{"id":45013,"date":"2024-07-17T17:24:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T15:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/30ab02b6-7a1c-4a77-be64-d945b53c3e79"},"modified":"2024-07-17T17:36:18","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T15:36:18","slug":"daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms\/","title":{"rendered":"Daleks, congas, protests, and the year no one came: 100 unforgettable BBC Proms"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 17 July 2024 at 15:24 PM<\/p>

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The story of the Proms<\/a><\/strong> is fascinating, colourful, rousing – and dominated by one organisation in particular. While the famous festival founded by Robert Newman and Henry Wood has been in existence for 127 years, around three-quarters of that has been under the watchful eye of \u2018Auntie\u2019 \u2013 a period that has seen Proms that range from joyful to doom-laden, from sternly serious to splendidly silly. Here, we present 100 of the most best and memorable Proms of all time (well, during the BBC’s near-100-year tenure…)<\/p>

And by the way, here are full listings for the 2024 BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>

Contents<\/h2>
The early BBC years<\/strong><\/a>The 1940s<\/a><\/strong>The 1950s<\/strong><\/a>The 1960s<\/a><\/strong>The 1970s<\/a><\/strong>The 1980s<\/a><\/strong>The 1990s<\/a><\/strong>The 2000s<\/a><\/strong>2010 to the present<\/a><\/strong><\/p>
The 100 best Proms of all time:\u00a0the early BBC years<\/h2>
13 August 1927: the first BBC Prom<\/h3>
Early leaders: Henry Wood in action. Credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Auntie takes over. Though the BBC began life in 1922, it was five years later that the organisation took over the running of the Proms. Now 32 years old, the festival itself was very popular but not in the greatest financial health \u2013 with co-founder Robert Newman having died the year before, things were looking iffy. <\/p>
Keen to find a way to broadcast concerts from the Queen\u2019s Hall, the BBC saw its chance\u2026 and pounced. \u2018When I walked on to the platform for my first Promenade Concert under the British Broadcasting Corporation, I felt really elated,\u2019 wrote conductor Henry Wood<\/a> <\/strong>later. \u2018I realised the work of such a large part of my life had been saved from an untimely death.\u2019 <\/p>
24 August 1927: Brahms, interrupted<\/h3>
$\"\"$
Violinist Daisy Kennedy. Credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
After her performance of Brahms<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Violin Concerto grinds to a halt midway, soloist Daisy Kennedy blames a lack of rehearsal time. The BBC denies responsibility. <\/p>
The greatest violin concertos of all time<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul>11 August 1928: The fountain returns<\/h3>
Absent for the first year of the BBC Proms, the decorative fountain is restored to the centre of the Queen\u2019s Hall<\/a><\/strong> for the new season. It continues to bring watery relief to hot and sweaty Prommers<\/a><\/strong> until 2011. <\/p>
24 August 1928: Beethoven’s Ninth<\/h3>
Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony<\/a><\/strong> is performed in its entirety and with full chorus for the first time since 1902. From now on, it will become a regular part of each Proms season. <\/p>
08 August 1931: Introducing the BBC SO<\/h3>
Brought together as an ensemble the previous autumn, the BBC Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> makes its Proms debut on the First Night. <\/p>
22 August 1931: Webern<\/h3>
Anton Webern<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Passacaglia Op. 1 is performed for the first time in Britain, but the critics are largely sniffy about a work they regard as little more than juvenilia. <\/p>
14 August 1934: Berg<\/h3>
More Second Viennese School delights as, mooted in previous seasons, Alban Berg<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Three Fragments from Wozzeck<\/em> gets its Proms premiere. Soprano May Blyth is the singer. <\/p>
19 September 1935: Shostakovich<\/h3>An all-Russian Prom includes the British premiere of Shostakovich\u2019s First Symphony<\/a><\/strong> and an aria from the 28-year-old composer\u2019s opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk<\/em>, a work dismissed in Pravda the next year as \u2018a muddle instead of music\u2019. <\/p>
\u2018Mr Britten\u2019s cleverness has got the better of him.\u2019<\/h4>11 August 1938: Great Britten?<\/h3>
A 24-year-old Benjamin Britten<\/a><\/strong> (below) gives the world premiere of his Piano Concerto. \u2018This is not a stylish work,\u2019 grumps the Musical Times<\/em>. \u2018Mr Britten\u2019s cleverness has got the better of him.\u2019 <\/p>
$\"Composer$ A young Benjamin Britten. Photo by Denis De Marney\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images – Denis De Marney\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
1 September 1939: Beethoven… and instruments down<\/h3>
After conducting Beethoven<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Second Piano Concerto and Sixth Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, Henry Wood announces that the rest of the Proms season is cancelled, as Britain is now at war with Germany. <\/p>
The 100 best Proms of all time \u2013\u00a0the 1940s<\/h2>
27 June 1942: The Beeb is back<\/h3>
The BBC has not been in charge of every Proms season since 1927 \u2013 on the outbreak of WWII, the corporation made the decision to leave the 1940 and \u201941 seasons to others as it hotfooted it out of the capital. When, with things a little quieter, it returned to the helm in 1942, a couple of notable changes had taken place. <\/p>
Firstly, with the Queen\u2019s Hall having been obliterated by German bombs on the night of 10 May 1941, the festival had moved to a new home at the Royal Albert Hall. Secondly, on 16 August 1941, Henry Wood \u2013 not the keenest of orators \u2013 had given the first of the conductor\u2019s speeches that would become a regular Last Night of the Proms feature. <\/p>
Why are the BBC Proms called the Proms?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
29 June 1942: More Shostakovich<\/h3>
In a show of defiance against the German invasion of Russia, Shostakovich\u2019s \u2018Leningrad\u2019 Symphony No. 7<\/a> <\/strong>receives its first performance in western Europe. The score has been smuggled out of the Soviet Union on microfilm two months earlier. <\/p>
24 June 1943: A great Fifth<\/h3>
$\"Composer$
Ralph Vaughan Williams. Photo by Charles Hewitt\/Getty Images – Charles Hewitt\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>
Ralph\u2019s vision of peace. The list of works that have had their first performance at the Proms is both long and distinguished. Few, however, have enjoyed such lasting popularity as Vaughan Williams\u2019s extraordinarily haunting Fifth Symphony<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>
The work of a composer who, even at 70, was doing nightly duty as a fire-watcher in the event of German air raids, its message seemed to many listeners to be one of a longed-for vision of peace. \u2018Its serene loveliness is completely satisfying in these times,\u2019 wrote conductor Adrian Boult to the composer, \u2018and shows, as only music can, what we must work for when this madness is over.\u2019 <\/p>
11 July 1943: Sunday service<\/h3>With the government commandeering the Albert Hall<\/a> <\/strong>for a meeting to honour China on 7 July, that evening\u2019s Prom has to be postponed four days, making this the first ever Prom to take place on a Sunday. <\/p>
29 June 1944: Bombs and Bax<\/h3>
As German doodlebugs fall on London, a Prom including works by Bax<\/a><\/strong>, Franck<\/a><\/strong> and Sibelius<\/a><\/strong> brings the regular Albert Hall season to a premature end. Operations transfer to Bedford, where Proms are performed in front of an invited audience. <\/p>
28 July 1944: Farewell, Sir Henry<\/h3>
An increasingly ill Henry Wood conducts Beethoven\u2019s Seventh Symphony<\/a><\/strong> in his last ever Proms appearance. He dies three weeks later, aged 75. <\/p>
1 July 1945: 50 First Nights<\/h3>
Back at the Albert Hall, the First Night of the Proms<\/a><\/strong>\u2019 50th-anniversary season includes William Walton\u2019s Memorial Fanfare for Henry Wood and, aptly, Elgar<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s exuberant Cockaigne (In London Town)<\/em>.<\/p>
8 of the best First Nights of the Proms<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
<\/div><\/figure><\/div><\/div><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-19-july-1947-a-new-proms-icon\">19 July 1947: A new Proms icon<\/h3><p>Alongside Adrian Boult and Basil Cameron, the recently knighted <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/malcolm-sargent\">Malcolm Sargent<\/a><\/strong> conducts the First Night, beginning a close association with the Proms that will continue for 20 years. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-12-september-1947-sound-and-vision\">12 September 1947: Sound… and vision<\/h3><p>The BBC cameras arrive at the Albert Hall, as parts of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/bbc-proms\/last-night-of-the-proms-all-you-need-to-know\">Last Night of the Proms<\/a><\/strong> are televised for the first time. Many observers are sceptical, and orchestra members struggle under the heat of the TV lights.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the1950s\">The 100 best Proms of all time \u2013\u00a0the 1950s<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-16-september-1950-sargent-major\">16 September 1950: Sargent major<\/h3><p>Now the chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sargent takes solo control of the Last Night. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-25-july-1953-back-on-the-telly\">25 July 1953: Back on the telly<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2598\" height=\"1992\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2018\/06\/The-Proms-on-TV-24f15e5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-168844\" title=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by Lambert\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>The cameras are coming\u2026 With the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/queen-elizabeth-ii-coronation-music\">Queen\u2019s Coronation<\/a><\/strong> on 2 June having led to a boom in the sales of television sets across the UK, the BBC decided that now would be a good time to bring the Proms to the small screen again, beginning with the 1953 First Night. <\/p><p>Television had a natural showman in Malcolm \u2018Flash Harry\u2019 Sargent, who was positive from the outset, though not everyone was so keen. Many within the BBC didn\u2019t want TV treading on radio\u2019s patch, while others worried about the impact that bulky cameras might have on the experience of concert-goers. Both debates would continue well into the 1980s. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-25-august-1953-hello-halle\">25 August 1953: Hello Hall\u00e9<\/h3><p>Under John Barbirolli, Mancheser’s historic <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/halle-orchestra\">Hall\u00e9<\/a><\/strong> becomes the first orchestra from outside London to appear at the Proms. Barbirolli was at one point being eyed up as a possible chief conductor of the Proms, but chose to stay put in Manchester. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-19-september-1953-controversy\">19 September 1953: Controversy<\/h3><p>Raucous shenanigans by the Promenaders in recent seasons \u2013 described by conductor Stanford Robinson as \u2018hooliganism\u2019 \u2013 lead to Henry Wood\u2019s Fantasia on British Sea Songs being removed from the Last Night. The decision causes an uproar. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-27-august-1955-the-power-of-youth\">27 August 1955: The power of youth<\/h3><p>The Albert Hall stage has a fresh-faced look to it, as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/what-is-the-national-youth-orchestra-of-great-britain\"><strong>National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain<\/strong><\/a> performs its first ever Prom, beginning what will become a near-annual tradition. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"BBC Proms: Highlights from the National Youth Orchestra Prom\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MnMjtxxZFB0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-17-august-1957-he-s-here-ibert-he-s-everywhere\">17 August 1957: He’s here, Ibert, he’s everywhere<\/h3><p>The BBC celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Third Programme radio station by commissioning French composer <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/jacques-ibert\">Jacques Ibert<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s rowdy <em>Bacchanale<\/em>. The composer himself is in the audience. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-28-august-1958-bruckner\">28 August 1958: Bruckner<\/h3><p>The Proms hosts its first complete <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/anton-bruckner\">Bruckner<\/a><\/strong> symphony since 1903, as the Hall\u00e9 plays his \u2018Romantic\u2019 Fourth. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-september-1959\">1 September 1959<\/h3><p>In a \u2018Masters of the 20th century\u2019 Prom, Sargent conducts works by Sibelius, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/igor-stravinsky\">Stravinsky<\/a><\/strong>, Kod\u00e1ly and Shostakovich. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/stravinskys-ballets-a-guide-to-all-his-masterpieces\">Ranked: the Stravinsky ballets<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the1960s\">Memorable Proms: the 1960s<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-23-july-1960-big-changes\">23 July 1960: Big changes<\/h3><p>The first Prom under the auspices of William Glock as the BBC\u2019s controller of music is rounded off by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/antonin-dvorak\">Dvo\u0159\u00e1k<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Symphony No. 9 \u2018From the New World\u2019. For some, Glock will prove to be a disruptive modernist; to others, he is a much-needed breath of fresh air. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-31-august-1960-a-new-proms-favourite\">31 August 1960: A new Proms favourite<\/h3><p>Janet Baker performs an <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-aria\">aria<\/a><\/strong> from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/remembering-sir-michael-tippett-archives\">Tippett<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <em>The Midsummer Marriage<\/em>. It’s the first of 36 appearances from the mezzo, who goes on to become a Proms favourite. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-28-july-1961-a-statement-of-intent\">28 July 1961: A statement of intent<\/h3><p>How to make a point? One of Glock\u2019s first commissions is Symphonies for piano, wind, harps and percussion by Elisabeth Lutyens, a ferocious critic of the \u2018cowpat\u2019 traditional school of English music. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-21-august-1961-opera-takes-its-bow\">21 August 1961: Opera takes its bow<\/h3><p>The Proms hosts its first complete opera performance, as John Pritchard conducts<strong> <\/strong>Mozart’s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/building-library-mozarts-don-giovanni\/\"><em>Don Giovanni<\/em><\/a><\/strong> in a production brought over from Glyndebourne. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Don Giovanni - Overture (Orchestra of The Royal Opera House; Mozart)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/20tnjOkmEmk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-14-september-1961-wait-a-second\">14 September 1961: Wait, a Second<\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/robert-schumann\">Robert Schumann<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Second Symphony enjoys a surprisingly late Proms debut, played by the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/the-london-symphony-orchestra-five-famous-conductors\">London Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> under Meredith Davies. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-22-july-1963-the-europeans-are-coming\">22 July 1963: The Europeans are coming<\/h3><p>The hegemony of British conductors at the Proms comes to an end as the Swiss Silvio Varviso takes the baton for Mozart\u2019s opera <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/mozarts-marriage-of-figaro-guide\">The Marriage of Figaro<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. Hungary\u2019s Georg Solti and Italy\u2019s Carlo Maria Giulini follow later in the season. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/20-greatest-operas-all-time\">The greatest operas of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-30-july-1963-a-mahler-marvel\">30 July 1963: A Mahler marvel<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mahler Symphony No. 2 'Resurrection' (Finale) - Stokowski conducts\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gv1HMlTU0R0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>The first ever Proms performance of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/gustav-mahler\/\">Mahler<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Second Symphony proves such a hit that conductor Leopold Stokowski gets the LSO to play the entire final movement again as an encore.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-august-1963-a-war-requiem\">1 August 1963: A War Requiem<\/h3><p>Fifteen months after its premiere in Coventry, Britten conducts his stirring <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/britten-war-requiem-3\">War Requiem<\/a><\/strong>. The soloists include soprano Heather Harper and tenor <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/peter-pears\">Peter Pears<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/benjamin-britten-and-peter-pears\">‘An apparently perfect gay marriage before the concept was invented’: the richly fruitful partnership of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears<\/a><\/strong> <\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-6-september-1963-wagner\">6 September 1963: Wagner<\/h3><p>Soprano <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/birgit-nilsson\"><strong>Birgit Nilsson<\/strong><\/a> and bass Gottlob Frick join the party as Georg Solti leads a 150th-anniversary <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/richard-wagner\">Wagner<\/a><\/strong> celebration. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-13-august-1964-a-mahler-premiere\">13 August 1964: A Mahler premiere<\/h3><p>Berthold Goldschmidt conducts the LSO in the world premiere of Mahler\u2019s Tenth Symphony, a work left unfinished at the composer\u2019s death but recently completed by Deryck Cooke. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-september-1964-the-proms-does-chamber-music\">4 September 1964: The Proms does chamber music<\/h3><p>The Amadeus Quartet does its best to fill the vast spaces of the Albert Hall with a performance of the \u2018Emperor\u2019 String Quartet at the start of an all-<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/joseph-haydn\">Haydn<\/a><\/strong> Prom. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-september-1965-an-icon-is-introduced\">1 September 1965: An icon is introduced<\/h3><p>Featuring <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/jacqueline-du-pre\/\">Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9<\/a> <\/strong>in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/six-of-the-best-recordings-of-elgars-cello-concerto\/\">Elgar\u2019s Cello Concerto<\/a><\/strong>, Malcolm Sargent conducts a Prom celebrating his 70th birthday (a day that actually fell back in April). <\/p><p>Du Pr\u00e9, incidentally, first performed at the Proms in 1963, playing the same Elgar Concerto with Sargent. That performance proved so popular that she returned with it for both the 1964 and 1965 Proms. Indeed, she would return to the festival every year until 1969.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UUgdbqt2ON0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-17-august-1966-the-russians-are-coming\">17 August 1966: The Russians are coming<\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/dmitri-shostakovich\">Shostakovich<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/sergey-rachmaninov\">Rachmaninov<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/tchaikovsky\">Tchaikovsky<\/a><\/strong> are on the bill as the Proms welcomes its first ever overseas orchestra, the Moscow Symphony, conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/best-russian-conductors\">Best Russian conductors: the greatest maestros from the last 150 years<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-17-september-1966-martha\">17 September 1966: Martha!<\/h3><p>A 25-year-old <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/martha-argerich-2\">Martha Argerich<\/a><\/strong> wows the Last Night audience with her Proms debut in <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/sergey-prokofiev\">Prokofiev<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 3 (one of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/greatest-piano-concertos-all-time\">greatest piano concertos of all time<\/a><\/strong>). It will be another 26 years before the Argentinian makes a return visit to the festival. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-16-september-1967-a-poignant-farewell\">16 September 1967: A poignant farewell<\/h3><p>Suffering from pancreatic cancer, Malcolm Sargent was too ill to conduct any Proms in the 1967 season. Nonetheless, come the Last Night, he appeared at the Albert Hall one final time to give a speech. \u2018Next year, the 74th season of the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts begins on July 20th,\u2019 he told the audience. \u2018I\u2019ve been invited to be here on that night. I have accepted the invitation.\u2019 He died on 3 October. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-19-july-1968-colin-leads-the-goodbyes\">19 July 1968: Colin leads the goodbyes<\/h3><p>The 1968 season opens with a Malcolm Sargent Memorial Prom, in which <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/sir-colin-davis-1927-2013\">Colin Davis<\/a><\/strong> conducts works by Vaughan Williams, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/walton-william\">William Walton<\/a><\/strong> and Elgar. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-12-august-1968-democracy-in-action\">12 August 1968: Democracy in action<\/h3><p>After a first half featuring Thea Musgrave\u2019s Concerto for Orchestra, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/john-tavener\"><strong>John Tavener<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s <em>Alium<\/em> and Don Banks\u2019s Violin Concerto, the audience is asked to vote for which work they would like to hear again after the interval. <em>Alium<\/em> wins by a landslide. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-21-august-1968-emotions-in-czech\">21 August 1968: Emotions in Czech<\/h3><p>On 20 August, Soviet tanks rolled into Prague to put a stop to liberal reforms being carried out by the Czechoslovak leader Alexander Dub\u010dek \u2013 137 civilians were killed as the world looked on in dismay. When the USSR State Orchestra and Russian cellist <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/mstislav-rostropovich\">Mstislav Rostropovich<\/a><\/strong> took to the Albert Hall stage to play Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Cello Concerto the next night, the occasion was highly charged and tinged with desperate irony. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1681\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/07\/GettyImages-150036523-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Russian cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich (1927 - 2007) performing, circa 1970.\" class=\"wp-image-207596\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mstislav Rostropovich performing, circa 1970. Pic: Erich Auerbach\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images – Erich Auerbach\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>\u2018That night will forever live in the memory of those of us who were there,\u2019 recalls cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, who was 17 at the time. \u2018Prague was a very important city in Rostropovich\u2019s life \u2013 he met his wife Galina there \u2013 and here he was playing <em>the<\/em> Czech cello concerto. The tension was extraordinary, and while the performance was not his most technically perfect, towards the end it was utterly heartbreaking. When it came to the encore, he had tears rolling down his face.\u2019 <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-18-july-1969-where-s-the-national-anthem\">18 July 1969: Where’s the National Anthem?<\/h3><p>Breaking with tradition, the Proms season does not open with the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/god-save-the-queen-lyrics\">British National Anthem<\/a><\/strong>. Instead, conductor Colin Davis launches straight into <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/hector-berlioz\">Hector Berlioz\u2019<\/a><\/strong>s <em>Grande messe des morts<\/em> in a Henry Wood Centenary Prom. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-13-august-1969-medieval-melodies\">13 August 1969: Medieval melodies<\/h3><p>As well as championing the new, Proms controller William Glock shows his willingness to push the boundaries at the other end of the timeline, as the Proms welcomes music from the 14th century: Machaut\u2019s Messe de Nostre Dame, sung by the Ambrosian Singers. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/best-medieval-composers\">The best Medieval composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-28-august-1969-is-it-over-yet\">28 August 1969: Is it over yet?<\/h3><p>Some things go on too long. The 40-minute premiere of <em>Worldes Blis<\/em>, a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-motet\">motet<\/a><\/strong> for orchestra by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/sir-peter-maxwell-davies\">Peter Maxwell Davies<\/a><\/strong>, has many audience members heading towards the bar well before the work is over. Others stick around to boo. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the1970s\">The 100 best Proms of all time \u2013\u00a0the 1970s<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-30-july-1970-you-re-early\">30 July 1970: You’re Early<\/h3><p>Period performance pioneer David Munrow brings the Early Music Consort of London to the Proms for the first time. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/why-the-early-music-revolution-of-the-1970s-was-truly-a-moment-to-savour\">Why the early music revolution of the 1970s was truly a moment to savour<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-13-august-1970-the-proms-go-rock\">13 August 1970: The Proms go rock<\/h3><p>The music carries on well towards midnight as the BBC Symphony Orchestra is joined by rock band Soft Machine for the first ever Late Night Prom. An evening of premieres includes Mike Ratledge\u2019s Out-Bloody-Rageous. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Soft Machine "Out-Bloody-Rageous" Pt. 1\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wf7anBKiao0?list=PL9FCB276E3E6929FA\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-september-1972-the-power-of-four\">7 September 1972: The power of four<\/h3><p>The Albert Hall Arena is cleared to make room for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/stockhausen-5\">Karlheinz Stockhausen<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <em>Carr\u00e9<\/em> for four orchestras. It is played once, and then again for good measure. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/six-best-works-stockhausen\">Six of the best: Stockhausen works<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-29-december-1972-winter-is-coming\">29 December 1972: Winter is coming?<\/h3><p>Yes, you have read the date right. An all-Stravinsky concert launches an eight-day Winter Prom season, reviving a tradition abandoned earlier in the century. The revival only lasts a year. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-january-1973-the-big-boys-are-in-town\">4 January 1973: The big boys are in town<\/h3><p>The mighty <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/berlin-philharmonic\">Berlin Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, one of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/worlds-best-orchestras\">world’s greatest orchestras<\/a><\/strong>, makes its debut visit to the Proms, playing Beethoven\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-beethovens-symphony-no-4\">Fourth<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/beethoven-fifth-symphony\">Fifth<\/a><\/strong> Symphonies under one of classical music’s true global stars, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/trouble-karajan\">Herbert von Karajan<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-26-july-1974-let-s-talk\">26 July 1974: Let’s talk<\/h3><p>As pre-Proms talks are introduced to the mix, the BBC Symphony Orchestra\u2019s chief conductor (and composer) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/pierre-boulez\"><strong>Pierre Boulez<\/strong><\/a> leads the way, giving five during the season, including one introducing this evening\u2019s programme of Stockhausen, Berg and Wagner. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-august-1974-drama-burana\">7 August 1974: Drama Burana<\/h3><p>Crisis looms when baritone Thomas Allen collapses during <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/carl-orff\">Carl Orff<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/carmina-burana-guide-best-recordings\">Carmina Burana<\/a><\/strong><\/em> but \u2013 Oh, Fortuna! \u2013 budding opera singer Patrick McCarthy steps out from the audience to take over and save the day. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-9-august-1976-simon-says\">9 August 1976: Simon says…<\/h3><p>The hair is here. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/simon-rattle\">Simon Rattle<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s late night concert with the London Sinfonietta makes him, at 21, the youngest ever conductor at the Proms. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-17-august-1977-another-big-farewell\">17 August 1977: Another big farewell<\/h3><p>An 88-year-old Adrian Boult conducts his 251st and last Prom, rounding off with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/ralph-vaughan-williams\">Vaughan Williams<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <em>Job<\/em>, a work that the composer himself had dedicated to him. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-18-august-1979-viennese-whirl\">18 August 1979: Viennese whirl<\/h3><p>Although the BBC Northern Symphony Orchestra\u2019s \u2018Viennese Night\u2019 Prom is later watched by more than five million on TV, the BBC\u2019s controller of music Robert Ponsonby decides not to repeat the format. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the1980s\">Memorable Proms: the 1980s<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-august-1980-the-strike-year\">7 August 1980: The strike year<\/h3><p>After a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/bbc-proms\/how-striking-musicians-brought-the-bbc-proms-to-a-standstill\">historic musicians\u2019 strike<\/a><\/strong> has wiped out the first 19 Proms, the season gets off to a very belated start, with soprano <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-was-jessye-norman\"><strong>Jessye Norman<\/strong><\/a> joining the BBC SO for Mahler\u2019s Fourth. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Jessye Norman - A Portrait - Dove Sono (Mozart)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z5WDGxpblZc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-16-and-18-july-1982-no-tv-please-we-re-british\">16 and 18 July 1982: No TV please, we’re British<\/h3><p>Pleas to Ponsonby for a TV-friendly First Night fall on deaf ears, and the new season opens instead with Berlioz\u2019s <em>The Trojans<\/em>, divided between two Proms on Friday and Sunday. Neither are televised. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-20-august-1984-odaline-breaks-new-ground\">20 August 1984: Odaline breaks new ground<\/h3><p>It took nearly 90 years since Henry Wood first flourished his Proms baton, but at last the conductor\u2019s podium was filled by someone with two X chromosomes, with Odaline de la Martinez stepping up to lead her own Lontano ensemble in works by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/arnold-schoenberg\">Schoenberg<\/a><\/strong>, Gerhard and others. <\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-do-you-realise-that-you-are-the-first-woman-to-conduct-at-the-albert-hall\">‘Do you realise that you are the first woman to conduct at the Albert Hall?’<\/h4><p>\u2018I remember contacting the BBC and suggesting I do a programme there,\u2019 de la Martinez later said in an interview. \u2018They agreed, and it was only a few weeks before the performance that someone said to me, \u201cDo you realise that you are the first woman to conduct a performance at the Albert Hall?\u201d So I rang the BBC and they confirmed it!\u2019 <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-8-september-1984-oh-vienna\">8 September 1984: Oh, Vienna<\/h3><p>Symphonies by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/mozart\">Mozart<\/a><\/strong> and Bruckner mark the Vienna Philharmonic\u2019s first visit to the Proms, under Claudio Abbado. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-of-mozart\">Best of Mozart: nine essential works – and the recordings you need<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Friedrich Gulda & Claudio Abbado - Mozart: Piano Concerto K488\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I6OjCv5lG6s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-15-september-1984-joan-collins-1-classical-music-0\">15 September 1984: Joan Collins 1, classical music 0<\/h3><p>The audience at the Last Night is invited to enjoy an extra-long interval so that TV viewers have time to watch <em>Dynasty<\/em> on BBC One before joining them for the second-half jollity at the Albert Hall. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-14-september-1985-what-to-wear\">14 September 1985: What to wear?<\/h3><p>Last Night mezzo soloist Sarah Walker unbuttons the sleeve of her seemingly conventional white dress to reveal a Union Flag. A sartorial precedent is set. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/is-there-a-dress-code-at-the-bbc-proms\/\">Is there a dress code at the BBC Proms?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-24-july-1988-take-your-time-lenny\">24 July 1988: Take your time, Lenny<\/h3><p>The great <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/leonard-bernstein-composer\">Leonard Bernstein<\/a><\/strong> is here to conduct his Songfest. The Prom\u2019s kick-off time is 7.30pm. Bernstein arrives at the Albert Hall at 7.28pm. And relax\u2026 <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the1990s\">The 100 best Proms of all time \u2013\u00a0the 1990s<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-15-september-1990-the-proms-go-political\">15 September 1990: The Proms go political<\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/conductor-andrew-davis-1944-2024\">Andrew Davis<\/a><\/strong> takes over the Last Night at late notice after intended conductor <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/mark-elder\">Mark Elder<\/a><\/strong> has been sent to the naughty step, sacked for questioning the suitability of singing patriotic songs in the light of the impending Gulf War. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-10-august-1992-drum-roll\">10 August 1992: Drum roll<\/h3><p>Performed by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/evelyn-glennie-best-recordings\">Evelyn Glennie<\/a><\/strong>, the world premiere of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/james-macmillan-2\"><strong>James MacMillan<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s percussion concerto <em>Veni, Veni, Emmanuel<\/em> proves a major hit (excuse the pun). <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/bbc-proms\/watch-andrew-davis-1992-last-night-of-the-proms\">Watch: Andrew Davis wraps up the 1992 Last Night of the Proms in style<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-18-july-1994-britten-for-the-queen\">18 July 1994: Britten for the Queen<\/h3><p>At the age of 68, Queen Elizabeth II attends her first ever Prom. Her Majesty is treated to an all-British concert from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Andrew Davis that includes Britten\u2019s Violin Concerto, performed by Ida Haendel. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/how-the-queen-inspired-britten-to-start-composing-again-after-he-almost-died\">How Queen Elizabeth II inspired Britten to start composing again after he almost died<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-16-september-1995-don-t-panic\">16 September 1995: Don\u2019t Panic!<\/h3><p>The popular narrative goes that John Drummond, the departing controller of the BBC Proms who was never a fan of the Last Night, plonked <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/harrison-birtwistle-an-introduction\">Harrison Birtwistle<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s discordant <i>Panic <\/i>for saxophone and orchestra into the concert\u2019s second half specifically to wind up the TV audience tuning in for <i>Jerusalem<\/i> and all. Very dr\u00f4le if so\u2026 but not true. <\/p><p>Though countless calls of complaint were made to the BBC, that was not Drummond\u2019s aim.<i> Panic<\/i> had in fact been intended for the first half but, as Birtwistle had composed a work nearly twice as long as commissioned and because it required large amounts of orchestral shifting beforehand, there was no choice but to put <i>Panic<\/i> at the start of the second. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-22-july-1996-chamber-music-to-the-fore\">22 July 1996: Chamber music to the fore <\/h3><p>Lovers of music on a smaller scale head to the Royal College of Music on a Monday lunchtime as the new <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-chamber-music\">Chamber Music<\/a><\/strong> Proms series is launched with a performance by the Arditti Quartet. The series later finds a permanent home at nearby Cadogan Hall. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-14-september-1996-proms-in-the-park\">14 September 1996: Proms in the Park<\/h3><p>Another Proms first, this time involving thousands of concert-goers and an open-air stage in Hyde Park. Hosted by Sheridan Morley, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/when-did-proms-in-the-park-start\/\">debut Proms in the Park<\/a><\/strong> event on the Last Night proves such a success that it is soon extended to other cities across the UK. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-10-august-1997-solo-so-high\">10 August 1997: Solo, so high<\/h3><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Evgeny Kissin La Campanella\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M0U73NRSIkw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>The Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin makes history by giving the first ever solo recital at the Proms. The seven encores that follow may well be a Proms record too\u2026<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-17-august-1997-warm-regards\">17 August 1997: Warm regards<\/h3><p>Westminster Abbey choristers in cassocks and ruffs, processing into the Royal Albert Hall and singing Britten\u2019s <em>A Ceremony of Carols<\/em> on a swelteringly hot August afternoon? Absolutely. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-12-september-1997-in-memoriam\">12 September 1997: In memoriam<\/h3><p>A moving performance of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/verdis-requiem-guide\/\">Verdi\u2019s Requiem<\/a><\/strong> is dedicated to the memories of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/diana-princess-of-wales-funeral-music\/\">Princess Diana<\/a><\/strong> and conductor Georg Solti. Tragically, Solti was himself initially scheduled to conduct the concert, but died the day before Diana\u2019s funeral. Five minutes of silence follows the performance before applause begins. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-10-august-1998-a-strange-interruption\">10 August 1998: A strange interruption<\/h3><p>Simon Rattle and the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group\u2019s Late Night Prom is brought rudely to a halt by the sound of rape alarms and leaflets fluttering down from up high in the Albert Hall. The perpetrators, who are protesting against what they believe is a cabal running British music publishing, disappear anonymously into the night. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-september-1998-here-s-one-we-made-earlier\">7 September 1998: Here\u2019s one we made earlier<\/h3><p>Presented by Katy Hill, the first Blue Peter Prom marks the 40th anniversary of the much loved children\u2019s programme. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"In The Mood - BBC Philharmonic Blue Peter Prom 07-09-1998\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t2RwWD9GPc8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-10-august-1999-conga-time\">10 August 1999: Conga time<\/h3><p>And\u2026 one, two, three, kick! One, two, three, kick! The Proms premiere of Bernstein\u2019s <em>Wonderful Town<\/em>, starring American baritone <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-is-thomas-hampson\">Thomas Hampson<\/a><\/strong>, ends with Prommers doing a conga around the Arena. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the2000s\">Memorable Proms: the 2000s<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-15-september-2001-barber-replaces-britannia\">15 September 2001: Barber replaces Britannia<\/h3><p>Perfected by the likes of Malcolm Sargent and Andrew Davis, the conductor\u2019s Last Night speech usually provides the chance to indulge in a few witticisms and rouse the Prommers into a state of even greater patriotic excitement. For Leonard Slatkin in 2001, the task was very different. Coming just four days after the 9\/11 terrorist attacks, the occasion required a change of tone, not just in the speech but in the choice of music too. <\/p><p>Out went those patriotic mainstays \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/land-of-hope-and-glory-what-are-the-lyrics-and-what-do-they-mean\"><strong>Land of Hope and Glory<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 and \u2018<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/sheku-kanneh-mason-faces-torrent-of-online-abuse-after-sharing-views-on-rule-britannia-on-desert-island-discs\">Rule Britannia\u2019<\/a><\/strong>. In came <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/samuel-barber\">Samuel Barber<\/a>\u2019<\/strong>s elegiac Adagio for Strings, Negro Spirituals from Tippett\u2019s <i>A Child of Our Time<\/i> and the final movement of Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony. \u2018We felt it was vital to respond to people\u2019s mood at this sombre and difficult hour,\u2019 explained Proms controller Nicholas Kenyon, \u2018and at the same time to show that music can affirm our shared humanity.\u2019 <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS 2001\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jicN8Atc0MY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-19-july-2003-your-vote-counts\">19 July 2003: Your vote counts<\/h3><p>Readers of the <em>Radio Times<\/em> are invited to vote for the repertoire of the Nation\u2019s Favourite Prom. The winning works include Prokofiev\u2019s <em>Peter and the Wolf<\/em>, read here by Sir David Attenborough. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-31-august-2003-phones-off-please\">31 August 2003: Phones off, please<\/h3><p>For some concert-goers, learning how to turn off a mobile phone is an intellectual challenge too far, as Simon Rattle discovers at the beginning of Stravinsky\u2019s <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/stravinskys-rite-spring-guide-and-best-recordings\">The Rite of Spring<\/a><\/strong><\/em>. He stops the Berlin Philharmonic mid-bar, and starts the piece again. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-16-july-2004-a-mighty-organ\">16 July 2004: A mighty organ<\/h3><p>After two years of silence during a major revamp, the mighty Albert Hall organ is ready to play again. And how. The 2004 season opens with the thunderous sound of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johann-sebastian-bach\">Bach<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Toccata in D minor, played by Martin Neary, before the BBC Symphony Orchestra takes over for the Fugue, as orchestrated by Henry Wood. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-august-2005-like-father-like-daughter\">3 August 2005: Like father, like daughter<\/h3><p>A family moment, as sitar players\/composers <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/s\/shankar-ravi\">Ravi Shankar<\/a><\/strong> and his daughter Anoushka perform together in a concert that includes the Proms premiere of Shankar Snr\u2019s Sitar Concerto No. 1. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/sitar-player-jasdeep-singh-degun-on-creating-crossovers-between-indian-and-western-classical-music\">Sitar player Jasdeep Singh Degun on creating crossovers between Indian and Western classical music<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-19-july-2006-happy-birthday-your-maj\">19 July 2006: Happy Birthday, Your Maj<\/h3><p>Her Majesty the Queen makes a return visit to the Proms, this time for an 80th-birthday celebration. Among the works are <em>A Little Birthday Music<\/em> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-is-the-current-master-of-the-queens-music-and-what-is-their-role\"><strong>Master of the Queen\u2019s Music<\/strong><\/a> Peter Maxwell Davies and Poet Laureate Andrew Motion. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-august-2006-more-pomp-more-circumstance\">2 August 2006: More Pomp, more Circumstance<\/h3><p>Elgar\u2019s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 6, a work created by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/composer-anthony-payne-dies-aged-84\">Anthony Payne<\/a><\/strong> from the composer\u2019s incomplete sketches, is given its world premiere. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-september-2006-phoenix-from-the-ashes\">4 September 2006: Phoenix from the ashes<\/h3><p>After their Beethoven Ninth Symphony Prom has been cancelled by a fire in the Albert Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Christoph Eschenbach come back the next day for a second go, this time playing Beethoven\u2019s and Tchaikovsky\u2019s Fifths. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-19-august-2007-london-goes-venezuelan\">19 August 2007: London goes Venezuelan<\/h3><p>The Albert Hall stage becomes a vibrant sea of yellow, blue and red, as Venezuela\u2019s Sim\u00f3n Bol\u00edvar Youth Orchestra makes its lively Proms debut under conductor Gustavo Dudamel. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 \/ Dudamel \u00b7 Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XKXQzs6Y5BY?list=PLNnqyoeiwLkJ9w6d_IzD29T-IH3_l0VcV\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-27-july-2008-exterminate-exterminate\">27 July 2008: Exterminate!! Exterminate!!<\/h3><p>Daleks come face to face with double basses at the inaugural Doctor Who Prom. Thankfully, no viola players or trombonists are exterminated. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2010topresent\">The 100 best Proms of all time \u2013\u00a02010 to the present<\/h2><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-30-july-2011-horrible-histories\">30 July 2011: Horrible Histories<\/h3><p>No sooner have the daleks been repelled than the Albert Hall is invaded by Vikings, courtesy of the Horrible Histories Prom. There are also visits from Henry VIII, a caveman and Death, among others. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-september-2011-middle-east-tensions-play-a-part\">1 September 2011: Middle East tensions play a part<\/h3><p>Though the concert itself goes ahead, protests by the pro-Palestinian group BDS London lead to the Israel Philharmonic\u2019s Prom being taken off air. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-13-july-2012-a-little-something-from-us\">13 July 2012: A little something from us<\/h3><p><em>BBC Music Magazine<\/em> plays its own little part in Proms history, as the 2012 season opens with Mark-Anthony Turnage\u2019s <em>Canon Fever<\/em>, a work commissioned by the magazine\u2019s editorial team. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-27-july-2012-double-date-daniel\">27 July 2012: Double-date Daniel<\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-is-daniel-barenboim\">Daniel Barenboim<\/a><\/strong> conducts the history-making <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-west-eastern-divan-orchestra\">West-Eastern Divan Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (comprised of Israeli, Palestinian and other Middle East musicians) in Beethoven\u2019s Ninth Symphony before haring off and across the city to appear as one of the Olympic flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony of London 2012. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-22-july-2013-give-us-a-ring\">22 July 2013: Give us a <em>Ring<\/em><\/h3><p>From Olympic rings to Wagnerian ones \u2013 Barenboim returns to the Proms to conduct <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-wagners-das-rheingold\"><strong>Das Rheingold<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, the first of the four operas that make up Wagner’s epic <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/wagner-ring-cycle\">Ring Cycle<\/a><\/strong>. He follows up with the rest of the cycle (<strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/wagner-valkyries-guide\">Die Walk\u00fcre<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, <strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-wagner-siegfried\">Siegfried<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-wagners-gotterdammerung\">G\u00f6tterd\u00e4mmerung<\/a><\/strong><\/em>) in three further concerts over six days. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-7-september-2013-marin-makes-history\">7 September 2013: Marin makes history<\/h3><p>Marin Alsop is the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms. \u2018I feel certain that Henry Wood would see this evening as a natural progression towards more inclusion in classical music,\u2019 says the American in her speech. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marin Alsop's speech at the Last Night of the Proms 2013\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/o9Lxk7LRiBI?start=3&feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-10-august-2014-fifty-years-of-neville\">10 August 2014: Fifty years of Neville<\/h3><p>As he steps onto the podium to conduct the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in Walton\u2019s <em>Henry V: A Shakespeare Scenario<\/em>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/sir-neville-marriner-1924-2016\">Neville Marriner<\/a><\/strong> becomes, at 90, the oldest conductor in the history of the Proms. Marriner appeared in his first Prom, as a violinist, in 1963. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-29-july-2015-it-s-all-gone-pete-tong\">29 July 2015: It’s all gone Pete Tong<\/h3><p>Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong hosts a late-night Ibiza Prom, bringing the Balearics party vibe to South Kensington. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-august-2016-encore\">5 August 2016: Encore!<\/h3><p>In one of the great Proms encores, violinist Pekka Kuusisto marks his debut by getting the audience to join him and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra leader Laura Samuel for a Finnish folk sing-along. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pekka Kuusisto\u2019s hilarious Proms encore - My Darling Is Beautiful\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gpN2k5zz81o?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-21-july-2019-destination-moon\">21 July 2019: Destination Moon<\/h3><p>The Sunday morning <em>CBeebies: A Musical Trip to the Moon<\/em> Prom includes <em>Earth<\/em>, a specially commissioned work by Oscar-winning composer <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/hans-zimmer\">Hans Zimmer<\/a><\/strong>, no less. <\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-hans-zimmer-film-scores\">The best Hans Zimmer film scores<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-28-august-2020-nobody-home\">28 August 2020: Nobody home<\/h3><p>In years to come, the date will tell its own story \u2013 a Proms season beginning at the end of August, with just two weeks of concerts to follow. Audience figures for that season \u2013 zero \u2013 will also reveal that the UK was still in the grip of Covid. With no one in the seats or the Arena to applaud, the orchestral players did their best to fill the void by clapping the soloists, but it was a sorry sound. <\/p><p>Tasked with conducting this strangest of First Nights, Sakari Oramo said he would treat the occasion as if he and the BBC Symphony Orchestra were in the recording studio. Together, they performed works that included, in the composer\u2019s 250th-anniversary year, Beethoven\u2019s \u2018<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-beethovens-symphony-no-3-eroica\">Eroica<\/a><\/strong>\u2019 Symphony. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-30-july-2021-getting-back-to-normal\">30 July 2021: Getting back to normal<\/h3><p>Though the season is slightly shorter than usual and a certain level of social distancing is still in place, the Proms returns to something close to normality. The Ukraine-born Finn <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/dalia-stasevska\">Dalia Stasevska<\/a><\/strong>, who conducted the previous season\u2019s Last Night to an empty hall, is immediately called back to begin this year\u2019s festivities.<\/p><p>What is your most memorable BBC Prom? Let us know at music@classical-music.com<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Wednesday, 17 July 2024 at 15:24 PM The story of the Proms is fascinating, colourful, rousing – and dominated by one organisation in particular. While the famous festival founded by Robert Newman and Henry Wood has been in existence for 127 years, around three-quarters of that has been under the watchful eye of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":45014,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"24"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms.jpg",2560,1703,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms-768x511.jpg",768,511,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms-1024x681.jpg",800,532,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms-1536x1022.jpg",1536,1022,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/07\/daleks-congas-protests-and-the-year-no-one-came-100-unforgettable-bbc-proms-2048x1362.jpg",2048,1362,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Wednesday, 17 July 2024 at 15:24 PM The story of the Proms is fascinating, colourful, rousing – and dominated by one organisation in particular. While the famous festival founded by Robert Newman and Henry Wood has been in existence for 127 years, around three-quarters of that has been under the watchful eye of…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/45013"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}