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It’s the grand finale to eight weeks of fabulous classical music performances by some of the world’s leading performers. And it’s always a night for celebration, featuring a mix of specially chosen works and time-honoured favourites. Here’s all you need to know about the 2024 Last Night of the Proms – including repertoire, performers, and how to watch and listen.<\/p>
This year\u2019s Last Night of the Proms will take place on Saturday 14 September 2024, at the Royal Albert Hall<\/a><\/strong>. The concert will start at 7pm, and will be broadcast live on both BBC Radio 3 and BBC Two. <\/p> Standing on the conductor’s podium at this year’s Last Night of the Proms will be the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo. He has been chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra that performs at both the Last Night and First Night of the Proms<\/a><\/strong>, since 2012. As such, this will be Oramo’s sixth time conducting the Last Night.<\/p> Last year’s Last Night was helmed by the American conductor Marin Alsop<\/a><\/strong>. That was her second Last Night, in fact: in 2013, Alsop became the first ever woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms. <\/p> This year, Oramo and the BBC Symphony Orchestra will be joined by soprano Angel Blue, who will perform arias by Puccini among others. Pianist Stephen Hough, meanwhile, will give us the slow movement from Camille Saint-Sa\u00ebns<\/a><\/strong>‘s exuberant Fifth Piano Concerto.<\/p> In addition to the familiar classics, fanfares<\/a><\/strong> and anthems, the programme will include arias by Puccini<\/a><\/strong>, a famous sporting piece by Charles Ives<\/a><\/strong>, and Gabriel Faur\u00e9’s beautiful Pavane. <\/p> Expect the Last Night staple Henry Wood<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Fantasia on British Sea Songs, a medley of British sea<\/strong><\/a> songs<\/strong><\/a> arranged by Wood in 1905 to mark the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p> Here;s the full programme:<\/p> Chap\u00ed<\/strong>\u00a0Las hijas del Zebedeo<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u2018Al pensar en el due\u00f1o de mis amores\u2019 (Carceleras),\u00a0 Find out what we picked as the best Last Nights of the Proms from history<\/b><\/a>. <\/p> The Last Night of the Proms has followed in the same format since Malcolm Sargent took over from Proms founder Henry Wood as chief conductor in 1947<\/b><\/a>. It was he that decided to expand the viewership of the Proms and appeal to the masses with the concert sequence of \u2018Rule Britannia\u2019, Elgar\u2019s Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 <\/i>\u2018Land of Hope and Glory\u2019 <\/i>and Parry\u2019s Jerusalem<\/strong>. <\/i><\/p> It was also Sargent who was responsible for helping cement the tradition of speech-giving at the Last Night. Henry Wood had given the first Last Night speech in 1941 at a time where the future of the festival was under question, but at that time it was not an annual tradition. Nowadays, the Last Night conductor is expected to give a speech on a subject of their choosing.<\/p> Often, they will discuss the state of music education and the importance of music and the arts in culture. In 2013, Marin Alsop became the first woman in Proms history to conduct the Last Night and mentioned her surprise at this fact in her speech<\/b><\/a>, saying she was shocked that there could still be \u2018firsts for women in 2013.\u2019<\/p> Another historic Last Night, for different reasons, was the 1992 instalment, when the late lamented Sir Andrew Davis<\/a><\/strong>, a Last Night regular, did something different. Davis, always a much-loved performer, delivered his farewell address in the form of a Gilbert and Sullivan aria<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p> The first half of the Last Night of the Proms concert tends to feature a more eclectic range of music, often with a few contemporary pieces thrown in for good measure. There\u2019s often a premiere of a newly commissioned Proms work<\/b><\/a>. The second half of the Last Night is more celebratory and \u2013 some would say \u2013 frivolous. The soloist will often adorn themselves in a festive outfit to sing \u2018Rule Britannia<\/a><\/strong>\u2019. If, as an audience member, you\u2019re worried about what to wear to the BBC Proms<\/b><\/a>, we have a tailor-made introduction to the Proms dress code<\/b><\/a> just for you.<\/p>Who is conducting the 2024 Last Night of the Proms?<\/b><\/h2>
Who conducted the 2023 Last Night of the Proms?<\/strong><\/h3>
Who are the performers for this year<\/b>\u2019s Last Night of the Proms?<\/b><\/h2>
What is on the programme this year?<\/strong><\/h2>
What happens at the Last Night of the Proms?<\/b><\/h2>
2013: a memorable Last Night<\/strong><\/h3>