20 HarrisonParrott, Polyarts & Birdsong artists at BBC Proms 2024
25/4/2024
We are delighted that 20 HarrisonParrott, Polyarts and Birdsong artists are appearing at the 2024 BBC Proms
Paavo Järvi returns to this year’s Proms on 29 July alongside BBC Symphony Orchestra. The concert opens with Tüür’s Aditus followed by Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 with Yunchan Lim. Järvi then conducts Bruckner’s Symphony No.1 in the second half.
On 3 August, Chief Conductor of BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo, conducts Holst’s The Cloud Messenger to mark the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth alongside works by Jonathan Harvey and Elgar. Strauss’ colossal An Alpine Symphony, Mozart’s Piano concerto No.9 and Saariaho’s Mirage are set to be brought to life by Oramo on 9 August.
As Artistic Director of the Sibelius Academy, Oramo also appears on 25 August to bring Helsinki students together with those from the Royal College of Music and soprano Anu Komsi — returning for her 6th Prom — a known and accomplished interpreter of contemporary music, to premiere Lara Poe’s Laulut maaseudulta (Songs from the Countryside).
The BBC Proms and National Youth Orchestra have commissioned a new piece from Birdsong’s Dani Howard, who is currently Resident Artist with the orchestra. Written in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the NYO Inspire programme, the new work features over 100 musicians from NYO Inspire and premieres on 10 August.
Conductor Nil Venditti leads BBC National Orchestra of Wales for a programme featuring Beethoven, Farrenc, Karl Jenkins and Grace Williams on 12 August.
Francesco Piemontesi joins Ulster Orchestra on 18 August for a performance of one of his signature works, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4, under the direction of Daniele Rustioni. The rest of the programme features Dvořák’s Symphony No.7, centenary composer Busoni and an English musical landscape by Avril Coleridge-Taylor.
Sol Gabetta performs the UK premiere of Francisco Coll’s Cello Concerto with BBC Symphony Orchestra on 18 August under the baton of Tianyi Lu.
Bach Collegium Japan makes a welcome return to the Proms with conductor Masaaki Suzuki and star soloists on 19 August to perform Bach’s St John Passion in its 300th anniversary year.
Riccardo Minasi conducts Ensemble Resonanz to perform Mozart’s thrilling overtures, The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni, as well as Symphony No.41 Jupiter, with viola player Timothy Ridout and violinist Clara Jumi Kang joining to play Sinfonia concertante on 20 August.
Dalia Stasevska, Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, returns to the festival on 24 August to lead the orchestra in a programme featuring Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder sung by the wonderful mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, Sibelius’ Symphony No.5 and the UK premiere of Julius Eastman’s incredible Symphony No.2, The Faithful Friend: The Lover Friend’s Love for the Beloved. The first ever recording of Eastman’s Symphony No.2 was done by Stasevska and the orchestra for her album Dalia’s Mixtape and will be released the same week on Platoon. This performance is set to be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
The BBC Singers led by their Chief Conductor Sofi Jeannin perform a programme including Song for Athene by John Tavener, written after John Tavener Britten’s A Shepherd’s Carol and John Pickard’s Mass in Troubled Times on 25 August.
On 31 August, Víkingur Ólafsson returns to the BBC Proms, performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto with Berliner Philharmoniker and Kirill Petrenko.
Polyarts’ conductor, curator and producer Edwin Outwater leads BBC Concert Orchestra on 2 September in a celebration of the works of the versatile and genre-defying composer, Henry Mancini. Among the classics are the slinky Lujon and themes from The Pink Panther and Peter Gunn, joined by gems from the lounge music and space-age pop genres Mancini helped inspire. The performance is set to be broadcast on BBC 4 and BBC Radio 3.
On 3 September, Orchestre de Paris returns to the Proms with their Music Director Klaus Mäkelä with Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, Stravinsky’s Petrushka (1947 version) and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.
On 4 September, Golda Schultz joins BBC Symphony Orchestra for an all French programme featuring Fauré’s Requiem and Lili Boulanger’s Pie Jesu, under the direction of Stéphane Denève.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja makes a remarkable return to the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms 2024 season on 9 September.
The inimitable violinist takes on Arnold Schoenberg’s violin concerto alongside BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski. Schoenberg’s violin concerto is probably the most monumental within the realm of 20th-century concertos, known for its intricate structure and emotional depth. Kopatchinskaja navigates the complex work with her signature style, crafting a dynamic and riveting performance that showcases a wordless, dreamlike psychodrama, erupting with volcanic intensity and surprising with unexpected contrasts. Kopatchinskaja appreciates the concerto’s romantic and expressive qualities, while also embracing its rugged sections and her passionate rendition of the piece continues to captivate audience as part of the coming BBC Proms 2024 season. The concerto faced initial challenges, with legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz deeming it unplayable despite it being written for him. However, its complexity and beauty gradually revealed themselves to audiences as violinists like Kopatchinskaja brought it to life with fervor, breathing new life into Schoenberg’s masterpiece.
Polyarts’ artist and Grammy-nominated composer Carlos Simon has been commissioned to write a new work for the last night of the Proms on 14 September, conducted by Sakari Oramo with BBC Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by James Reese Europe, an American bandleader, and composer who was a major figure in the transition from ragtime to jazz, the work commemorates Europe’s role as part of the Harlem Hellfighters, a regiment of African Americans who fought in World Wars I and II, and this regiment’s band.
The Proms includes soloist Sir Stephen Hough for his 31st appearance at the BBC Proms, performing the second movement of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No.5 (Egyptian) and some very special arrangements of spirituals with American Soprano, Angel Blue.
