Episodes

Live from the Albert Hall , James Naughtie introduces the centenary season of the BBC Proms which opens with Mahler's Eighth Symphony, the "Symphony of a Thousand". Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra, three choruses - the BBC Symphony Chorus, Philharmonia Chorus and the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus (CBSO) - and choristers of cathedral choirs from St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral.

In the second live visit to the Proms, the Philharmonia Orchestra performs Elgar'sÂEnigma Variations. Before the performance, conductor Leonard Slatkin, an American with a great enthusiasm for English music, gives a personal view of one of the composer's most enduring works. James Naughtie introduces the concert, which also includes the exciting Concert Music for Brass and Strings by Paul Hindemith and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2. The soloist is the young Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes.

Tonight's concert, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first Prom, begins with Wagner's Overture Rienzi. Leoncavallo's Prologue to Pagliacci and Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No 1 follow. Thomas's Overture Mignon continues after the interval, followed by Schubert's Symphony No 8 in B minor Unfinished, Rossini's Largo al factotum and Bizet's Carmen Suite No 1. Barry Wordsworth conducts the New Queen's Hall Orchestra and the soloists are Donald Maxwell (baritone) and Howard Shelley (piano). Presented by Richard Baker.

Introduced by James Naughtie from the Royal Albert Hall, London. This Centenary Season sees the first visit of an Italian symphony orchestra to the Proms. The Orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome, with their 33-year-old conductor and music director Daniele Gatti, perform Respighi's Fountains of Rome, a vivid and colourful picture-postcard evocation that displays the characteristically warm and generous sound of the orchestra. The interval film reveals the locations that inspired the music and shows the orchestra at work on their home ground. Gatti - a charismatic Milan-born maestro - is one of the fast rising stars of the concert platform and takes over as music director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra next year.

Simon Rattle conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in a concert which opens with Mendelssohn's Overture A Midsummer Night's Dream, and concludes with Beethoven's Third Symphony, Eroica. Introduced by James Naughtie.

A live concert in which British jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph leads an All-Star Big Band through a selection of jazz standards and his own compositions. His band includes Peter King, Andy Sheppard, Tony Remy, Guy Barker and his regular drummer, Mark Mondesir. Joseph promises an evening that will "swing and swing hard" encompassing trio, sextet and a big band. Numbers lined up include Marcus Miller's tribute to the late Miles Davis, The King is Gone, Joseph's own Swingstone and Frobbloble, and a version of Nat King Cole's Everything Happens to Me. During the interval, in a film specially shot for tonight's programme, Joseph explores his own initiation to jazz and talks viewers through some of the jazz classics that have influenced him. Introduced by Geoffrey Smith.

The BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Barry Wordsworth, performs Leonard Bernstein's Candide Overture and the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Followed by virtuoso soloist Richard Stoltzman performing Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto. During the interval some of Bernstein's friends and former colleagues recall the composer's unique talents. Introduced by James Naughtie.

Esa-Pekka Salonen brings his gifts as a conductor of 20th century music to this live concert from the Royal Albert Hall, which includes a world premiere in the first half. Latvian-born Gidon Kremer is the soloist in Graal Theatre, a new violin concerto composed for him by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. In this work, Saariaho forsakes electronics for a more traditional concerto form in which the violin interacts with the orchestra. "This is certainly a difficult piece to play but Gidon is a strong artist," says Saariaho. The concert opens with Carl Nielsen's Helios overture. In the second half, Karol Szymanowski's Stabat mater is followed by the erotic Poem of Ecstasy by Alexander Skriabin. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and soloists Judith Howarth (soprano), Randi Stene (mezzo-soprano) and Jason Howard (baritone), Introduced by Michael Berkeley who in the interval, looks at new research into how and why we are moved by certain music.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jerzy Maksymiuk, opens tonight's concert by performing Tchaikovsky's Overture to Romeo and Juliet. This piece was recorded on 8 August but, due to a power failure, the scheduled British premiere of Tan Dun's Orchestral Theatre II: Re did not take place, Instead, the second half of the concert will be a repeat of the recording of Scottish composer James MacMillan's work, The Confession of Isobel Gowdie, again performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Richard Baker describes the scene at the Royal Albert Hall where the Centenary Season ends with members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Singers all on stage under the baton of Andrew Davis. Two fine British stars, the mezzo-soprano Catherine Wyn-Rogers and violinist Tasmin Little make their Last Night debuts. Tonight's concert begins with the Berlioz overture The Corsair, followed by Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending. The other works in the first half are Zemlinsky's Psalm 23, songs from Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Waltz Sequence No 1 from Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.

The second half of the concert starts with the Fanfare Jrfrom La Péri by Dukas and the world premiere of Harrison Birtwistle 's Panic. Birtwistle's new work is followed by Berio's arrangement ofBoccherini's Ritirata Notturna di Madrid and Stokowski's arrangement of Dido's Lament from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Then, afterthe Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saens, comes the traditional celebratory finale of the Last Night - Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No 1, Sir Henry Wood 's Fantasia on British Sea Songs, Arne's Rule, Britannia! and Elgar's orchestration of Parry's Jerusalem.

Music from the first ever "African Prom", staged at London's Royal Albert Hall. The concert features Senegalese stars Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal, Salif Keita from Mali, and South African reggae singer Lucky Dube. Guest appearances include Neneh Cherry, who joins Youssou N'Dour to sing their hit single Seven Seconds.