We’re proud to present your daily BBC Proms preview from BBC Music Magazine. Here’s everything you need to know about Prom 56, which takes place on the evening of Sunday 1 September. It features one of the world’s most revered orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic, performing one of the composers who, it’s probably fair to say, show them at their very best: Anton Bruckner.
Why not bookmark www.classical-music.com so you can keep checking in every day until the end of this year’s Proms (the famous Last Night of the Proms, Saturday 14 September)? Each day you’ll find an insightful guide to that evening’s Prom, featuring details on the works, performers and more. Meanwhile, if you simply want to browse all the 2024 Proms on one page, just head to our fully loaded 2024 BBC Proms guide.
What’s on at the BBC Proms today?
Today’s Prom, Prom 56, is an all-Bruckner Prom. We begin with three motets (sacred choral works sung in several parts): Os justi; Locus iste; Christus factus est. A profoundly devout man, Bruckner composed a lot of sacred music, much of it of great merit and often performed today. His sacred output includes a Te Deum, five psalm settings, a cantata, seven Masses and around 40 motets.
The climax of tonight’s Prom, however, is Bruckner’s solemn, monumental and profoundly devout Fifth Symphony. One of Bruckner’s most complex works (and that’s saying something), the Fifth stands out among his nine symphonies for its architectural grandeur, its solemnity and intense spirituality, and its intricate counterpoint that often recalls the great JS Bach.
The Allegro first movement begins with a solemn, majestic introduction before leading into the complex and powerful main theme. Keen students of both classical and pop music will notice that The White Stripes’s ‘Seven Nation Army’ bears a strong resemblance to this theme, so we included it in our list of great pop songs inspired by classical music.
This movement features plenty of ingenious counterpoint: themes are developed and woven together, and the whole is a fine showcase for Bruckner’s mastery of orchestral organisation.
‘Its flowing melodies create an atmosphere of spiritual yearning’
This is followed by a lyrical Adagio second movement. Serene and contemplative, it’s a striking contrast to the first movement, its flowing melodies creating an atmosphere of spiritual yearning. After this comes a lively Scherzo, featuring plenty of driving energy and some jovial, lilting themes that seem to come from folk music or Austrian Ländler. A Trio section provides some tranquility and a break from the Scherzo’s boisterous energy.
Perhaps the Fifth Symphony’s greatest movement, however, is its Finale: a creation of glorious intricacy and solemnity, featuring a double fugue. A little like the Finale of Mozart‘s Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’, the beauty of the way in which Bruckner arranges and synthesises his themes can be an emotional and even an overwhelming experience. It all builds to a triumphant finish, which is easy to see as Bruckner expressing the joy and certainty of his religious faith.
Who is performing at the BBC Proms today?
So, who are today’s Proms performers? We begin with the BBC Singers and conductor Owain Park, performing the three Bruckner motets. Then, for the Symphony No. 5, the performers are the illustrious Berlin Philharmonic and their chief conductor Kirill Petrenko.
The work’s complexity, plus the emotional depth required to bring it to life, make the Fifth Symphony one of Bruckner’s most technically demanding symphonies, both for the performers and the conductor. But the Berlin Phil have this music in their blood. They have a very strong tradition with the Bruckner symphonies, including two acclaimed entire symphony cycles conducted by Herbert von Karajan and Daniel Barenboim, as well as some much admired individual symphonies with Eugen Jochum.
What time does tonight’s Prom start?
Prom 56, featuring the BBC Singers and the Berlin Phil in Bruckner, kicks off at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced between £26 and £80.