Over 3,000 musicians are set to appear at this year's Proms across 84 shows, from 14 July to 19 September
The line-up for the BBC Proms 2023 has been officially announced, and there is plenty to get excited about.
One of the big changes this year is the inclusion of a brand new weekend of Proms at Sage Gateshead in the North East. The weekend will be held in collaboration with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and conductor Robert Ames. Family, orchestral and chamber concerts feature in a programme that opens with the Proms debut of 2022 Mercury Award nominee, Self Esteem.
Dalia Stasevska conducts the First Night of the Proms on 14 July at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring pianist Paul Lewis and a world premiere from Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak. The Last Night of the Proms will be conducted by Marin Alsop featuring cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and soprano Lise Davidsen with a world premiere by James B. Wilson.
Rachmaninov's 150th anniversary will be heavily celebrated this year. Eleven of his works will be performed during the season, including the popular favourite Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini performed by Yuja Wang (4 Aug), the Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor performed by Benjamin Grosvenor (6 Aug), and Rachmaninov’s own rumoured personal favourite, The Bells.
Other composer anniversaries include Dora Pejačević, György Ligeti, Thomas Weelkes and William Byrd.
Elsewhere, highlights include:
- 15 new commissions and co-commissions showcase the extraordinary range of
today’s orchestral composers - Sir Simon Rattle conducts two concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra:
Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 and Poulenc’s Figure humaine (with the BBC Singers),
and Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri - A complete performance of Berlioz’s five act grand opera The Trojans and the highly
anticipated UK premiere of György Kurtág’s first opera, Endgame - Lauded Indian singer Palak Muchhal joins the City of Birmingham Symphony
Orchestra led by Michael Seal for a Bollywood Prom, writer and broadcaster
Stuart Maconie curates the first Northern Soul Prom, and fado comes to the
Proms for the first time with Portuguese singer Mariza - The BBC Orchestras and Choirs perform in 32 Proms, including 14 premieres
David Pickard, Director, BBC Proms says: “There is no other classical music festival in the world to match the range and breadth of the BBC Proms. It is the place where so many discover orchestral music for the first time – whether through a cornerstone of the classical repertoire, ground-breaking new work or collaborations with some of today’s most exciting artists. Our musical range in 2023 extends from Bach to Bollywood and geographically from Gateshead to Great Yarmouth as we continue to build on Henry Wood’s vision of ‘the best of classical music for the widest possible audience.”
Prom at the Royal Albert Hall and ‘Proms at’ chamber concert across the UK will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. For the first time, the majority of concerts will be available on BBC Sounds for 12 months. BBC television and BBC iPlayer will broadcast 24 programmes, including the First Night and Last Night of the Proms, and these will be available to watch on iPlayer for 12 months.
For a full breakdown of this year's Proms, visit the BBC Proms website.