Thirteen HarrisonParrott artists appear in 2019 BBC Proms
18/4/2019
Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Proms regular Sakari Oramo performs in four concerts at the Festival this year. Oramo begins by conducting the Orchestra in Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux Etoiles on 28 July, followed by a concert including two world premieres: Dove’s New Work (a cappella) and Ammann’s Piano Concerto with pianist Andreas Haefliger, along with Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 on 19 August. In his penultimate concert on 8 September, Sakari conducts a wide-ranging concert inspired by the natural world with Sibelius’ Symphony No.5 at its heart, he is also joined by boundary-breaking singer Nora Fischer as the soloist in the UK premiere of Louis Andriessen’s The Only One. Completing his four concerts, Sakari conducts a spellbinding Last Night of the Proms, where he is joined by mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton bringing this year’s Proms to a close on 14 September.
Peter Eötvös returns to the Proms on 24 July for Prom No. 8: Invitation to the Dance. Peter conducts a programmes which includes the UK premiere of his new violin concerto, Alhambra, performed by Isabelle Faust. The dance-themed programme will also include works by Debussy, Bartók and Stravinsky.
Lisa Batiashvili returns to the BBC Proms to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.2 with the Bayerischen Rundfunk Symphonieorchester under Mariss Jansons (31 July). Since her previous performance at the Proms in 2018 (with Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra), Batiashvili released an album of Prokofiev works on Deutsche Grammophon, which was awarded an Opus Klassik award.
On 3 August, Pekka Kuusisto returns to the Proms to perform Sibelius’s Violin Concerto with Thomas Dausgaard and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Fellow Finnish folk musicians, Taito Hoffrén (singer), Ilona Korhonen (singer), Minna-Liisa Tammela (singer), Vilma Timonen (Kantele), Timo Alakotila (harmonium) join Pekka to sprinkle Finnish folk music throughout the evening.
Dalia Stasevska makes her Proms debut as the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s newly appointed Principal Guest Conductor on 6 August at the Royal Albert Hall, directing the Orchestra in a programme of Sibelius’ Karelia Suites, Weinberg’s Cello Concerto with soloist Sol Gabetta and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Pathétique’ Symphony. Following her BBC Proms debut in 2016 at First Night of the Proms, and a respected advocate for lesser known works, Gabetta performs Weinberg’s Cello Concerto, one of the most moving rediscoveries of the last few decades, in light of the composer’s upcoming 100th birthday anniversary.
Stephen Hough returns to the Proms on 16 August with Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to play Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No.1 on Queen Victoria’s piano, loaned by HM The Queen from the Royal Collection.
Stephanie Childress performs excerpts from Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Concerto No.2 (Summer) with the Southbank Sinfonia conducted by Jessica Cottis as part of the Lost Words Prom (49) based on Robert Macfarlane’s beautiful book, on 25 August.
Inspired by the best-selling book The Lost Words, which revives disappearing words that describe the natural world, the Prom will feature a brand-new ‘spell’ by the book’s author Robert Macfarlane, and live paintings from Jackie Morris, who created the original artwork, the programme includes the nightingale, quail and cuckoo calls from Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, and much more.
Singing Szymanowski’s exotic songs based on texts by the 14th-century Persian mystic poet Hafiz, Georgia Jarman joins BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra on 1 September.
Constantinos Carydis makes his Proms debut on 7 September teaming up with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and soprano Danae Kontora to conduct Mozart, Strauss and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.
