The world's biggest classical music festival begins on Friday, July 18, with Radio 3 and the BBC Symphony Orchestra launching eight weeks of music-making at the Royal Albert Hall and beyond. Tom Service, presenter of Saturday Morning on BBC Radio 3, shares his top picks for new music and premieres this season.
Opening Night and Early Premieres
The First Night features the world premiere of Josephine Stephenson's That the Sunrise Not Leave Us Unmoved. On July 20, Jessie Montgomery's cello concerto These Righteous Paths, performed by Abel Selaocoe, promises a soul-searching experience. Michelle Assay described the work at its North American premiere in Toronto as "a living organism that gradually absorbs orchestra and audience alike into its breathing body."
Contrasting Orchestral Visions
On July 22, Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in György Kurtág's Stele, a three-movement tapestry of lament. Kurtág described the piece as a vision "of someone lying wounded on a battlefield... seeing only a very clear, very blue sky." The work opens with a reference to Beethoven's Fidelio but offers no release, ending in purgatorial desolation.
On July 27, the London Philharmonic and Edward Gardner perform Kristine Tjøgersen's Between Trees, a nature-worshipping piece inspired by forest sounds and fungal interconnections. Tjøgersen aims to give audiences "a feeling of being inside the forest rather than viewing it from a distance." The work features sounds of squirrels eating nuts, birdsong from cuckoos, owls, and magpies, and orchestral depictions of pastoral harmony.
Triple Concertos and Premieres
On August 18, Édith Canat de Chizy's Skyline for three percussionists and timpani premieres. On September 6, Gwilym Simcock's concerto features an all-star trio of BBC Young Musician of the Year alumni: saxophonist Jess Gillam, horn-player Ben Goldscheider, and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. On August 23, Thea Musgrave's bassoon concerto Out of the Darkness, composed for Amy Harman, has its world premiere.
Thomas Adès's Dante and More
Thomas Adès conducts the National Youth Orchestra in Purgatorio from his Dante on August 8. Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Inferno a few days later, also performing the UK premiere of Gabriela Ortiz's Revolución Diamantina.
Historical Performances
On July 21, the Jupiter ensemble with lutenist Thomas Dunford performs Dowland and Purcell. On the penultimate night, the Mahler Academy Orchestra plays instruments from Mahler's time, with their recording of the Ninth Symphony described as a genuine revelation.
All Proms are broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and available on BBC Sounds for 30 days after broadcast.
