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On 14 September 1996, the 成人论坛 Proms took to the great outdoors. The first Proms in the Park brought surging crowds, fast food vans and a large stage flanked with huge video screens to one of the most famous institutions in British musical life. This was the culmination of years of planning: an ambition to share the Last Night between the Royal Albert Hall and an audience of 28,000 across the road in Hyde Park.

The 成人论坛 Concert Orchestra kicked off with Bernstein's jaunty Candide Overture. James Galway whirled through the Carmen Fantasy, the Lab猫que Sisters pounded their way through West Side Story and soprano Maria Ewing kept things upbeat and jubilant with Rossini, Verdi and Broadway hits. As night fell and coloured lights lit up the park, the live link-up with the Royal Albert Hall for Elgar, Wood, Arne and Parry generated a cacophony of whistles, shouts and sing-alongs.

After all, the Proms are a descendant of 18th-century outdoor promenade concerts in London鈥檚 pleasure gardens: intoxicating dreamlands with woody paths and twinkling lamps, where music by Handel and his peers could be heard by thousands. In the 1850s, thousands of people went to Sunday Band concerts and a staggering 86,000 people reportedly attended an open-air concert in Victoria Park.

After the huge success of 1996, the vast majority of the audience said they loved the variety of music. So Proms in the Park brought in even more: Michael Ball and Riverdance, West End and West Life, Nicola Benedetti, Simply Red, Lesley Garrett, Kylie. It expanded geographically too: by 2003, all four British nations held spectacular outdoor events.

This is one of 100 significant musical moments explored by 成人论坛 Radio 3鈥檚 Essential Classics as part of Our Classical Century, a 成人论坛 season celebrating a momentous 100 years in music from 1918 to 2018. Visit bbc.co.uk/ourclassicalcentury to watch and listen to all programmes in the season.

This is an archive recording by the 成人论坛 National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales with conductor Grant Llewellyn.

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