Episodes

The 118th season of BBC Proms gets underway at the Royal Albert Hall with a spectacular concert of all-English music. In the year of the London Olympics there is something of a relay race around the podium with no less than four conductors passing the baton in the course of the evening - Sir Roger Norrington, Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardner and Martyn Brabbins. Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel is the soloist in Delius' evocative Sea Drift, and a quartet of Proms favourite singers feature in Elgar's Coronation Ode - Susan Gritton, Sarah Connolly, Robert Murray and Gerald Finley. Elgar's effervescent Cockaigne Overture, Tippett's Suite for the Birthday of Prince Charles and a brand new virtuosic curtain-raiser by Mark-Anthony Turnage complete the programme. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus take their traditional place on stage for a special First Night.

From the Royal Albert Hall, the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena open the Proms on BBC Four with two of Richard Strauss's best-loved works - Also Sprach Zarathustra, with its spectacular musical sunrise, followed by his serene Four Last Songs, sung by the German soprano Anne Schwanewilms. Also on the programme is Sibelius's majestic Symphony No 7 and the UK premiere of Kaija Saariaho's Laterna Magica, her personal tribute to the films of Ingmar Bergman. Introduced by Petroc Trelawny.

A special night at the BBC Proms, as Daniel Barenboim embarks on his complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies, becoming the first conductor since Henry Wood in 1942 to perform all nine symphonies in a single Proms season. He begins the journey with Beethoven's First and Second Symphonies, performed by his acclaimed West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which famously brings together both Arab and Israeli musicians and which he describes as 'less an orchestra for peace' than 'an orchestra against ignorance'. Throughout this symphony cycle, Barenboim pairs the revolutionary and visionary music of Beethoven with one of the great musical innovators of our time, Pierre Boulez, and here he presents the intricate and shimmering soundworlds of Boulez's Dérive 2. Introduced by Suzy Klein.

The second concert in Daniel Barenboim's complete survey of the Beethoven symphonies with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, as the high-spirited Fourth Symphony is paired with the monumental, mould-breaking Third Symphony, Eroica. The programme also includes a tour-de-force from Pierre Boulez, Dialogue de l'ombre double, performed by clarinettist Jussef Eisa with live electronics from Boulez's music research centre, IRCAM.

Daniel Barenboim's complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies reaches its mid-point, as he conducts his ensemble of young Arab and Israeli musicians, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, in a programme that includes both the Pastoral Symphony and that most iconic of all orchestral masterpieces, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Alongside, Barenboim programmes two short works by Pierre Boulez - Memoriale for flute and ensemble, and Messagesquisse, which showcases the virtuosity of the orchestra's cello section.

Daniel Barenboim continues his journey through the complete Beethoven symphonies with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra by performing a pair of contrasting later symphonies - the exquisitely compact Eighth alongside the expansive, majestic and athletic Seventh. Within this frame, Barenboim's son Michael Barenboim performs Anthemes 2 for violin and live electronics by Pierre Boulez.

Daniel Barenboim's complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies reaches its climactic conclusion. The ninth 'choral' symphony, with its passionate vision of human reconciliation, is performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the young musicians of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and an international quartet of soloists - Anna Samuil, Waltraud Meier, Peter Seiffert and René Pape.

From the Royal Albert Hall, a performance of Bach's Mass in B minor, one of the great milestones of baroque music. Bach intended this glorious work, completed the year before his death, to be a summation of his church music, incorporating material from earlier compositions to great effect. Performed by The English Concert and Choir of the English Concert conducted by Harry Bicket. Presented by Charles Hazlewood.

From the Royal Albert Hall, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Runnicles perform two great works by Wagner and Bruckner. Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, a gift to the composer's wife Cosima, is performed in its pared-down original orchestration, much as she would have heard it on Christmas morning 1870. Bruckner's magnificent 8th Symphony is arguably his greatest, the last symphony the composer completed. Presented by Charles Hazlewood.

A very special performance of Britain's best loved music for royal occasions - Handel's Water Music suites and the Music for the Royal Fireworks. Both works were originally performed outside - on the River Thames and in Green Park, and in this Jubilee year, conductor Hervé Niquet recreates the spectacular atmosphere of those occasions. He brings the huge forces of the remarkable French orchestra Le Concert Spirituel to London, with eighty players, including no less than 18 oboes, all playing specially made instruments that reproduce those used in Georgian England.

Samira Ahmed presents from the Royal Albert Hall, as Tadaaki Otaka conducts a celebration of British music performed by the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, the BBC Symphony Chorus and London Brass. Vaughan Williams's much-loved Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis is followed by the beautiful but rarely-performed These Things Shall Be by John Ireland with baritone soloist Jonathan Lemalu. Delius's The Walk to the Paradise Garden marks the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth before all the forces combine for Walton's iconic Belshazzar's Feast.

Samira Ahmed presents from the Royal Albert Hall, as Juanjo Mena conducts the BBC Philharmonic in Bruckner's richly-expressive 6th Symphony and Wagner's highly-charged Prelude to Act I of Tristan and Isolde. The Manchester Chamber Choir, Northern Sinfonia Chorus and Rushley Singers join them for the world premiere of James MacMillan's powerful and deeply spiritual Credo.

In the 1930s, Ivor Novello wrote a string of musicals that saved Drury Lane from closure and kept the cash tills ringing throughout the 40s and early 50s. This Prom features time-honoured favourites, such as We'll Gather Lilacs, in a tribute to Novello - playwright, composer, actor and silent movie star. Narrated by Simon Callow on stage, with Sir Mark Elder conducting the Hallé, and soloists Toby Spence and Sophie Bevan.

Petroc Trelawny presents a rare opportunity to hear a significant trio of English symphonies in the same concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Andrew Manze conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Symphonies 4, 5 and 6 by Ralph Vaughan Williams, a composer whose work played a significant role in the reawakening of English music in the 20th century.

From the Royal Albert Hall, Mark Armstrong conducts the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, featuring Britain's best young jazz musicians in a wide-ranging set of jazz favourites. The programme includes Duke Ellington's The Queen's Suite to mark the Diamond Jubilee year and a new commission by saxophonist Tim Garland. Presented by Petroc Trelawny.

Music and artists from both American continents in tonight's concert from the Royal Albert Hall. The Prom opens with Dvořák's symphonic masterpiece From the New World, and the second half includes Copland's iconic Fanfare for the Common Man and Joan Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman. Works by Villa-Lobos and Ginastera add some attractive Latin American colour in a concert marking the first visit to the Proms by the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra as well as the return of distinguished Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire and conductor Marin Alsop.

From the Royal Albert Hall, the vast forces of the National Youth Orchestra conducted by Vasily Petrenko perform Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony, the composer's iconic musical celebration of love. The programme also includes Varese's musical parody Tuning Up, Anna Meredith's HandsFree featuring body percussion, and the London premiere of Nico Muhly's Gait, inspired by the motion of horses. Introduced by Charles Hazlewood.

From the Royal Albert Hall, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Vladimir Jurowski take us on a romantic and passionate journey with music by Tchaikovsky and Mahler. Mezzo-soprano Alice Coote sings Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer, inspired by the composer's own unhappy love affair. The concert ends with a performance of Tchaikovsky's Manfred, a highly-charged symphonic portrayal of Lord Byron's dramatic poem of the same name. Introduced by Charles Hazlewood.

Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta The Yeomen of the Guard comes to the Proms. It is a tale of joy and despair abounding with tongue-in-cheek satire, and is arguably the pair's finest Savoy production. With the BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Singers under the baton of the inimitable Jane Glover, the cast boasts a stellar line up of British singers. Directed for the Royal Albert Hall stage by the acclaimed Martin Duncan.

Musical marvels from the Royal Albert Hall for the TV premiere of a new show - Wallace and Gromit at the Proms. There's specially filmed new Wallace and Gromit animations featuring the dynamic duo's backstage exploits as they prepare for the first performance of Wallace's brand new work, 'My Concerto in Ee Lad'. On stage are the Aurora Orchestra, violin soloist Tasmin Little with conductor and host Nicholas Collon performing some classical favourites.

One of the great youth orchestras returns to the Proms, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra conducted by Daniele Gatti. The concert opens with a prelude from Wagner's Parsifal and is followed by a trailblazing concerto from 20th-century Vienna, Alban Berg's Violin Concerto with soloist Frank Peter Zimmermann. Vienna is the setting for a bittersweet tale of young love and middle aged melancholy in the Rosenkavalier Suite by Richard Strauss and the concert concludes with French composer Maurice Ravel's take on the Viennese waltz in his explosive La valse. Introduced by Samira Ahmed.

From the Royal Albert Hall, Samira Ahmed introduces an English symphonic masterpiece and a hauntingly beautiful choral work. Herbert Howells's Hymnus Paradisi is a personal memorial, written after the tragic death of his nine-year-old son. Following this intensely emotional work comes a proms favourite, Edward Elgar's First Symphony, the composition that heralded his arrival as a great British symphonist. Performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the London Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Martyn Brabbins.

A large musical ensemble from across Wales come to the Royal Albert Hall to give the first complete Proms performance of Leonard Bernstein's Mass, a work that combines religious observance and musical theatre. Kristjan Järvi conducts the National Orchestra of Wales, the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and eight choirs of talented children and adult singers, with choruses of street kids and a rock group thrown into the mix. Introduced by Petroc Trelawny.

One of the great orchestras of the world returns to the Proms - the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by the legendary Bernard Haitink. Steeped in the history of the European orchestral tradition, they present a concert from two giants of Western classical music. It opens with Joseph Haydn's 104th and final symphony, written while he was staying in London and at the height of his powers, and is followed by music from Richard Strauss, who in his Alpine Symphony portrays a day spent climbing a mountain, from the foreboding of night to the glorious vision from the summit. Introduced by Petroc Trelawny.

Katie Derham introduces the final concert of the 2012 Proms season from the Royal Albert Hall. The programme includes the much loved Bruch Violin Concerto, popular operatic arias by Verdi and Puccini, and a choral work by Delius. Chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra Jirí Belohlávek takes to the podium and is joined by special guest soloists Nicola Benedetti, one of Britain's most talented violinists, and Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja. Digital viewers via the red button can choose to see Last Night celebrations around the UK in Hyde Park London, Caerphilly in South Wales, Titanic Slipways in Belfast and Glasgow City Halls.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, Katie Derham introduces the biggest classical music party and grand finale to the 2012 Proms. The soloists are Nicola Benedetti, one of Britain's most popular and influential young violinists, and Maltese star tenor Joseph Calleja. Also on stage are the combined forces of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Chorus, all under the baton of Jiri Belohlavek. Audiences around the UK in London's Hyde Park, Glasgow, Caerphilly and Belfast can join the singing of Richard Rodgers' You'll Never Walk Alone, along with the traditional Last Night anthems Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and Pomp and Circumstance No 1.

ive from the Royal Albert Hall, Katie Derham introduces the biggest classical music party and grand finale to the 2012 Proms. The soloists are Nicola Benedetti, one of Britain's most popular and influential young violinists, and Maltese star tenor Joseph Calleja. Also on stage are the combined forces of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Chorus, all under the baton of Jiri Belohlavek. Audiences around the UK in London's Hyde Park, Glasgow, Caerphilly and Belfast can join the singing of Richard Rodgers' You'll Never Walk Alone, along with the traditional Last Night anthems Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and Pomp and Circumstance No 1. To watch in 3D set your 3D TV to 'side-by-side' mode.

Morten Frank Larsen, Bass-Baritone Julius Foo, Treble Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pwll Coch, Caerdydd Ysgol Gynradd Gymunedol Gymraeg, Llantrisant Ysgol Gynradd Dolau, Llanharan Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg, Rhydaman National Youth Choir of Wales Aelwyd y Waun Ddyfal Musicians from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama BBC National Chorus of Wales BBC National Orchestra of Wales National Youth Orchestra of Wales Kristjan Järvi,Conductor Thomas Kiemle, Stage Director Less a religious work than a theatrical happening, Bernstein’s Mass receives its first complete Proms performance, conducted by one of its most ardent champions, and supported by a spectrum of talented Welsh children and adult musicians. Using a mix of highbrow and vernacular styles, Bernstein created a rich, quintessentially American score that has recently begun to emerge as a modern classic. Petroc Trelawney, Host In English and Latin

Wagner -Tristan and Isolde – Prelude (Act 1) (9 mins) James MacMillan - Credo (c25 mins), BBC co-commission, World Premiere INTERLUDE Bruckner - Symphony No. 6 in A major (55 mins) Manchester Chamber Choir (Proms debut) Northern Sinfonia Chorus (Proms debut) Rushley Singers (Proms debut) BBC Philharmonic Juanjo Mena, Conductor Juanjo Mena presents a major world premiere before offering his acclaimed reading of a sonorous yet dangerously eruptive Bruckner symphony. First though, there’s the emblematic love of Tristan and Isolde, expressed through music dark in sound and revolutionary in harmony. James MacMillan’s works have enjoyed regular success at the Proms since the first performance of The Confession of Isobel Gowdie was given here in 1990. As with Bruckner, MacMillan’s communicative power is often associated with expressions of faith, and the unveiling of Credo, has been keenly awaited.

A celebration of Ivor Novello Remember such time-honoured favourites as 'We'll gather lilacs'? Tonight we acknowledge that patriotic First World War plea to 'keep the home fires burning' in a tribute to a silent-movie actor, West End playwright, composer and star of a string of stage musicals hugely popular in their day. Ivor Novello, the most consistently successful composer of British musicals before the advent of Andrew Lloyd Webber, nowadays tends to be unjustly neglected. Sir Mark Elder is a committed advocate, as is tonight’s master of ceremonies, Simon Callow. Sophie Bevan, Soprano Toby Spence, Tenor Simon Callow, Narrator Hallé Orchestra Sir Mark Elder, Conductor

From the Royal Albert Hall, Mark Armstrong conducts the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, featuring Britain's best young jazz musicians in a wide-ranging set of jazz favourites. The programme includes Duke Ellington's The Queen's Suite to mark the Diamond Jubilee year and a new commission by saxophonist Tim Garland. Presented by Petroc Trelawny.

Dvorák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, 'From the New World' (45 mins) Interlude Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man (4 mins) Joan Tower - Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (3 mins) Villa-Lobos - Momoprécoce (28 mins) Ginastera - Estancia – suite (12 mins) Edu Lobo - Pé de Vento from Suíte Popular Brasileira, orch. Nelson Ayres (3 mins) - Encore Nelson Freire, Piano São Paulo Symphony Orchestra Marin Alsop, Conductor Music from both American hemispheres features tonight. First the masterpiece through which the Bohemian Dvorák, resident in New York, sought to establish an American musical identity, a symphony exuding nostalgia for his own native woods and fields. Later comes Copland’s iconic Fanfare and highlights from Ginastera’s best-known score. Joan Tower, whose childhood was spent partly in Bolivia, celebrates ‘women who take risks and are adventurous’, while distinguished Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire returns to the Proms to play one of Villa-Lobos’s most attractive compositions. Katie Derham, Hostess

Symphony No. 4 in F minor (30 mins) Symphony No. 5 in D major (39 mins) Interlude Symphony No. 6 in E minor (31 mins) BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Andrew Manze: conductor Over the next few seasons Andrew Manze directs all nine Vaughan Williams symphonies with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, of which he is Associate Guest Conductor: "Vaughan Williams is one of those composers some people have fixed ideas about … I’m on a bit of a mission to rehabilitate him in people’s minds as an important figure in the musicmaking of this country." Tonight he tackles three differently powerful works of the 1930s and 1940s, which, whatever their own emotional back stories, may still be seen as chronicling our national life in troubled times.

Weber - Der Freischütz – Overture (10 mins) Mahler - Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (17 mins) Interlude Tchaikovsky - Manfred (57 mins) Alice Coote - Mezzo-soprano London Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Jurowski, Conductor After the overture to the first important German Romantic opera, Weber’s take on the folk legend of a marksman’s contract with the devil, featured artist Alice Coote returns to tackle Mahler’s folk-influenced song-cycle, inspired by the conclusion of an unhappy love affair. Tchaikovsky’s Manfred, a full-length fusion of tone-poem and symphonic form, makes passionate use of Byron’s dramatic poem with supernatural elements which held so many 19th-century artists in thrall. This powerfully driven masterpiece is a favourite of tonight’s conductor. Charles Hazlewood, Host

Sir Arthur Sullivan The Yeomen of the Guard Leigh Melrose baritone (Lt Sir Richard Cholmondeley) Andrew Kennedy tenor (Colonel Fairfax) Lisa Milne soprano (Elsie Maynard) Victoria Simmonds mezzo-soprano (Phoebe Meryll) Felicity Palmer mezzo-soprano (Dame Carruthers) Mary Bevan soprano (Kate) Mark Richardson bass-baritone (Sergeant Meryll) Tom Randle tenor (Leonard Meryll) Mark Stone baritone (Jack Point) Toby Stafford-Allen baritone (Wilfred Shadbolt) BBC Singers BBC Concert Orchestra Jane Glover, Conductor Martin Duncan, Stage Director Recent Proms seasons have seen a liberal sprinkling of complete Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, under such distinguished conductors as Jane Glover and the late Charles Mackerras. With its historic London setting, the grandest, most emotionally engaging of the Savoy operas is a must for 2012.

Wagner - Parsifal – Prelude (Act 3) and Good Friday Music (20 mins) Berg - Violin Concerto (25 mins) Bach - Adagio from Violin Sonata in A minor Interlude R. Strauss - Der Rosenkavalier – suite (22 mins) Ravel - La valse (12 mins) Frank Peter Zimmermann, Violin Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester Daniele Gatti, Conductor (Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra) is a youth orchestra based in Vienna, Austria, founded in 1986 by conductor Claudio Abbado.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Mahler_Youth_Orchestra http://www.gmjo.at/Home/tabid/39/language/en-US/Default.aspx One of the great youth orchestras is back, and in distinguished company. Daniele Gatti begins with the weighty tread and unmatched radiance of music he has been exploring at Bayreuth. Frank Peter Zimmermann plays one of the 20th century’s most eloquent violin concertos. Strauss conjures up a bittersweet Vienna of young love, mid-life melancholy and abundant waltz tunes, while Ravel’s apotheosis of that dance form may or may not have been intended as a metaphor for the fate of European civilisation as its unstoppable whirling reaches critical mass.

John Wilson Orchestra Maida Vale Singers John Wilson: conductor After last year’s celebration of the Hollywood screen musical, John Wilson and his high-octane orchestra – whose technicoloured performances, according to one critic, offer ‘the auditory equivalent of a steam-clean’ – present a tribute to the composers and arrangers responsible for creating the Broadway Sound – among them such legendary tunesmiths as Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Vincent Youmans, Richard Rodgers and Frank Loesser. With a cast of leading soloists, the concert includes excerpts from Show Boat, No, No, Nanette, On Your Toes, Kiss Me, Kate and Annie Get Your Gun.

Howells - Hymnus Paradisi (44 mins) Interlude Elgar - Symphony No. 1 in A flat major (53 mins) Miah Persson: soprano Andrew Kennedy: tenor BBC Symphony Chorus London Philharmonic Choir BBC Symphony Orchestra Martyn Brabbins, Conductor Following his triumphant conducting of Havergal Brian’s ‘The Gothic’ Symphony last year, Martyn Brabbins brings another British magnum opus to the Proms. Herbert Howells wrote Hymnus Paradisi ‘for the drawer’ in the wake of the tragically early death of his son. Only years later was he persuaded to release a finished score to the public. After this light-filled memorial from a composer closely identified with Gloucester Cathedral, we revisit the masterpiece that, in 1908 – the year of the first London Olympics – announced a Worcester man’s arrival as perhaps the greatest of British symphonists.

Haydn - Symphony No. 104 in D major, 'London' (30 mins) Interlude Richard Strauss - An Alpine Symphony (50 mins) Encore - Johann Strauss - Voices of Spring Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Bernard Haitink, Conductor The doyen (edit: dean) of European conductors presents favourite repertoire with an ensemble closely associated with the history and traditions of orchestral music. The last of Haydn’s symphonies, written while he was living in London, proved an instant critical and commercial success. Not so the Strauss, part-elegy for Mahler, part-celebration of the composer himself. Mingling childhood memories of a schoolboy mountaineering expedition with a deeper vision of man’s place on earth, the work was received rather sniffily in Britain until dedicated interpreters such as Bernard Haitink arrived to change all that.

Part 1: Mark Simpson: sparks (c2 mins), BBC Commission, World Premiere Suk: Towards a New Life (6 mins) Delius: Songs of Farewell (18 mins) Verdi: Un ballo in maschera – ‘Forse la soglia attinse … Ma se m’è forza perderti’ (5 mins) Massenet: Werther – ‘Pourquoi me réveiller?’ (3 mins) Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor (25 mins) Puccini: Tosca – ‘E lucevan le stelle’ (3 mins) Puccini: Turandot – ‘Nessun dorma’ (3 mins) Intermission Part 2: John Williams: Olympic Fanfare and Theme (5 mins) Dvorák: Overture 'Carnival' (9 mins) Shostakovich: The Gadfly – Romance (6 mins) Leoncavallo: Mattinata (3 mins) Lara: Granada (3 mins) Rodgers: Carousel – ‘You’ll never walk alone’ (4 mins) Henry Wood: Fantasia on British Sea-Songs (20 mins) Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major ('Land of Hope and Glory') (8 mins) Parry, orch. Elgar: Jerusalem (4 mins) Traditional: The National Anthem (2 mins) Nicola Benedetti: Violin Joseph Calleja: Tenor BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra Jirí Belohlávek, Conductor Join us for the year’s biggest musical party with two very special guests. Since taking the nation by storm as 2004’s BBC Young Musician of the Year, Scottishborn Nicola Benedetti has enhanced her reputation as one of Britain’s most innovative and creative young violinists. We also welcome Joseph Calleja, the Maltese tenor who sings with the grace and elegance of the voices of a bygone era. A brace of Czechs acknowledges the sterling work of the BBC SO’s outgoing chief, while contributions from 2012’s anniversary composers include Delius’s valedictory settings of Walt Whitman. More familiar home-grown music brings down the curtain in time-honoured fashion