Is it that time again?
Nearly. They start on 17 July with Walton’s epic choral work Belshazzar’s Feast and end in a blaze of Last Night flag-waving glory on 12 September, with super-tenor Jonas Kaufmann and conductor Marin Alsop. Founded by Henry Wood 120 years ago, this year’s festival features 76 main concerts as well as matinees, Late Nights, Proms in the Park and more, all available via BBC radio, TV or online. Following Roger Wright’s departure in 2014, Edward Blakeman is in charge this season; Glyndebourne’s David Pickard, newly appointed Proms director, takes over permanently in the autumn.
Highlights?
Star names: Rattle, Barenboim, Terfel, Gardiner, the Labèques. Top orchestras: Vienna Phil, West-Eastern Divan, St Petersburg Phil. Big birthdays: Sibelius and Nielsen 150; Boulez 90. Epic events: all five Prokofiev concertos performed by three pianists in one evening; the Aurora Orchestra play Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony from memory; 21 world premieres including one by YouTube choral sensation Eric Whitacre.
Is it all classical music?
Not quite. The Proms are keen to be ‘all embracing’: this year a Frank Sinatra night, Fiddler on the Roof, a grime symphony (Wretch 32, Skepta, Stormzy and Krept & Konan), a Sherlock Holmes Prom. Expect to see David Attenborough, Jarvis Cocker and Mary Anne Hobbs fronting their own events.
Do you have to stand?
No but you can for £5. Seats are from £7.50 to £68. Dress cool. Despite attempts at air conditioning, the RAH can be a furnace.
• The BBC Proms run from 17 July-12 September.
