From The Beatles to Miles Davis and Bananarama and everything in between, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ owns more than two million music copyrights from performances broadcasted live with a catalogue stretching way back to the 1920s.

This includes Top Of The Pops, Radio 1 Live Lounge, Later With Jools Holland, John Peel, the Proms, as well as concerts and festivals across the country. We also own programme scores composed in-house, such as by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radiophonic Workshop, which created the Doctor Who theme and for classic programmes like Blue Planet and Bob The Builder.

We license this to record labels or the artists themselves, for commercial release via the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988, and also work with advertising, film and other TV companies

In practice it can mean providing bonus content from a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ performance for additional songs on album reissues, a one-off EP for Record Store Day, a live in concert DVD, or a Peel Sessions release.

For example, two years ago we delivered additional recordings to Jimmy Page, in person, for the remastered Led Zeppelin: ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Sessions compilation album that came out later in 2016.

Due later this year is an eight-disc REM at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ album, and this follows others in the series such as Bowie at the Beeb and The Beatles’ Live At The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳.

It’s not only physical releases like CDs and LPs, as streaming rights for Spotify and so on are often included in licensing deals as well, and we’re working more and more these days with Vevo and similar sites.

When music appears in adverts, films, or in games, the industry term is called synchronisation, recently we have completed large global deals for LaCoste and Chrysler, and occasionally we clear samples of recordings that are to be used in other music.

Although the vast majority of these recordings have never been commercially released, they don’t just sit there doing nothing, as part of our work is to persuade record companies to make more use of them.

(the Association of Independent Music) a few years ago is a good example, which has facilitated deals with AIM members like The Fall, Kylie Minogue, The Moody Blues and the Pixies.

And, of course, sometimes recordings previously thought lost or accidentally deleted years ago unexpectedly turn up, which is very exciting - especially when it’s Bowie!

We have a big focus on women composers, and on living women composers particularly this year, but what we’d forgotten was that within our own midst the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radiophonic Workshop had these extraordinary people who were pioneers, in and .

I think it’s rather nice that on 23 July the Pioneers Of Sound Prom celebrates these extraordinary composers who have such a strong connection with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. They were so far ahead of their time that I’m not sure even the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ quite knew what they were up to, as there was a certain air of suspicion back then. But that whole workshop was something the corporation can be incredibly proud of - the Doctor Who music is all from that origin.

We did a very successful Relaxed Prom last year, with open access to people of all ages who might have learning disabilities or sensory or visual impairments.

Our learning department worked with the Royal Albert Hall to think about everything, such as lighting levels, the way we sign the performance for people with hearing impairments, or presenting the programme on screen with figures and signs. What was most gratifying was that the people who came really appreciated it. There are sections of the population who find it very hard to go to concerts, and we wanted to make them feel completely comfortable at this one, thinking carefully about the timing of pieces, concert length, and the time of day.

We wanted to take that a step further this year, with musicians on stage who have disabilities showing the extraordinary work that they do, and we’re pleased to be doing another Relaxed Prom in 2018 with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Resound.

They only recently formed as the first disabled-led ensemble to exist anywhere in the world and they’re appearing at the Proms, which is very exciting.

What’s great about a concert like this is that absolutely everybody can come to it: babes in arms, people in their eighties, or people with dementia who want to come with their carers, it’s a very informal atmosphere where anything goes, you don’t need to keep quiet, and if you need to walk out in the middle you can do that - we have chill-out zones that people can go to when they might need to leave the auditorium.

In 2016, my first season, we started experimenting with venues beyond the Royal Albert Hall. We went to a car park in Peckham, and to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at the Globe Theatre. Last year, because we were doing Handel’s Water Music the easy thing would be to put it on the River Thames, but I decided that the more interesting and challenging thing would be to stage it on another bit of water, in Hull, which was City of Culture last year.

So, in addition to the Proms In The Park in , and having taken one Prom outside London last year, we’re doing it again. The reason we’ve chosen Lincoln is because The Soldier’s Tale has a specific link to the First World War, one of our big themes this summer, and as the Drill Hall was opened in 1890 for the 1st Lincolnshire Volunteer Battalion it seemed a perfect location.

Other things I’m really excited about are our late night Prom with the Aurora Orchestra, taking apart Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony for a general audience, and The Sound Of An Orchestra, which leaps off from the starting point of what Leonard Bernstein did with his young people’s concerts and television concerts. It unpicks what an orchestra is, how it works, and how composers put instruments together.

I hope it’ll be the sort of thing that if you know a lot about classical music you’ll find stimulating, and if you know nothing about classical music it’s the perfect starting point for you.

The 2018 ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms season begins on Friday 13 July and continues until 8 September.

 

We’ll also have an occasional series of Late Night Proms broadcasts, including Sir Andras Schiff playing solo Bach, the iconic Youssou Ndour and his group, Le Super Etoile de Dakar, pioneering electronic music from the legends of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radiophonic Workshop and Jules Buckley’s exploration of the sounds emerging from contemporary New York. The Relaxed Prom featuring the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and their disabled-led ensemble BSO Resound will be available to watch online.

This year ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ TV will make a particular commitment to celebrating women in music across and beyond the festival. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two’s Proms Extra will create a new series of chamber performances featuring short gems by some extraordinary and neglected female composers of the Classical and Romantic periods. Televised Proms will feature works by 20th-century and living composers, including Anna Meredith, Tansy Davies, Roxanna Panufnik, Daphne Oram, Delia Derbyshire, Lili Boulanger and Thea Musgrave, and we’ll be filming more performances from across the wider festival for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer, including music by Laura Mvula and Agata Zubel.

With over 16 million people in the UK population watching the Proms on TV last year, we hope to build on this success and make an unforgettable summer for audiences outside of the Hall.

Francesca Kemp is Executive Producer of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms Television.

• Read the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms press pack on the

Meanwhile, Roxanna Panufnik’s new work for the Last Night, Songs of Darkness, Dreams of Light, puts the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Singers and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Symphony Chorus in the spotlight.

In a year that sees the 100th anniversary of women being granted the vote in the UK, it is fitting that this year’s Proms begin and end with major new works by woman composers. We also look at some other women who have contributed to classical music over the past 100 years – in particular Lili Boulanger who died in 1918 at the tragically young age of 24. Bringing the story right up to date, each of our 'Proms at … Cadogan Hall' chamber concerts will feature a world premiere by a woman who has never previously been commissioned by the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. I particularly relish the prospect of Bushra El-Turk’s Crème Brûlée on a Tree – her response to the challenge of setting a recipe to music as a counterpart to Leonard Bernstein’s witty recipe setting La Bonne Cuisine.

Many of the UK’s most exciting composers have come through the and audiences should look out for our 2004 winner, Shiva Feshareki, who makes her Proms debut as turntablist with the London Contemporary Orchestra. This scheme is just one of the many entry points that the Proms offers to classical music, both as creators and audience members. The second Relaxed Prom – led by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and its disabled-led ensemble BSO Resound – will offer an informal environment for all, while a tribute to Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts will rebuild the classical orchestra as never before. Both of these projects have particular resonance in a year in which we celebrate what would have been Bernstein’s 100th birthday – a composer, conductor and educator who worked throughout his life to increase access to the arts.

From new visitors such as the recently formed Estonian Festival Orchestra to old favourites including the Berliner Philharmoniker and Boston Symphony Orchestra, we welcome orchestras from around the globe this summer. Elsewhere, in one night we go from London-inspired symphonies by Haydn and Vaughan Williams to a Late Night Prom in which dancehall producer Mista Savona fuses the sound-worlds of traditional and contemporary Cuba and Jamaica. On another, we hear folk music from around Britain and Ireland before travelling to Lincoln’s Drill Hall the following day for Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale.

I hope you agree that the range of music and the quality of the performers are greater than ever and, as always, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3 will be broadcasting every single note.

David Pickard is Directorof ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms.

• Read the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms media pack on the

David Pickard, the Proms team and I are very proud of the broad and exciting range of concerts we have packed into eight weeks of music-making at the 2018 ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms. The Proms is a world treasure and its mission, to bring the best of classical music to the widest possible audience, is as relevant today as it was in Henry Wood’s time. There’s something for everyone to enjoy, whether in the Royal Albert Hall or listening at home as every note will once again be broadcast on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3 and online, with much of the season also available on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Television. International audiences can also enjoy the Proms this summer via the European Broadcasting Union and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ World Service.

I am delighted that two key and highly successful innovations from last year’s season, supporting live and home audiences, will feature again this year. The Relaxed Prom will be accompanied by an audio description available through headsets for the blind and partially sighted live audience and across ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3’s broadcast coverage.

Additionally, a audio stream will enable radio listeners to experience the concerts as if they were present in the Hall. These recent advancements in ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3’s multiplatform offering speaks to our commitment to mirroring the Proms ambition to reach all audiences, without restriction.

Aside from our work broadcasting this world-class season, we ensure that we also play our part in nurturing home-grown and international talent that come to be placed centre-stage annually at the Proms. Be it in broadcasting of works by aspiring composers through the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms Inspire scheme or championing performers through Radio 3’s New Generation Artists programme, we are proud of the role we play as a station for new and emerging talent, offering the chance for music-makers of the future to hone their art, collaborate with peers and learn from some of the world’s leading musicians, as they work to grow classical music for the years to come.

The Proms’ ability to attract artists from across the globe ensures it remains a focal point for international music-making throughout the year. To ensure that this ambition is carried forward, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3 reflects its involvement in this flagship festival by sharing in the rich tapestry of concerts and events that take place outside of it. Thus, across its schedules, we broadcast live performances from up and down the UK daily, often even venturing overseas to bring the best of music to our audiences. Central to this is the broadcast of concerts from the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Orchestras and Choirs who will once again provide the backbone to this year’s season, as they partake in over 30 Proms.

We’re delighted we can be a part of the Proms’ extraordinary story once again this year. So whether listening at home, watching on TV, absorbing the content online, or witnessing the magic at the Proms’ various 2018 venues, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3 will be there to document every breathtaking moment, and promises to guide audiences on their onward journey when the curtain falls on the ‘Last Night’. Long may we continue to take the spirit of summer that the Proms represent and keep the sun shining all year through.

Alan Davey is Controller of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Orchestras and Choirs.

• Read the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms 2018 media pack on the
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Last weekend the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms had some surprising visitors; our founder Henry Wood returned after a 63 year gap, bringing with him a terrifying Queen of the Night and a 12-foot gnome amongst other things. It's true, the Proms team are known to have limited amounts of sleep during the season, but I'm not hallucinating, this was all part of the third iteration of the Ten Pieces Proms, designed to introduce classical music to new audiences.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Ten Pieces is the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s biggest music education initiative to date, so far reaching over 4 million people. Its aim is simple, encourage creativity with classical music. This year at the Proms, Ten Pieces presented 'Sir Henry's Marvellous Musical Inspirations'- a journey through the many things that have inspired composers to make music. Mozart was presented alongside music by Ravi Shankar, Lili Boulanger, and a piece composed and performed by 40 young people from North Lincolnshire Music Hub. Those young musicians, alongside those a little further along their musical journey including ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Young Musician Finalist Jess Gillam, are central to what we do at Proms Learning; nurturing young talent and giving opportunities to perform on a world-class stage, alongside world-class musicians.

My favourite moment of the Ten Pieces Prom? 500 young people, aged 9-18 performing a new work by Kerry Andrew, "No Place Like". Kerry wrote the piece especially for Ten Pieces III (coming out this autumn). It's about home, the words were contributed by children from across the UK and their emotion and feeling about where they come from is evident in every note. The performance was spine-tingling, as was the audience reaction; 'I wish I could sing that' said one 9 year old in the audience, she can and I hope it inspires her to create her own music one day.

If nurturing talent and creativity is one central pillar to what Proms Learning do, the other is reaching and inspiring new audiences. This Saturday 29 July we present the first ever Relaxed Prom, suitable for children and adults with autism, sensory and communication impairments and learning disabilities as well as individuals who are Deaf, hard of hearing, blind and partially sighted. We've worked closely with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ National Orchestra of Wales, who have been developing work for these audiences for the past 20 years, and the Royal Albert Hall's Education and Outreach Team.

Presented by conductor Grant Llewellyn and musician Andy Pidcock, the Relaxed Prom is a fun and interactive musical experience in a welcoming environment, with plenty of opportunities for participation. During the concert there will be a relaxed attitude to movement and noise in the auditorium. (There are over 80 musicians in the orchestra alone, so it will be loud!) audience members can move about, dance, sing or just listen. 'Chill-out' spaces outside the auditorium are available.

I'm really looking forward to meeting a relaxed audience in the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday and enjoying a very special ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Prom with them. The best place to be as always will be the Promming arena, with plenty of space to move, dance and enjoy the music. Tickets are available on the day and everyone is welcome.

Ellara Wakley is Senior Learning Manager, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms

• Find out more about the  

This year, 90 years after the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ started broadcasting the Proms - we will be making ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3 available in a new way for the duration of the Proms. You can now stream Radio 3 in glorious ‘lossless sound’ – hearing the sound in almost as good a quality as it left our studios – in what we are calling ’Radio 3 Concert Sound’.

A lot of Radio 3’s output is specially recorded, and those recordings are carefully planned and executed by expert engineers. The people know their music, and produce world class recordings that sound beautiful – with carefully constructed bloom, balance and detail that serves the sound and reflects the room it was recorded in. Often (in certain London venues especially…) they even improve on it.

We keep this sound as pure as it can be until it leaves the studio – then we have to compress it. When we put it out at the moment – through FM, DAB and Online HD sound – there is an inevitable loss of quality as the sound is compressed to suit the means of transmission. Our highest quality HD sound is received online at 320kbps – still a fraction of the true bandwidth of the recording and with some loss that the brain has to make up for – a loss that’s hard to hear but is nonetheless there.

If we offer this sound to the audience in lossless it will be over 1000kbps and we will be conveying it to the audience as the recording left us – in Radio 3 Concert Sound. The transmissions from the Proms will be best of all, as we have a very high quality fibre connection from the Royal Albert Hall, and will not be subject to the vagaries of ISDN.

Why does this matter? Hearing an orchestra in recorded sound – no matter how good that sound is – is always not quite so good as hearing an orchestra live. Textures can often seem more limited, some instruments can’t be heard as well, you get no sense of the room in which it was recorded - in short something’s missing. Then if you further compress that you get even further away from what a real orchestra sounds like – at every stage something drops off. So if we can make the sound we put out as lossless as possible, as near to what we captured as we can, it might get us nearer to that live experience, with all its subtlety and texture. We would be getting nearer to giving the listener something that really is the best seat in the house. As we present specially recorded music every evening and weekday afternoons that matters to us and who we are.

Earlier in the year we did a ‘soft’ test of lossless. At home I listened through a Mac Mini, a Musical Fidelity V DAC, an old Rotel Amplifier and ancient B&W DM 110i speakers (the Rotel and B&W’s producing an analogue bloom to LPs when played through them). Listening to great performances on Radio 3 In Concert, and also more delicate sounds such as the Early Music Show, Lunchtime chamber concerts and live Jazz, with a greater richness than our regular online streams. There were some downsides, but on the whole it showed off some pretty excellent recordings to good effect. It was good to listen to for lengthy periods of time too, as your brain is not working as hard to fill in the gaps that lossy transmission or streaming involves.

So, I hope you can give it a try and let us know what you think. If people like it we can consider if we might do more of it – though we’re making no promises at this stage. It matters to us on Radio 3 as we have already put the work in to record great performances in a great way – so if the audience can hear it that way, so much the better.

So give Radio 3 Concert Sound a try. Give yourself to the geeky summer of sonic love that is Radio 3 and the Proms.

Alan Davey is Controller ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3

Over 70 days, from our anniversary on Thursday 29th September, we’ll be supporting both existing and new talent, from poetry to new music. For instance, in order to bring new music to more people we have teamed with Sound and Music to embed composer Matthew Kaner in our output - he'll be composing a new piece every week for the next 70 days, music that will be heard on Radio 3 Breakfast. The was premiered on Tuesday 26th September.

We’re also showcasing new poets in , a journey through the archives of our poetry output which sees greats like Sylvia Plath, Dylan Thomas and W H Auden reading their own work through to new works from poets like Alice Oswald, Simon Armitage and Liz Lochhead creating new poems for us. There's much more, as you'll see from some TV trails showcasing work we have commissioned which begin to be shown on Friday 30th September.

In tandem with our experimental content creation spirit, what many might not realise is our relentless commitment to quality sound. Classical music is so complex and wonderful in its sound makeup we need to translate that experience in a concert hall for audiences at home so they can feel immersed in the performance. Radio drama by the same token is such an intimate art form, that sound quality can really add to and enhance that experience. The Third programme was the first in this country to broadcast in stereo, Radio 3 experimented with quadrophonic, and to date we are proud of the HD 320 kps HD uncompressed sound we give listeners online, and we are looking to see if there are practical ways of taking this quality even further if this offers an advantage to the listener.

We have previously broadcast the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms in HD sound and quality surround sound, but this summer we’ve been undertaking some very exciting trials in binaural recordings. It’s the first time we have recorded the proms in binaural and the signs are good. Some early data back from the trials is encouraging, with over half of all who tried it giving it 5 stars – which means it was in the top 10% of all sound pilots to date and the people rating it was double the average for ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ sound trials. All of this means our audience love the technology. It shows our audience are hungry to have the best quality audio.

Music isn’t the only space we are experimenting, next week our evening of Beckett plays which will be broadcast as part of our 70th anniversary season on Sunday 2nd October featuring Ian Mckellan and Stephen Rea is one such broadcast. The plays will give an insight into the development of Beckett’s style and approach to sound, and it felt an appropriate thing to use truly immersive sound for, through binaural. Tom Parnell will give you a taster later. We’re also broadcasting in binaural as part of our anniversary, some J.G. Ballard mini dramas which air as Between Ballard’s Ears, the plays have been adapted by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Brian Sibley.

You’ll also see further developments in how we reach new audiences in new platforms, with more shareable content being developed that will present our output in different ways, using the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ music app and other new technology in the pipeline. Then we are looking at how we use technology in different ways to enhance the experience of a live classical concert. So the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Philharmonic are launching a series of nine free concerts, something only the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ could do with its fantastic performing groups, , which will present a different way of experiencing a concert. The concerts will also be broadcast on Radio 3.

Using ground-breaking new technology from ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Research and Development, the concerts will create a more immersive musical experience for audiences both in the venue and across the country. The performance and interval discussion will feature in an enhanced live video stream online, which will enable the audience to delve closer into the orchestra, receive synced information about the music and even view a live orchestral score. The concert audience are invited to bring their mobiles and tablet with them to access this information whilst they enjoy the performance. The performances will all be streamed live online and will be available for 30 days after broadcast. We know we have a discerning audience who care not only about what we play but also about the way they hear it, how they experience it and how easy it is to hear it.

What we really celebrate this autumn, is not just about 70 years of the third programme or even how it became Radio 3, but what we celebrate is a pioneering spirit. A place and suite of experiences, funded by the licence fee, that allows everyone opportunities to understand humanity through pioneering music and culture - even nineteenth century music was shocking once.

As long as we continue to push frontiers both in commissioning and sound development, then we’ll be doing our job right for the next 70 years and continuing to enhance lives up and down the country.

Alan Davey is Controller of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3.

• .
• .

1. Anything can happen — and probably will

Not everything goes according to plan, and it isn’t just singers who get sick. In week six one of my colleagues foolishly pointed out that we hadn’t yet had a cancellation. By 11am the next morning we were frantically trying to find a replacement cellist for the concert that night. If his flight from Berlin had been 30 minutes late, Alexey Stadler would not have arrived in time to rehearse the Shostakovich concerto and the audience would have heard Elgar’s In the South instead. However, a prompt arrival and a fast taxi from Heathrow allowed Alexey the triumph he deserved.

Other surprise moments this year included the audience clapping every player off the stage after the last ever performance by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra; being told by Michael Caine that he was once in a film called The Italian Job (er . . . really?); Ed Gardner conducting the first half of his ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Symphony Orchestra Prom wearing two left shoes (ouch); and finding myself colouring in the CBeebies Prom programme (I must have been overtired).

2. Don’t leave the Prom before the last note has been played

Some of the most memorable moments this summer have been the ones that weren’t advertised. When Daniel Barenboim and Martha Argerich asked whether we could find a copy of Schubert’s Rondo in A major for piano duet some of us were prepared to write it out if necessary. It was just one of a number of unforgettable encores.

Others included an impromptu klezmer moment by Ákos Ács after the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, an improvisation by Gabriela Montero that moved from JS Bach to Scott Joplin and finished with Mrs Mills, and a whole bunch of instrumentalists proving that they could play and sing at the same time: Sol Gabetta, Narek Hakhnazaryan and Pekka Kuusisto.

3. Don’t be afraid to steal good ideas — and give a wide berth to others

Planning the Proms is not a one-man job. Conductors, artists, orchestras and composers bring their thoughts to the table, and some of the best ideas come from other people. The conductor Jules Buckley’s inspired suggestion that we could make a fantastic Prom out of the career of the producer Quincy Jones produced one of the highlights of the summer. But also be prepared for some pretty outlandish suggestions from well-intentioned members of the public. I’m still not convinced that the Crimewatch Prom would work.

4. Remember that the Albert Hall is circular

When trying to find your way from the maestro’s dressing room to the weekly planning meeting, with the Albert Hall it’s easy to find yourself in the loading bay by mistake. Even if you get lost, just keep going round. You’ll get there in the end.

5. Learn to bluff your way through the technical jargon

I thought a “spiked stage” was an act of revenge on a badly behaved orchestra and that AutoROT was an infestation you found in the loft and couldn’t get rid of. However, it turns out that both are crucial to the smooth running of the Proms — the former means marking the stage for equipment and the latter is a way of getting shows to other parts of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳. Working for a broadcasting organisation brings a whole new set of acronyms to learn. You need to look as though you understand what everyone is talking about, even if you are mystified.

6. Respect the Prommers

I swear that some of the prommers are the same people I stood next to at my first visit in 1976. I think their backs must have stood up better than mine. It’s also important to respect Proms traditions, from the “heave ho” every time a piano lid is opened on stage to the huge round of applause when the leader of the orchestra tentatively picks out an A for the orchestra to tune.

I am told there are still rumblings about the fountain being removed from the middle of the arena, but promming moves with the times. The fountain was installed to cleanse pollution by the smoking audience. This year’s innovation is contactless payment. Personally, I don’t see what was wrong with cash.

7. Anything goes at the Last Night

There are strong opinions about what should and should not be included in the Last Night, but it’s important to remember that it is, essentially, a party and a chance for everyone to let their hair down after eight weeks of extraordinary music-making.

It’s also an opportunity to dress up — and I don’t just mean the soloists and conductor. Union Jack shorts are two a penny, as are jaunty sailors’ hats, pearly kings and queens outfits and Ginger Spice-style frocks. I’ll be resisting the impulse to raid the fancy dress box, but from what I’ve heard the tenor Juan Diego Flórez may have something pretty outlandish up his sleeve.

David Pickard is the Director, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms

This article was first published on The Times website on

• The Last Night of the Proms will be live on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One on Saturday 10 September 2016

Last year when they announced the first CBeebies Prom I thought: "that's a good idea" and then failed to get off my bum and book tickets before it sold out. So this year when I discovered it was back again - and this time for two performances - I made it my mission to get there.

Tickets acquired, my four-year-old and I headed to Kensington. An admission: I am not the sort of mum who gets pleasure from being around a lot of children. But there was something intensely inspiring about seeing the Royal Albert Hall - this iconic, historical institution - taken over by under-5s. Everywhere you looked there were children and they didn't care this was the RAH, they were coming to see their CBeebies friends.

Mini-me and I took our places and she asked me if she was allowed to talk during the show. I told her not to worry just to listen and respond to what happened on stage.

Then the lights went down and the presenters (all familiar to any CBeebies aficionado) came out on stage - Andy Day, Ben Faulks (AKA Mr Bloom), Gemma Hunt, Chris Jarvis, Rebecca Keatley, Steven Kynman and Cat Sandion.

My daughter was mesmerised, they said "hello" and then introduced the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Concert Orchestra and the conductor Jessica Cottis. The orchestra wore bright t-shirts and came on in an ad-hoc, informal way: there was nothing remotely intimidating about this performance. They played the opening piece - an Overture of CBeebies theme tunes, and we all clapped along.

That done, Jessica turned to us, the audience, and said that the orchestra now needed to warm up. My daughter looked at me questioningly - I explained it was to make sure they were all in tune with one another, and she replied she didn't want them to, as they already sounded perfect.

That's when a strange thing happened: you expect crying at any event for under-5s ... but not from the parents. Yet tears were running down my face and continued to at points during the concert, as I scanned the auditorium looking from excited face to cheeky grin, I found it hard not to cry. I can't quite attest as to why this happened - but on reflection it feels like a few things both came together to cause the waterworks. Firstly, a very personal thing, watching my little girl listen intently to music by Prokofiev, Beethoven, Korngold, Maxwell Davies and Richard Strauss - she looked so grown up and was so engaged, I couldn't help but imagine her as an adult perhaps sitting in this very concert hall one day in the future listening to music.

The second reason is something my ed , he wrote:

"A Proms experience is difficult to shake ... I do have a weakness for live broadcast. And in addition, I adore being amongst a crowd during a live broadcast too: there is an infectious kind of energy... There is a thrill to be experienced when one sees a mass of people all sitting in attendance for the same reason you are. It is a collective experience. Regardless of the actual performance, just being in the presence of 6,000 people is an incredibly moving experience."

And I think it's that collective experience that I found so very affecting - especially knowing this would be many of these little people's first experience of live classical music. I also can't deny feeling proud that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ produces this kind of event and caters to this very important audience of pre-schoolers.

The performance ended with Marquez’s Conga del Fuego, which got people dancing in the aisles, and as we headed into the sunshine my daughter said she'd decided she wanted to be a conductor like Jessica. I wonder how many kids that were there left with similar aspirations as a result of that Prom. And you never know - some of them may even fulfill those dreams... Excuse me I seem to need a tissue.

Last night’s Strictly Prom featuring the nimble footwork of Radio 3 presenter Katie Derham is broadcast on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four later tonight. For some of us who slavishly work our way through the summer using the Proms brochure as a guide, the party atmosphere in last night’s concert was an early Last Night of the Proms – a little treat at the end of the first week of concert-going.

There should be more parties during the summer, I think. Sometimes, the sound of a lavish Rodgers and Hammerstein melody or the tub-thumping exuberance of 42nd Street helps turn a school night into something of an occasion.

And a sense of occasion suits classical music well. That’s why some of my most favourite spaces to sit in are concert halls. Often cathedral-like spaces, there are few other opportunities which bring thousands of people together and, at various points in time, have them sat in contemplative silence.

That is an infectious experience. There is nothing quite like it. Similarly, when you find yourself in amongst an audience who aren’t prepared for the French national anthem and, almost as one, they stand up sweeping you up at the same time. . 

As I have got older, so I’ve come to appreciate that there is, in addition to those on the stage, another ‘artist’ in a concert hall – the audience. And when the audience moves as one entity, injecting all sorts of emotions into proceedings, so the concert hall experience is elevated.

I hear that in the Proms broadcast. It is the surge of the audience at the end of a piece which I find myself more and more attuned to. The question comes from the stage: the answer from the audience. And sometimes, there’s a palpable rush I experience that emanates from deep inside to the back of my throat. A gasp usually follows, just as it did listening to the Strictly Prom. The excitement in Katie Derham's voice is obvious, and that is reflected in the audience applause. I listen to this standing in my kitchen staring out at a garden withering after a week of intense heat, reminded of how the Proms deliciously combines so many different potent elements of summer.

The cheers in this Prom are a response to the music and the dance at the Albert Hall. I can’t see the dance, obviously, but I can sense it through the crowd who, from time to time, whoop with excitement whenever a recognisable face bounds onto stage. Completing my imaginary tableau is the music. Familiar numbers from a sequined back catalogue featuring Tchaikovsky, and Khachaturian, South American dance rhythms and musical theatre classics. All lined up back to back, they give me a much-needed lift at the end of a long day at work.

The running order also reminds me of something else. Years ago – sometime in the mid-eighties – a similar programme of classical music aired on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 2. Flautist James Galway powered through a number of arrangements of classic tunes arranged for him and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Concert Orchestra in a special concert aired in the weeks before Christmas. Mum got me to record it so she could play it on the car stereo. I enjoyed listening to it so much that the tape never made it out of my tape recorder. And there it stayed until the tape recorder, through repeat listens and rewinds, ended up chewing up the tape itself.

The music in that James Galway concert - some of which features in the Strictly Prom - is now so familiar to me that it risks suffering the same fate Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. But what reinvigorates all of these tunes are the arrangements made by expert orchestrators. Scrunchy harmonies and unexpected textures breathe new life into familiar old friends. My pulse races as a result, James Galway and the Strictly Prom now inextricably linked.

Then I imagine just one lifelong devotee reflecting on their love of classical music in thirty or so years’ time, and wonder whether that devotion might have started at the Strictly Prom.

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Blog

• the Strictly Come Dancing Prom on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four from 7.30pm on Friday 22 July 2016.
• to the live radio broadcast of the Strictly Prom via ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer 

 

Sakari Oramo conducts the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Symphony Orchestra in the opening concert in this year’s ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms this Friday. Jon Jacob talked to the Finnish conductor before rehearsals for the opening night of the season got underway at ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Maida Vale studios earlier this week.

Tell us three surprising things about you

First is that I own a vintage car – Citreon DS with a  black leather interior that I’ve had for about six years. The second surprising thing is that I’ve followed a vegetarian diet for a year and a half. I feel very good for having done that. The third surprising thing is that most of my education happened in French but in Finland. I went to a French school in Helsinki and the first four or five years of school mostly happened in French.

That really does surprise me. How did that come about? What impact did that have on you?

At the time I think it was probably the thing to do – my parents thought it was a good idea at the time. It was actually the nearest school to where I lived as a child. One has to know that in the early 1970s Finland was still pretty much a closed country. It was culturally very closed back then. So, all this for my parents was about predicting a more international future for the coming generation. That was very much on the agenda for my parents and for many others.

Did you feel at the time that you were having a broader education? Did you feel at the time that your horizons were being broadened?

Absolutely. We had native French teachers who kept changing very often. Getting to know these people and learn how they thought certainly broadened my horizons quite a lot. Although I haven’t worked in France that much, or indeed with French speaking orchestras, it still gives me a sense of comfort with French music. It connects me with the French culture – with music, literature and other arts as well. It certainly gave me a much broader experience in many ways.

What do you think you connected with in terms of French music? What elements of French music makes your heart beat faster?

It’s the whole kind of way of thinking – it’s so far from the German way of composing. For instance, where you have musical motifs which develop over a much longer period of time. In French music its much more about colour or points of interest rather than long tracks of musical development. In French music is more about savouring the moment; music for the senses. Of course there has been cross-breeding between the cultures. But here I’m referring to the most extreme examples.

When you talk about French music in that way I think about impressionism, Debussy, for example.

Yes. Debussy. Rameau. Dutilleux. Various others, contemporary composers too. They share that feature – that’s quite clear in the study of music history. Even in the French Baroque composers  you can see that characteristic too.

What was going on when you were first introduced to classical music?

Well, I had it all the time at home. My mother is a pianist. My father is a musicologist. I heard music, basically, from the moment I was born.

Was there a key moment? Do you recall a key moment?

There really can’t be when it’s that early in your life experience.

Was there a moment when you decided ‘classical music is definitely for me’?

Not really, no. I really did drift into classical music right from an early age – it was always a part of me.

And you’ve never questioned it? Was there ever a moment when you’ve thought “Oh, this isn’t working for me”?

Not seriously. Not long-lasting. Maybe there was one point when I veered away from being a violinist to a conductor. That was the late 1980s. Even then, I don’t think I can give one moment when everything kind of clicked either way. It’s all been a sort of flow of thoughts and feelings.

From your perspective as a Finn, can you tell me what it is that’s special about the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms? What is it that you see that perhaps the rest of us overlook?

The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms is an institution. What really makes the Proms stand out is that it’s managed to withstand a lot of the pressures of modern days, say commercialism. What makes the Proms so very valuable is that the festival is all about the music. It’s great, of course,  that the big names are there. They lend the whole event an aura. But, even when Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim, or Murray Perrahia perform at the Proms, it’s always about the music.

Is there any difference in how you or the musicians in the orchestras approach a concert because it’s a Prom concert?

I’m sure, yes, for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Symphony Orchestra and the Chorus. The Proms is the big showcase of the year. We do concerts all year – at the Barbican, for example – but the range of audience at the Proms is incredible. Our high profile touring is very successful – but it’s always a very local experience. But at the Proms, we experience what it’s like being a focal point of the musical world’s attention. It still remains an arena where you really want to do well, more than anywhere else.

What do you particularly love about the Proms?

For me, one of the things I really lovely about the Proms is the build up – and I feel it from the beginning of the season - to the climax to the Last Night. The Last Night is a real people’s party.  It’s an event which releases all of the pressure which has gathered throughout the season amongst those devoted Prommers who have attended each concert.

What was your first experience of the Last Night?

It was hilarious. I really enjoyed it. For any conductor conducting the Last Night, the most scary part is the speech. Not being a professional speaker yet having to speak in front of an audience of millions, live, is unique I think.  

What adds a slightly unwanted extra pressure is the expectation for it to also be funny. Because that’s not something we Finns do very well.

But Finland did win the Eurovision with Lordi though, didn’t you?

Yes, but I am not going to dress up in a costume like that to give my speech.

Tell us about one of the works which features in the First Night of the Proms – the Elgar Cello Concerto. It’s regarded as quintessentially English,  a work a lot of British people identify with. What’s your take on it? What is it that’s seen as English? Do you get that sense of Britishness from it?

I’m interested in that notion of Englishness in music. I think a lot of it is that audiences have been exposed to the sound of Elgar’s music very early on and repeatedly. The same applies to Sibelius and the Finns. For me, there isn’t any ‘traditional’ Finnish folk music in Sibelius’ music. There are elements, of course, but it’s not focussed on traditional Finnish music. And it’s the same with Elgar’s music.

Englishness in music for me, is mostly to do with tradition, and how audiences are exposed to music in this country. The modal elements in Elgar’s music – that musical link to medieval times you can hear in the work, for example. You can hear it throughout history in English music. That’s certainly one English element.

There is too, in the Elgar Cello Concerto, a certain kind of melancholy in Elgar’s music. It’s not necessarily part of a British person’s psyche. If people hear melancholy in Elgar’s music then that’s might be something the listener is attaching to it themselves when they listen to it.

The fact that Elgar wasn’t a part of the British establishment is also important for me. He was lower middle-class. He fought very hard to get the position he ended up with on the top of the nation’s league table of composers. And when he got there he wasn’t very happy about it. In that respect too its difficult to ascribe Englishness or Britishness necessarily to the sound in Elgar’s Cello Concerto.

So you’re saying that if we as listeners describe Elgar’s music as ‘British’ then that’s our perception? In the same way you were suggesting with Sibelius ? So you don’t listen to Sibelius and think of home?

No. Not at all. It is a perception, of course. And perceptions shouldn’t be downplayed. But where Sibelius is concerned, some of his music is rooted in the so-called Finnish mythology – its really Karelian mythology, which is completely different. I think what that says to me is that the borders we see on the map today are totally artificial. So, to ascribe a national sound to a composer’s musical language isn’t very helpful.

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Blog. He spoke to Sakari Oramo on Wednesday 13 July 2016.

• The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms gets underway on Friday 15 July 2016, at 7.30pm on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 3, and later on ) and 
• Read more information about ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms TV coverage on the
• Further information about the Proms season can be found on the
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To coincide with the launch of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms, we spoke to new Director David Pickard about the 2016 season, having 'the best job in classical music', and the festival's enduring appeal. 

What was your first experience of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms? What do you think is its enduring appeal?

I had my first experience of a classical music concert at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms when I was 16 or 17. I went with my parents. I remember Promming quite early on. I feel as though I’ve had the complete Proms experience, from attending as a Prommer, running organisations that have appeared at the Proms, to now running the festival itself.

I think for many people it is their classical music going experience. They go for that incredible and unique atmosphere.

Is there something about that venue – the Royal Albert Hall - that draws people there, do you think? And if there is, what impact does it have on concert-going all year round?

When I was with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, we’d play a relatively obscure work at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms and 6000 people would listen; we’d play a programme of Beethoven Sypmhonies in another venue after the Proms and there might be 600 people present. The question remains for everyone who works in classical music: where does that audience go? And I think to a certain extent there's a burden of responsibility for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms – we have to make sure that people have a great experience at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms and that they do move onto those other events when the Proms isn't on.

Is there something about the prospect of journeying to a concert hall that demands you commit to an unusual and sometimes longer-than-normal journey. Does an unorthodox journey make the experience at the end of it even more special?

I understand what you mean. I remember as a Prommer coming to London in the morning to attend a concert in the evening that on arrival I realised I was going to have to queue all day to get in. I recall the sense of expectation when I got there early and discovered a longer than expected queue. It left me wondering whether I’d get in or not. And that adds to the experience of being there.

I Prommed last summer – I wanted to see what it was like to Prom again. I went to the Gallery. The nice thing was that I could walk in and walk straight up the stairs. It was an eclectic mix of people. The atmosphere hadn’t changed. That’s its great appeal. I love it.

Do you think you will Prom now you’re Director of the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms?

I would love to. I absolutely loved it last year. It was interesting. The sound was incredible. And that gave me some useful insights for programming at the Proms this year.

From an arts management perspective, what’s the appeal of running the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms?

There are two daunting things I’ve heard since I took on the role of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms Director. The first is when people say “You have the best job in classical music.” The other is, “What is your vision for the Proms?”  That was interesting for me because it's showed that running the Proms is the most incredible job to have - a festival that has longevity and a continuum to it, an event which has the support of this incredible organisation behind it ...

... hearing things like that must remind you of how role is an enormous responsibility, doesn’t it?

Oh, a huge responsibility, of course. To be honest with you, I’ve had that in a lot of my jobs. It’s something you become accustomed to. But when you’re getting accustomed to that responsibility, you’ll come to realise that you’d be mad not to respect that legacy or history.

And that’s where the vision comes in for me: if you look at the origins of the Proms you find the reason why the festival existed in the first place. You don’t start a job like this and think its going to be a different festival, you have to remember that this event, as its always been, has been about bringing the best of classical music to the widest possible audience. 

Why was the festival set up? Why is it still going? It’s because the initial idea is still relevant today. Obviously, what is the best music in 1895 when the festival started isn’t necessarily what some people regard the best in 2016. But, the original vision remains the same.

What do you think has sustained the Proms?

Different directors, I think. The Proms history is absolutely fascinating. From when the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ took over the festival, to William Glock taking over as Director, and what happened after Glock. There is a fascinating narrative about how when each different person came along there was a change. The impact that television had when it was first introduced under Robert Ponsonby’s directorship was significant too. Nowadays television is incredibly important to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms. And of course, the most recent change for us has been the impact of digital on how people enjoy the Proms:  last year in particular the catch-up figures on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ iPlayer soared.

What does the Proms offer a visiting orchestra?

It’s a great thing for their CVs! I went to visit for the first time an extremely distinguished conductor who was in such demand he had to keep saying no to people. I was introduced to him as the Director of the Proms and the first thing he said was: “Please, please keep inviting me to the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms!” And I thought that this was extraordinary! The hardest thing about this job is the number of people I’ve had to turn down. In that respect I think that for orchestras it is really important that the Proms is part of any European or worldwide tour.

The other thing, is the audience in the Royal Albert Hall. The silence illustrates the level of listening - it's incredible. Perhaps we take for granted the contribution what that kind of intent listening has on the performance itself. There’s an interplay there between audience and performers which is so important, and that’s heightened at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms.

How does the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms fit in with the cultural landscape of the UK?

It’s a national and an international showcase of classical music. It is surely the biggest and the greatest classical music festival in the UK and internationally too. Everyone gets an opportunity to shine in the limelight. It’s an opportunity too to showcase what is going on in classical music. To have Barenboim, Rattle, Alsop, Pappano, Gergiev, and Haitink (back for his 88th Prom) all in one festival is a truly amazing thing and illustrates that.

Why are there ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms concerts occurring in different venues this year?

I’m interested in exploring how we reach out to audiences across London. So as I started to think about that I started to get quite intrigued about matching music to venues in an interesting way. So for example, the Shakespeare Prom in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse seemed like the perfect match; or the chance to hear Steve Reich’s music in a multi-storey car park in Peckham, that seemed ideal too.

These concerts are an experiment. I’m hoping it will add another dimension to the Proms.

Could this idea be extended to events in different parts of the UK?

I haven’t got that far. Of course it has crossed my mind. The only thing I’d say is that Proms in the Park does already do that, and of course the Proms is a broadcast festival – that’s its very purpose.  But it would be interesting to see if it could work.

What are your season highlights?  

There are a lot! Be sure to look at the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms website or purchase the guide or app for all the details. 

I want to start with the new series Proms at... I mentioned before. Purcell at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe in Southwark, Rossini’s Petite messe Solennelle at The Chapel, Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, the music of Steve Reich at the Bold Tendencies Multi-Storey Car Park in Peckham and the return of the Proms to the Roundhouse in Camden with music by David Sawer.

There's a series of events dedicated to the cello including ten concertos ranging from favourites of the repertoire, Elgar and Dvorak to four premieres featuring Huw Watkins new concerto written for, and performed by, his brother Paul. Soloists include Steven Isserlis, Alisa Weilerstein and Truls Mørk.

We'll be marketing Shakespeare 400 with music from Purcell to Hans Abrahamsen and Duke Ellington. There's music from Brazil across the season to celebrate the Rio Olympics including the music of Ginastera (in his centenary year) and Villa-Lobos.

Young musicians feature at the centre of the festival. The Last Night of the Proms features a commission from former ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Inspire Young Composer winner Tom Harrold, the Proms Youth Ensemble perform side-by-side with the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Symphony Orchestra and 16 young singers take to the stage for Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music. There are two CBeebies and two Ten Pieces II Proms, as well as a weekend of youth orchestras and choirs too.

We'll also be paying tribute to two musical pioneers, Pierre Boulez and David Bowie in dedicated Late Night Proms.

 

This blog post is a transcription of a conversation between David Pickard and Jon Jacob on Tuesday 5 April 2016.

• more about this year's ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Proms season
• Read the full announcing this year's classical music festival
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