Here is your daily BBC Proms preview from BBC Music Magazine. Read on to find out all about Prom 54, taking place on the afternoon of Saturday 31 August and featuring the great cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Why not bookmark www.classical-music.com for the duration of the 2024 Proms, right up until the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday 14 September? That way, you can come back every day for an insightful preview to the Prom, or Proms, taking place that day. For more of an eagle-eye view of the entire Proms season, meanwhile, head to our 2024 BBC Proms guide.
What’s on at the BBC Proms today?
Today, for Prom 54 (Fri 30 August), the Proms welcome one of the most acclaimed and best loved performers on the world stage. The American cellist Yo-Yo Ma has inspired and captivated audiences around the world.
Something of a child prodigy, Yo-Yo Ma performed for the then-US President John F Kennedy when he was just seven years old, and later studied at Harvard University and the prestigious Juilliard School.
Known and loved around the world, Yo-Yo Ma has set down almost 100 recordings, spanning everything from Western classical music via American bluegrass and traditional Chinese melodies to Argentine tango. He has also won 19 Grammy Awards. In 1998, the cellist founded the Silk Road Project, aimed at boosting collaboration between musicians from all over the world.
Who is performing with Yo-Yo Ma?
For Prom 54 this afternoon, Yo-Yo Ma is joined by friends and regular collaborators Emmanuel Ax (piano) and Leonidas Kavakos (violin).
And what are they performing?
The three performers will give us two gems from the chamber music repertoire: Brahms‘s Piano Trio No. 2 in C major, Op. 87, and the hugely popular Piano Trio in B flat major, Op.97 ‘Archduke’, by Beethoven.
Is today’s Prom on TV?
Yes! Prom 54, featuring Yo-Yo Ma and friends, is being recorded for broadcast. It will be shown on BBC Four the following day, Sunday 1 September, at 8pm.
How much are tickets to the BBC Proms today?
Tickets to Prom 54 are priced between £26 and £80. You also have the option of joining the legendary Prommers for the day, and queuing outside the Royal Albert Hall for the chance of an £8 ticket.