sponsorship of the Proms. The series also included an additional series of four Saturday matinee concerts at Cadogan Hall.
The 2007 season was Nicholas Kenyon's last season as controller of the BBC Proms, before he became Managing Director at the
Barbican CentreBarbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the north of the City of London, England, in the heart of the Barbican Estate, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library,...
from October 2007.
Roger WrightRoger Wright is an English radio administrator and arts administrator. He is currently the Controller of BBC Radio 3 and the Controller of The Proms....
became controller of the Proms in October 2007, whilst retaining responsibility for
BBC Radio 3BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music, but jazz, world music, drama and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation Artists scheme...
and taking up a broader role controlling the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
's classical music output across all media.
2006 season
The 2006 season (the 112th) marked the 250th birthday celebrations of
MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as...
and the centenary of
ShostakovichDmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Russian composer of the Soviet period and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
's birth. New initiatives for the year included four Saturday matinee concerts at the Cadogan Hall and the chance for audience members to get involved with
The Voice, a collaborative piece performed in two Proms on 29 July. On 3 September 2006, a concert was cancelled due to a fire which damaged the hall's electrical system. The season saw the launch of a venture called the Proms Family Orchestra in which children and their extended families can make music with BBC musicians.
Last Night of the Proms
Most people's perception of the Proms is taken from the Last Night, although this concert is very different from the others. It usually takes place on the second Saturday in September, and is broadcast in the UK on
BBC2
(first half) and
BBC1
(second half). The concert is traditionally in a lighter, 'winding-down' vein, with popular classics being followed by a series of British patriotic pieces in the second half of the concert. This sequence begins with
Edward ElgarSir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, OM, GCVO was an English composer. Several of his first major orchestral works, including the Enigma Variations and the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, were greeted with acclaim. He also composed oratorios, chamber music, symphonies, instrumental concertos,...
's
Pomp and Circumstance MarchThe Pomp and Circumstance Marches , Op. 39 are a series of marches for orchestra composed by Sir Edward Elgar....
No. 1 (
Land of Hope and Glory"Land of Hope and Glory" is a patriotic song for England and the United Kingdom, with music by Edward Elgar and lyrics by A. C. Benson, written in 1902.-Usage:...
), and continues with Sir Henry Wood's
Fantasia on British Sea SongsFantasia on British Sea Songs or Fantasy on British Sea Songs is a piece of classical music arranged by Sir Henry Wood in 1905 to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. It is a medley on British sea songs and for many years was seen as an indispensable item at the BBC's Last Night of the...
, which culminates in Thomas Arne’s
Rule, Britannia!"Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740...
. However, the
Fantasia has not featured since 2007, with
Rule, Britannia! retained in the programme in its own right. The concert concludes with
Hubert ParrySir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry was an English composer, teacher and historian of music. He was knighted in 1898....
's
Jerusalem"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun but the poem was printed c. 1808....
(a setting of a
poem by William Blake"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun but the poem was printed c. 1808....
), and the
British national anthem"God Save the Queen", or "God Save the King", is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms. It is the national anthem of the United Kingdom and her territories and dependencies, Norfolk Island, one of the two national anthems of the Cayman Islands and New Zealand and the royal anthem of...
. The repeat of the Elgar march at the Last Night can be traced to the spontaneous audience demand for an encore at its premiere at the 1901 Proms. The closing sequence of the second half became fully established in 1954 during Sargent's tenure as chief conductor of The Proms. The Prommers have made a tradition of singing
Auld Lang Syne"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song...
after the end of the concert, but it is not in the programme. However, when
James LoughranJames Loughran is a Scottish conductor.Loughran is best known for his appearances at the Last Night of the Proms. A task normally carried out by the BBC Symphony Orchestra's principal conductor, Loughran was chosen as the BBC SO had several non-British conductors as chief conductor, and the Last...
, a Scot, conducted at the Last Night in the 1970s he did include the piece in the programme.
Tickets are highly sought after. Promming tickets are the same price as for other concerts during the season, but tickets for seats are more expensive. To buy a seat in advance it is necessary to have bought tickets for at least five other proms in the season to have a chance of getting a Last Night ticket, and either an advance booking must include those five concerts, plus an application for a Last Night ticket, or the ticket stubs must be presented at the box office when purchasing a Last Night ticket for that season; tickets can only be purchased in an equivalent (or lower) price band to that for the previous tickets. Once the advance booking period ends, there is no requirement to have booked for additional concerts, but the concert is generally sold out by this time, though returns may be available. For standing places, full season tickets automatically include last night admission, half-season ticket holders have access to a special distribution of tickets, but must purchase their Last Night ticket in addition to the cost of the season ticket; day Prommers also have to present five ticket stubs at the box office. Some standing tickets are sold on the day, just as for other concerts during the season. In the post-War period, with the growing popularity of the "Last Night", the only way to obtain tickets was through a postal ballot system where prospective buyers submitted an application well in advance, along with a stamped and addressed reply envelope. The lucky ones received their tickets by return. A ballot remains for the chance to win 1 of 100 stalls seats. Prior to 2009, the requirement was for six concerts in addition to the Last Night when purchasing a ticket in advance.
Prommers with tickets are likely to queue up much earlier than usual (many overnight, and in past years, some slept outside the hall up to three weeks to guard their place in the queue) in order to ensure a good place to stand in the hall. The resulting camaraderie adds to the atmosphere. Fancy dress is an optional extra: from dinner jackets to patriotic T-shirts. Many use the occasion for an exuberant display of
BritishnessBritishness is a term referring to a sense of national identity of the British people, and common culture of the United Kingdom.Britishness only became synonymous with a national civic identity with the formation in 1707 of the united Kingdom of Great Britain, which became the United Kingdom of...
.
Union FlagThe Union Flag, also known as the Union Jack, is the flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It retains an official or semi-official status in some Commonwealth Realms; for example, it is known as the Royal Union Flag in Canada...
s are carried and waved by the Prommers, especially during
Rule Britannia. Flags (mostly national flags and regional flags), balloons and party poppers are all welcome. Sir Henry Wood's bust is crowned with a
laurel chapletA laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
by representatives of the Promenaders, who often wipe an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead or make some similar gentle visual joke.
Another tradition of the Last Night is that near the end, the conductor makes a speech thanking the musicians and audiences, mentioning the main themes covered through the season, noting the cumulative season's donations collected by the prommers for charity raised over the season, and announcing the date of the First Night of the Proms for the next season. The tradition of the Last Night speech dates from 1941, when Sir Henry Wood gave the first such speech at the close of that Proms season, the first at the Royal Albert Hall, where he thanked colleagues and sponsors. Wood gave another similar speech of thanks at the 1942 Last Night, and a pre-recorded version was aired to the audience at the 1943 Last Night. During his tenure, Sargent established the tone of making the Last Night speeches more humorous in nature. Subsequent conductors at the Last Night have generally continued this tradition, although one exception was in 1997 when Sir
Andrew DavisSir Andrew Frank Davis CBE is a British conductor.-Biography:Davis grew up in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and in Watford. Davis attended Watford Boys' Grammar School, where he studied classics in his sixth form years and the Junior Royal Academy of Music...
more seriously addressed the deaths of
Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Their sons, Princes William and Harry, are second and third in line to the thrones of the United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth Realms.A public figure from the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles, Diana...
,
Mother TeresaMother Teresa , born Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu , was an Albanian Roman Catholic nun with Indian citizenship who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata , India in 1950...
, and Sir
Georg SoltiSir Georg Solti, KBE was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He holds the record for having received the most Grammy awards, having personally won 31, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.- Early career :Solti was born György Stern in Budapest to a Jewish family; his...
in his 1997 Last Night speech..
The Royal Albert Hall could be filled many times over with people wishing to attend the Last Night. To accommodate these people, and to cater for those who are not near London, the Proms in the Park concerts were started in 1996. Initially there was only one, in
Hyde ParkHyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, England and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, adjacent to the Hall. More locations have been added in recent years, and in 2005,
BelfastBelfast is the capital of and the largest city in Northern Ireland, a constituent country of the United Kingdom. It is the seat of devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly. It is the largest urban area in the province of Ulster, and the second largest city on the island of...
,
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
,
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
and
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
hosted a Last Night Prom in the Park which was broadcast live from each venue. 2007 saw Manchester's prom being replaced by one in
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough is a town in the Tees Valley conurbation of North East England and sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It is the largest and most populous settlement within the Borough of Middlesbrough, which encompasses the town and several outlying villages which have become...
. 2008 featured a reduction from 5 to 4 Proms in the Park, in Hyde Park, Belfast, Glasgow and Swansea. 2009 returned to a total of 5 Proms in the Park, in Hyde Park, Glasgow, Swansea,
County DownCounty Down is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Ulster and is part of Northern Ireland....
and Salford. Each location has its own live concert, typically playing the country's respective national anthems, before joining in a live big screen video link up with the Royal Albert Hall for the traditional finale.
Leonard SlatkinLeonard Edward Slatkin is an American conductor. Long associated with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he is now music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra....
, chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 2000–2004, expressed a desire to tone down the nationalism of the Last Night somewhat, and on the Last Night of the seasons from 2002 until 2007
Rule Britannia has only been heard as part of Henry Wood's
Fantasia on British Sea SongsFantasia on British Sea Songs or Fantasy on British Sea Songs is a piece of classical music arranged by Sir Henry Wood in 1905 to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar. It is a medley on British sea songs and for many years was seen as an indispensable item at the BBC's Last Night of the...
(another piece traditional to the Last Night) rather than separately. Slatkin, an American and the first non-
CommonwealthThe Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-three independent member states. Most of them were formerly part of the British Empire. They co-operate within a framework of common values...
citizen to lead the Last Night, conducted his first Last Night in 2001, just days after the
9/11 attacksThe September 11 attacks were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners...
. The atmosphere was more restrained and less festive than normal, with a heavily revised programme where the finale of
Beethoven's 9th SymphonyThe Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire and is considered one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces.The symphony was the first example of...
replaced the
Sea Songs, and
Samuel BarberSamuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is among his most popular compositions and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music....
's
Adagio for Strings"Adagio for Strings" is a work for string orchestra, arranged by the American composer Samuel Barber from his first string quartet.-Genesis:...
was performed in tribute to the victims of the attacks.
On the day of the 2005 Last Night, the hall management received word of a bomb threat, which led to a thorough search of the Albert Hall for 5 hours, but the concert took place with a modest time delay. This has led to increased security concerns, given the stature of the Last Night in British culture, which Jacqui Kelly of the Royal Albert Hall staff noted:
"That was quite a nerve-wracker — our biggest event, the one everybody knows the Albert Hall for, and we were in real danger of losing it. We're an iconic thing, up there in the public eye, so we have to expect that."
2008 also contained some departures from the traditional programme.
Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 was moved to after the conductor's speech. In addition, most of Wood's
Fantasia on British Sea Songs was replaced by Vaughan Williams's
Sea SongsSea Songs is an arrangement of three British sea-songs by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. It is based on the songs "Princess Royal", "Admiral Benbow" and "Portsmouth". The work is a march of roughly four minutes duration...
as a final tribute in his
anniversary year. However, Wood's arrangements of naval bugle calls from the start of the
Fantasia were retained, and Sargent's arrangement of
Rule Britannia returned with
Bryn TerfelBryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but he has expanded his repertoire to include heavier roles, especially those by Wagner.-Biography:Bryn Terfel Jones was born in...
as soloist. As on his 1994 Last Night appearance, he sang one verse in a
WelshWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
translation, with the chorus also translated into Welsh.
2009 sees the continued absence of Wood's
Sea Songs, this time replaced by specially commissioned fanfares, and extracts from
HandelHANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
's
Music for the Royal Fireworks. In a new departure, 2009's Last Night was shown live in several cinemas across Asia and in Canada and Australia.
Last Night Conductors
The following table lists by year the
conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
s of the Last Night of the Proms. Normally, the Chief Conductor of the
BBC Symphony OrchestraThe BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
leads this concert, but guest conductors have directed the Last Night on several occasions.
| Conductor | | Last Night(s) ... |
|---|
| -1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s |
|---|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Sir Adrian BoultSir Adrian Cedric Boult CH was an English conductor.-Biography:Boult was born in Chester and educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford. As a schoolboy, he attended Sir Henry Wood's Saturday afternoon and Sunday concert series, seeing Debussy and Arthur Nikisch conduct...
|
1945 |
Basil CameronBasil Cameron was an English conductor. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England, the son of a German immigrant family. His birth name was Basil George Cameron Hindenberg...
|
| Constant Lambert Leonard Constant Lambert was a British composer and conductor.-Early life:Lambert was the son of Russian-born Australian painter George Lambert...
|
Sir Malcolm SargentSir Harold Malcolm Watts Sargent was an English conductor, organist and composer widely regarded as Britain's leading conductor of choral works...
|
1949–1966 |
Colin DavisSir Colin Rex Davis, CH, CBE is an English conductor.-Career:Davis studied the clarinet at the Royal College of Music in London, where he was barred from taking conducting lessons owing to his lack of ability at the piano...
|
|
1967–1968 |
1970–1972 |
| Norman Del Mar Norman Del Mar CBE was a British conductor and biographer.Born in Hampstead, London, he is best remembered for his recordings of British music, in particular Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Delius, and Britten...
|
1969 |
1973, 1975 |
1983 |
Sir Charles GrovesSir Charles Barnard Groves was an English conductor. He was known for the breadth of his repertoire and for encouraging contemporary composers and young conductors....
|
|
1974, 1976, 1978 |
|
| James Loughran James Loughran is a Scottish conductor.Loughran is best known for his appearances at the Last Night of the Proms. A task normally carried out by the BBC Symphony Orchestra's principal conductor, Loughran was chosen as the BBC SO had several non-British conductors as chief conductor, and the Last...
|
1977, 1979 |
|
| Sir Charles Mackerras Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE is an Australian conductor. He is a noted authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.-Family:...
|
|
|
Vernon HandleyVernon George "Tod" Handley CBE was a British conductor. He was born of Welsh parents into a musical family in Enfield, London. He acquired the nickname "Tod" because his feet were turned in at his birth, which his father simply summarised: "They toddle"...
|
1985 |
| Raymond Leppard Raymond John Leppard, CBE is a British conductor and harpsichordist.He was born in London and grew up in Bath, where he was educated at the City of Bath Boys' School, now known as the Beechen Cliff School...
|
1986 |
| Mark Elder Sir Mark Philip Elder, CBE is a British conductor. He is currently the music director of The Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, England.-Biography:...
|
1987 |
2006 |
| Andrew Davis Sir Andrew Frank Davis CBE is a British conductor.-Biography:Davis grew up in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and in Watford. Davis attended Watford Boys' Grammar School, where he studied classics in his sixth form years and the Junior Royal Academy of Music...
|
1988 |
1990–1992, 1994–2000 |
| Sir John Pritchard |
1989 |
|
|
| Barry Wordsworth Barry Wordsworth is a British conductor.From 1989 to 2006, Wordsworth was principal conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra, and now holds the title of conductor laureate. From 1990 to 1995, Wordsworth was music director of the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden. He began his second tenure in that post...
|
|
1993 |
Leonard SlatkinLeonard Edward Slatkin is an American conductor. Long associated with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, he is now music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra....
|
|
2001–2004 |
| Paul Daniel Paul Daniel CBE is an English conductor. He is particularly noted for performances and recordings of opera and of British music....
|
2005 |
| Jiří Bělohlávek Jiří Bělohlávek is a Czech conductor. His father was a barrister and judge. In his youth, he studied the cello with Milos Sádlo. Bělohlávek is a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
|
2007 |
| Sir Roger Norrington Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington, CBE is a British conductor. He is the son of Sir Arthur Norrington and the brother of Humphrey Thomas Norrington.-Background:...
|
2008 |
| David Robertson David Robertson is an American conductor. He is currently the music director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.-Early life:...
|
2009 |
Duties undertaken as Guest conductor, rather than as resident Chief Conductor,
BBC Symphony OrchestraThe BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
The seasons of 1940 and 1944 were curtailed by German bombing, so there was no official "Last Night", Wood died shortly before what should have been the end of the 1944 season
Sir Henry from 1911 onwards Later
Sir Colin Later
Sir Mark Sir Andrew from 1994 onwards Constant Lambert, Basil Cameron and Sir Adrian Boult jointly undertook proceedings upon the return in 1945 Robertson has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC SO since 2005
Proms Controllers
- William Glock
Sir William Frederick Glock was a British music critic and musical administrator.Glock was born in London. He read history at the University of Cambridge and was an organ scholar at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge...
(1960–1973)
- Robert Ponsonby (1973–1985)
- John Drummond
Sir John Richard Gray Drummond CBE was an English arts administrator who spent most of his career at the BBC. He was the son of a master mariner in the British India line and an Australian lieder singer....
(1986–1995)
- Nicholas Kenyon
Sir Nicholas Roger Kenyon CBE is an English music administrator, editor and writer on music. He was responsible for the BBC Proms 1996-2007 following which he was appointed Managing Director of the Barbican Centre, Europe's largest multi-arts centre.- Education and Career :After attending St...
(1996–2007)
- Roger Wright
Roger Wright is an English radio administrator and arts administrator. He is currently the Controller of BBC Radio 3 and the Controller of The Proms....
(2007–present)
External links