Episodes

The 117th season of the Proms gets under way at the Royal Albert Hall with music by Brahms, Liszt, Janácek and a world premiere curtain-raiser by British composer Judith Weir. Nineteen-year-old pianist Benjamin Grosvenor makes his Proms debut as the soloist in Liszt's dramatic 2nd Piano Concerto and there is an international line-up of soloists for a performance of Janácek's extraordinary choral work, the Glagolitic Mass. They are joined by the forces of the BBC Singers, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of chief conductor Jirí Belohlávek. Katie Derham is in the presenter box and during the course of the evening meets Jirí Belohlávek, Benjamin Grosvenor and organist, David Goode.

Suzy Klein and Zeb Soanes present music from Sibelius, including his seventh symphony. Hungarian-born pianist Andras Schiff joins Sir Mark Elder and the Halle for a performance of Bartok's lyrical Third Piano Concerto, written at the end of the composer's life while in exile in New York, and the concert ends with Janacek's show-stopping Sinfonietta, an exhilarating evocation of his home city of Brno. Includes the interval conversation with Mark Elder, Andras Schiff and members of the Halle.

From the Royal Albert Hall a programme infused with the spirit and rhythms of Spain presented by the BBC Philharmonic and their newly appointed Basque-born Chief Conductor Juanjo Mena, who speaks to us during the interval. Music by Debussy and Ravel frame a performance of Manuel de Falla's Evocations in Sound, Nights in the Gardens of Spain - with piano soloist Steven Osborne.

From the Royal Albert Hall, Katie Derham introduces Stravinsky's revolutionary work composed for Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes - The Rite of Spring. The concert begins with Weber's intoxicating music from his last opera, the Oberon Overture, and followed by Brahms' sumptuous Double Concerto for Violin and Cello with sibling soloists Renaud and Gautier Capuçon, who this season make their first ever Proms appearance. This is the second Prom given by Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France led by the South Korean conductor Myung-Whun Chung. During the interval Katie meets members of the orchestra and the Capuçon brothers.

Simon Russell Beale introduces Roger Norrington's radical take on Mahler's epic masterpiece, the epitome of late-Romantic symphonies. This performance of Symphony No 9 which took place at the Royal Albert Hall during the 2011 Proms season was one of Norrington's final concerts as principal conductor of his beloved Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Conductor Vladimir Jurowski brings three visions of Hungary to the Royal Albert Hall. The sparklingly tuneful Galanta Dances of Kodaly to the rhythmic vitality of Bartok's First Piano Concerto, with soloist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and finishing with music by one of this season's featured composers, Liszt - his Faust Symphony.

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra comes to the Royal Albert Hall with new music director, the Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons. International superstar Midori is the soloist in Walton's Violin Concerto and the programme is bookended with music by Richard Strauss, his narrative tone poem Don Juan, and from the opera Salome - Dance of the Seven Veils with soloist Nadezhda Serdiuk. The CBSO Chorus sing the patriotic cantata by Prokofiev drawn from the music he composed for Eisentein's epic film about the medieval Russian hero Alexander Nevsky. Presenter Katie Derham goes to Birmingham to see Nelsons with his orchestra in rehearsal and explores how the chemistry is working.

The musicians of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Singers and conductor Sir Andrew Davis present a Prom from the Royal Albert Hall. Proms favourite Tasmin Little joins for a performance of Elgar's evergreen Violin Concerto, and the concert concludes with Strauss's popular orchestral showpiece Till Eulenspiegel. Choral and orchestral music from that mischievous radical Percy Grainger rounds out what promises to be a highlight of this year's Proms season.

Highlights of the Human Planet Prom, featuring Nitin Sawhney's evocative music for the acclaimed television series interspersed with performances by artists and ensembles from around the world. Charles Hazlewood conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra in specially commissioned new arrangements of the Human Planet score with accompanying visuals from the series. Featuring behind-the-scenes documentary content and interviews with the artists, the concert is hosted by explorer and TV presenter Paul Rose.

Their first appearance at the Proms in 2007 set the Royal Albert Hall alight. Back then, they were called the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela and famously are a product of the country's El Sistema programme which offers every child a free musical education. Led by their dynamic conductor Gustavo Dudamel, tonight they perform Mahler's second Symphony, Resurrection - a work for vast forces including offstage brass, two solo singers, and a large choir as well as the orchestra. Mahler takes listeners on a spectacular journey through the entire gamut of emotions and questions whether there is life after death. The symphony begins with a huge funeral march and across the work makes a progression from darkness to light - death to everlasting life. Presented by Katie Derham.

Donald Runnicles conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a night of ravishing French music from the last century. From Ravel's Boléro and Daphnis and Chloë to Debussy's Prélude à L'après-midi d'un faune, the programme also includes the mysteriously beautiful cello concerto by composer Henri Dutilleux, performed by Lynn Harrell. Presented by Suzy Klein and Samira Ahmed.

Harry Potter, James Bond and Henry V rub shoulders in a concert of great music from the movies. It's all here, from the terror of the Psycho shower scene and the thrill of Star Wars to the heartbreaking beauty of Cinema Paradiso, and includes a special tribute to the late great John Barry. The BBC Concert Orchestra is joined by conductor Keith Lockhart, and the talented young British violinist Chloë Hanslip. Presented by Charles Hazlewood and Samira Ahmed.

The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain's annual visit to the Proms with repertoire selected by conductor Vladimir Jurowski designed to resonate with this ensemble of teenage performers. The concert opens with a Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra by Gabriel Prokofiev, grandson of Sergei, bringing echoes of club nights, dance floor beats and remixes into the concert hall. Making his second Proms appearance this season is Benjamin Grosvenor, the soloist in Britten's sizzling early Piano Concerto. Star-crossed young lovers make an appearance in the second half of the concert in form of music for the ballet Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev senior.

The 19-year-old British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor makes his Proms debut at the opening of the 2011 season - the youngest soloist ever to appear at a Proms First Night. Benjamin is the soloist in Liszt's Piano Concerto No 2, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jirí Belohlàvek, followed by a brilliant encore for solo piano - Brahms's Hungarian Dance No 5.

Northumbrian smallpiper Kathryn Tickell and friends celebrate the music of Percy Grainger in a Prom at the Royal Albert Hall. Molly on the Shore, Shepherd's Hey, Early One Morning - Grainger was a pioneering collector of folk music from around the world and the concert includes traditional and contemporary folk music using material which formed the basis of Grainger's arrangements. Special guests include English folk singer June Tabor and also on stage are the Northern Sinfonia conducted by John Harle. Introduced by Charles Hazlewood.

In the first of a pair of Brahms Proms, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Bernard Haitink, perform Brahms's Third Symphony and Piano Concerto No 1. Haitink describes the COE as 'a group of exceptionally talented musicians', which would also apply to the soloist who joins them in the second half, pianist Emanuel Ax. Presenter Charles Hazlewood also talks to Haitink during a break in rehearsals.

From the Royal Albert Hall Katie Derham introduces two masterworks by Brahms performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Bernard Haitink. The concert begins with Brahms' mighty Piano Concerto No 2 with international soloist Emanuel Ax, one of the giants of the keyboard. In the second half Symphony No 4, the composer's final and best loved symphony. During the interval, a sideways look at Brahms and his music.

This concert sold out on the first day of booking, but television viewers can take a front row seat for this Proms performance of Verdi's dramatic masterpiece. A choir of 400, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and a stellar line-up of soloists are conducted by the legendary Verdi specialist Semyon Bychkov.

The Aussie comedy quintet bring their internationally-acclaimed show to the BBC Proms. The Spaghetti Western Orchestra's unique take on the music of legendary film composer Ennio Morricone involves the inventive use of cereal packets and asthma inhalers, among other instruments. Presented by Charles Hazlewood.

The first-ever Comedy Prom, hosted by musician, actor and comedian Tim Minchin at the Royal Albert Hall. Tim weaves his way through an unpredictable evening of musical comedy, fun and surprises and is joined by guests including Maestro winner Sue Perkins, musical cabaret duo Kit and the Widow, the puppet Mongrels, and Doc Brown. Soprano Susan Bullock and pianist Danny Driver attempt to keep the musical standard from plummeting too far. Jules Buckley conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra.

An intimate evening at the Royal Albert Hall with star Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt. Beginning with solo music by Brahms, she is joined by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and conductor Andrew Manze for a performance of Schumann's Introduction and Concert Allegro, a sort of mini-piano concerto that the composer wrote as a wedding anniversary gift to his wife Clara. The concert ends with Schoenberg's orchestration of Brahms' G minor Piano Quartet.

A celebration of the Golden Age of Hollywood film musicals performed by John Wilson who, returning to the Proms for a third season, conducts his hand-picked, high-octane orchestra and a line-up of star soloists. Hooray for Hollywood takes us from the dawn of the 'talkies' and the birth of the movie musical through to the 1960s. There are excerpts from 42nd Street, Top Hat, Strike Up the Band, Swing Time and Shall We Dance, with a special tribute to the RKO films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

A performance of Beethoven's late masterpiece, the Missa Solemnis, as Sir Colin Davis conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and a stellar line-up of soloists.

Highlights from a live extravaganza never seen at the BBC Proms before, as everyone from Stone Age Man to Queen Victoria descends upon the Royal Albert Hall for a very special concert featuring smash hit Horrible Histories songs alongside some awesome orchestral pieces. Comedy and classical music combine in an hour of songs, silliness and surprises as the Horrible Histories team joins forces with the Aurora Orchestra and their conductor Nick Collon for a ridiculous romp through the story of classical music.

Suzy Klein introduces 'people's violinist' Nigel Kennedy's return to the Proms with a concert of solo Bach, as he performs Partitas No 2 and No 3. Kennedy's other great musical love is jazz and he stresses the parallels between the music of Bach and jazz. The concert ends with Kennedy and three of his friends playing arrangements of numbers by Fats Waller.

ive from the Royal Albert Hall, Katie Derham introduces the final concert of the 2011 Proms season. Conductor Edward Gardner takes to the podium for his first Last Night and is joined by two special guest soloists - Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Britain's leading dramatic soprano Susan Bullock. Lang Lang is the soloist in Liszt's dazzling Piano Concerto No 1 and Susan Bullock sings the Immolation Scene from Wagner's epic Ring cycle. Bartok's suite from the Miraculous Mandarin provides a blast of exotic orchestral colour and the evening opens with a new work by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies paying tribute to the Promenaders fundraising efforts on behalf of the Musicians Benevolent Fund. On stage are the combined forces of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Chorus. Plus, during the interval there are highlights of Lang Lang performing at Proms in the Park in Hyde Park.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, Katie Derham introduces the grand finale to the 2011 Proms. The soloists are superstar Chinese pianist Lang Lang and British soprano Susan Bullock. They are joined by the combined forces of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Chorus, all under the baton of Edward Gardner, making his first Last Night appearance. Audiences around the UK can join the singing of musical hits by Richard Rodgers, along with the traditional Last Night anthems Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and Pomp and Circumstance No 1.

Assisted by guest star Chloë Hanslip, Keith Lockhart and the BBC Concert Orchestra bring the silver-screen excitement of music associated with the cinema, from Pinewood to Hollywood, from Psycho to Star Wars, with a special tribute to the late John Barry. Friday 12 August 7.00pm – c. 9.20pm Royal Albert Hall Classical for starters Herrmann Music from The Man Who Knew Too Much, Citizen Kane, and Psycho (18 mins) Ennio Morricone Cinema Paradiso - theme (7 mins) Walton Henry V - suite (arr. Muir Mathieson) (21 mins) INTERVAL John Williams Music from Star Wars, Schindler's List and Harry Potter (14 mins) Jonny Greenwood Norwegian Wood - suite (arr. Robert Ziegler) (10 mins) BBC Commission, World Premiere Sir Richard Rodney Bennett Murder on the Orient Express - suite (8 mins) Barry Out of Africa - Love Theme (7 mins) Various Music from the James Bond films (10 mins) Ennio Morricone The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Main Theme (3 mins) (encore) Chloë Hanslip violin Rory Kinnear narrator BBC Concert Orchestra Keith Lockhart conductor

The five inventive multitaskers of the Spaghetti Western Orchestra have their own way of presenting film music in concert. Fascinated by the scores of Ennio Morricone, they have devised an unclassifiable entertainment in which his epic soundtracks for film maker Sergio Leone are recreated with extraordinary virtuosity on instruments both conventional and rather less so. 'We really embraced the absurdity of a bunch of Aussie guys trying to do what Morricone did with a cast of hundreds and so we went about listening to the music and exploring the idea that every sound is equal and giving equal importance to all sounds.' Expect a loose narrative, new uses for the asthma inhaler and the cornflake packet, and a rich harvest of post-modern laughs. Friday 12 August 10.15pm – c. 11.30pm Royal Albert Hall Spaghetti Western Orchestra There will be no interval

Musician, actor, comedian and rock 'n' roll superstar Tim Minchin hosts a Proms first - the Comedy Prom. Joined by guests including BBC Two Maestro winner Sue Perkins, musical cabaret duo Kit and The Widow, soprano Susan Bullock and rising star British pianist Danny Driver (making his Proms debut), Tim will weave his way through a spectacular evening of comedy, musical fun and surprises. Also appearing Beardyman, The Boy with Tape on his Face, Doc Brown, and the Mongrels. Marking the centenary year of Franz Reizenstein, one of the highlights is sure to be his Concerto Populaire, a whistlestop tour through competing favourite piano concertos. The programme offers a fresh, accessible and funny take on the Proms, accompanied on a grand scale by the ever-versatile BBC Concert Orchestra under Andrew Litton (guest conductor) and Jules Buckley (music director). Saturday 13 August 7.30pm – c. 9.40pm Royal Albert Hall Classical for starters There will be one interval

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe is celebrating its 30th anniversary with two years of Brahms under Bernard Haitink, and brings a pair of concertos and a pair of symphonies to the Proms. Haitink describes the COE as 'a group of exceptionally talented musicians. As true chamber musicians, they are used to listening to each other, without being exclusively focused on the conductor. This matches exactly the idea I have of conducting an orchestra.' After Brahms's relatively mellow Third Symphony, one of the world's best-loved pianists performs a work boiling over with youthful passions. The same musicians return with more Brahms in Prom 49. Friday 19 August 7.00pm – c. 9.00pm Royal Albert Hall Piano music Brahms Symphony No. 3 in F major (38 mins) INTERVAL Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor (45 mins) Schumann Fantasiestücke, Op 12 - No. 1 Des Abends (4 mins) (encore) Emanuel Ax piano Chamber Orchestra of Europe Bernard Haitink conductor

Angela Hewitt picks up the Brahms thread from the early evening Prom and launches this Late Night Prom that takes in an unjustly neglected score by Brahms's mentor, Robert Schumann, before observing the composer through the prism of an admirer, Arnold Schoenberg. Andrew Manze, conducting his first Prom as Associate Guest Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, sees Brahms as a misunderstood figure, full of warmth. He will bring his own insights to an increasingly popular arrangement in which Schoenberg incorporates some surprising 20th-century effects. Don't miss the Gypsy-style finale! Friday 19 August 10.00pm – c. 11.20pm Royal Albert Hall Piano music Brahms Three Intermezzos, Op. 117 - Nos. 1 & 2 (7 mins) Schumann Introduction and Concert Allegro, Op. 134 (13 mins) Brahms Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor (arr. Schoenberg) (42 mins) Angela Hewitt piano BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Andrew Manze conductor

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe's second pairing of Brahms masterworks opens with a work long central to Emanuel Ax's repertoire which he has recorded with tonight's conductor. Brahms's Second Piano Concerto is even bigger in scale than the First and just as technically demanding. After the interval, the composer's astonishing final symphony, where the balance between expressiveness and iron structural control is most perfectly maintained. It ends with an imposing set of variations, Brahms's late-Romantic take on the Baroque-style passacaglia, which uses material borrowed from J. S. Bach. Saturday 20 August 7.30pm – c. 9.40pm Royal Albert Hall Piano music Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major (50 mins) INTERVAL Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E minor (42 mins) Emanuel Ax piano Chamber Orchestra of Europe Bernard Haitink conductor

A celebration of the Golden Age of Hollywood film musicals featuring Annalene Beechey, Charles Castronovo, Matthew Ford, Sarah Fox, Caroline O'Connor, Clare Teal, the Maida Vale Singers, John Wilson Orchestra and John Wilson (conductor). The appearances of John Wilson and his hand-picked, high-octane orchestra have been among the most sensational Proms events of recent years. Joined by a formidable line-up of today's vocal stars, they give what one critic has described as 'the auditory equivalent of a steam-clean' to another cache of show-stoppers. 'Hooray for Hollywood' takes us from the dawn of the talkies and the birth of the movie musical through to the 1960s. An extended sequence pays special tribute to the RKO films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who was born 100 years ago. Monday 29 August 7.30pm – c. 9.35pm Royal Albert Hall Choral music and singing events, Classical for starters There will be one interval

Sir Colin Davis tackles a work whose uncompromising nature makes it as great a challenge as anything in the choral repertoire, whether you regard it as a statement of the composer's belief in the spiritual potential of man or his faith in a supreme being. 'A musician must make affirmations,' says Davis. 'If a musician cannot believe in music as a universal ideal, what is he left with? We may be encircled by gloom but music gives us a chance to throw what Meredith calls "that faint thin line upon the shore". ... Beethoven is a man at war with himself but a man who is determined to win.' Sunday 4 September 7.00pm – c. 8.40pm Royal Albert Hall Choral music and singing events Beethoven Missa Solemnis (90 mins) Helena Juntunen soprano Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano Paul Groves tenor Matthew Rose bass London Philharmonic Choir London Symphony Chorus London Symphony Orchestra Sir Colin Davis conductor

Tradition meets high jinks once again as Edward Gardner conducts his first Last Night of the Proms. For this grandest of grand finales there are two very special guests. Since her first Proms appearance in 1995, Susan Bullock has emerged as Britain's leading dramatic soprano, specialising in what she calls 'the large ladies' of the repertoire. None is more challenging than Brünnhilde, whose Immolation Scene concludes Wagner's epic Ring cycle. Also featured is a classical music superstar, as popular in the West as in his native China. Lang Lang plays Liszt at his most dazzling on this, his sixth visit to the Proms. Bartók's thrilling suite provides a blast of exotic orchestral colour. Arne, Parry and Elgar bring down the curtain in traditional fashion. But first the Master of the Queen's Music pays tribute to the Promenaders' fundraising efforts on behalf of the Musicians Benevolent Fund in his new work. Saturday 10 September 7.30pm – c. 10.45pm Royal Albert Hall Choral music and singing events, Piano music Sir Peter Maxwell Davies Musica benevolens (c4 mins) Musicians Benevolent Fund commission: World Premiere Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin - suite (20 mins) Wagner Götterdämmerung - Immolation Scene (18 mins) Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major (19 mins) INTERVAL Chopin Grande Polonaise brillante, Op. 22 (9 mins) Grainger Mo nighean dubh (My Dark-Haired Maiden) (4 mins) Britten The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (20 mins) Rodgers The Sound of Music - 'Climb ev'ry mountain' (arr.Robert Russell Bennett) (4 mins) Rodgers Carousel - 'You'll never walk alone' (arr. Jackson) (3 mins) Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major ('Land of Hope and Glory') (8 mins) Arne Rule Britannia (8 mins) Parry Jerusalem (orch. Elgar) (4 mins) Traditional The National Anthem (2 mins) Lang Lang piano Susan Bullock soprano BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra Edward Gardner conductor