BBC Proms 2007
Proms extras
The BBC Proms has grown over the past decade to include more than 50 extra events and
concerts, complementing and expanding on the music and themes of the 72 concerts in
the Royal Albert Hall.
In 2007 there are a further 13 concerts including Proms Chamber
Music, Proms Saturday Matinees and the Young Composers concert at Cadogan Hall;
plus six films, two Composer Portraits, the annual Audience Forum and more than 20
pre-concert talks.
Proms Chamber Music
Eight chamber music concerts take place every Monday
lunchtime throughout the season at Cadogan Hall. Leading
artists from home and abroad present a range of programmes
often inspired by themes of the season.
The BBC has
commissioned a new work from America's leading young
composer, Aaron Jay Kernis, especially for the series; and one
of the most highly esteemed British tenors of our time brings
a very personal contribution to the centenary celebrations for
composer Elizabeth Maconchy.
Proms Chamber Music concerts are:
- Leading mezzo-soprano Alice Coote and pianist Graham
Johnson join forces for English song settings by Elgar,
Vaughan Williams, Quilter and Judith Weir (16 July)
- Canadian violin virtuoso James Ehnes gives the world
premiere of a specially commissioned new work by Aaron
Jay Kernis alongside Mozart and Elgar (23 July)
- Choral settings of Auden, Blake and Shakespeare by Britten,
Sir John Tavener and Vaughan Williams from Polyphony
under Stephen Layton (30 July)
- The Henschel Quartet makes its Proms debut with
Mendelssohn, Sibelius and Janáček (6 August)
- Top British talents Philip Langridge and David Owen Norris
bring Shakespeare settings and great song-cycles by
Schumann, Britten and anniversary composer Elizabeth
Maconchy (13 August)
- Renowned soloists from Abbado's celebrated Lucerne
Festival Orchestra perform intimate chamber music by
Mozart and Brahms (20 August)
- Ensemble Sequentia perform Songs of a Rhineland Harper
exploring the sounds of European song from 1,000 years
ago using instruments from the time (27 August)
- Angela Hewitt plays Bach and Domenico Scarlatti
(3 September)
BBC Proms Chamber Music concerts are broadcast live on
BBC Radio 3 on Mondays at 1.00pm and repeated the
following Saturday at 2.00pm
For full listings, please see the BBC Proms Guide or go online
at bbc.co.uk/proms
The Adverb
The Adverb is recorded before live audiences at Cadogan Hall
each Monday immediately after the Proms Chamber Music
concert. Actors and writers join Ian McMillan and guest
presenters for readings and discussion, including specially
commissioned new writing on Shakespearean themes.
The Adverb is broadcast on BBC Radio 3 weekly during
Proms intervals on Thursday evenings throughout the season
and available via 'Listen Again' for seven days after broadcast at bbc.co.uk/radio3
Proms Saturday Matinees
Proms Saturday Matinees at Cadogan Hall, introduced to the
Proms last year with great success, give audiences the
opportunity to further explore the themes of the season –
Shakespeare and Britten/Auden in particular, from some of the
country’s leading chamber ensembles.
Highlights include:
- Shakespeare theme explored by Britten Sinfonia and The
English Concert (14 July)
- The acclaimed Scottish Ensemble mark anniversaries of
Elgar, Grieg and Maconchy in music for strings (4 August)
- Rare screening of film Night Mail in concert exploring
W H Auden and Benjamin Britten (1 September)
Listings
Proms Saturday Matinee 1–14 July
Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream – excerpts;
Korngold: Much Ado About Nothing – Suite; Stravinsky:Three
Songs from William Shakespeare; Bridge:There is a willow
grows aslant a brook; Shostakovich: Hamlet – Suite from the
incidental music
Anna Dennis (mezzo-soprano); speakers to be announced;
Britten Sinfonia/Alexander Shelley
Proms Saturday Matinee 2–4 August
Elgar: Serenade for Strings; Finzi: Clarinet Concerto; Maconchy:
Music for Strings; Grieg: Holberg Suite
Michael Collins (clarinet); Scottish Ensemble/Jonathan Morton
Proms Saturday Matinee 3–18 August
Boyce: Symphony No. 5 in D major;Arne:Two Shakespeare
Songs;Thomas Linley, Jr: Ode on the Spirits of Shakespeare –
Overture; Handel: Esther – 'Tune your harps', Samson – 'Total
eclipse', Jephtha – 'Waft her, angels', Water Music – Suites in D
and G (selections)
Mark Padmore (tenor); The English Concert/Laurence Cummings
Proms Saturday Matinee 4 August–1 September
Britten:The Way to the Sea, On this Island; Cabaret Songs
(arr. Daryl Runswick); Night Mail (with film); In memoriam
Dennis Brain (arr. Colin Matthews); Serenade for Tenor, Horn
and Strings
Christine Rice (mezzo-soprano); Andrew Kennedy (tenor);
Richard Watkins (horn); Samuel West (narrator); Nash Ensemble/
Edward Gardner
Proms Films
Proms Films, first introduced in 2005, are now eagerly
anticipated by Proms audiences. All are introduced by a guest
speaker connected with the film or its subject.
The Bridge On The River Kwai
Famous for its Oscar-winning score by Sir Malcolm Arnold,
Piers Burton-Page, author of the first authorised biography of
the composer, introduces David Lean’s moving insight of the
historical construction of the Burma Railway in 1942 which
complements the British Film Music Prom later that evening
(Sunday 15 July).
Les choristes
Musical director of the New London Children's Choir, Ronald
Corp, presents this celebration of the power of music through
song. Les choristes (2004), directed by Christophe Barratier,
was an international success, and depicts the journey of
musical discovery experienced by a group of boys living in
post-war France. (Saturday 21 July)
King Lear
Widely hailed as one of the finest screen versions of
Shakespeare's great tragedy, this reinterpretation encapsulates
the torment created by the progression of madness and
creates parallels with a picture of civilisation heading towards
its doom.This Russian adaptation of the play (1969), directed
by Grigori Kozintsev, is presented by British director and actor
Samuel West. (Sunday 29 July)
Jean Sibelius
Producer, director and writer Chistopher Nupen presents his
two-part film about the life and works of composer Jean
Sibelius in this 1984 film, with a soundtrack performed by
soprano Elisabeth Söderström, violinist Boris Belkin and the
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir
Ashkenazy. (Saturday 11 August)
Tocary Luchar
This captivating documentary, 'To Play and To Fight', about the
Venezuelan Youth Orchestra System was directed by Alberto
Arvelo and depicts the social phenomenon created by this
orchestral network.The director introduces his powerful film,
which brings music into the lives of children living in towns
and villages all over the country. (Sunday 19 August)
Keeping score: Copland And The American Sound
America’s most celebrated composer is at the heart of this
documentary, which is hosted by conductor Michael Tilson
Thomas. Born in Brooklyn in 1900, Aaron Copland created a
musical style that merged the symphonic styles of Europe with
the eclectic sounds of his native country.This documentary
explores the innovative composer's personal history and the
ways it affected his music. (Sunday 2 September)
All films will be shown at the Royal Geographical Society,
Kensington Gore, SW7 (apart from Keeping Score: Copland and
the American Sound, which will be shown at Cadogan Hall) at
2.00pm. Admission is free.
Proms composer portraits
A conversation with composers receiving major premieres in
a main evening BBC Proms concert, including performances of
chamber works. Each Composer Portrait takes place in the
Arena of the Royal Albert Hall and is recorded for broadcast
on BBC Radio 3 immediately following the evening's main
Prom. Admission is free.
David Matthews
Before the world premiere of his Symphony No. 6, one of
Britain’s leading middle-generation composers talks with
Andrew McGregor about this new work, and introduces
performances of chamber works including Marina and
Dionysus Dithyramb played by musicians from the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama
Thursday 2 August, 5.00pm
Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès in conversation with Andrew McGregor; to
include a performance of ‘Court Studies’ from The Tempest.
Monday 20 August, 5.30pm
BBC Proms/Guardian Young Composers Concert
Inspire day, for the young composers who entered the BBC
Proms/Guardian Young Composers Competition, culminates in
a public showcase (admission free) for the six winning pieces
from the prestigious competition.The winning pieces are
performed by the ensemble Endymion and recorded for
broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Friday 24 August (between
Proms 53 and 54).
Friday 17 August, 4.00pm, Cadogan Hall
Pre-Prom Talks
A vast array of Pre-Prom Talks is scheduled for the 2007
season, featuring artists, composers and experts on the music,
instruments and themes of the Prom season.
Admission is free for ticket-holders to the evening concert.
Pre-Prom Talks include:
- Great composers introducing their works, including John
Adams, Magnus Lindberg and Esa-Pekka Salonen, as well as
newcomers Sam Hayden and Guto Puw
- Edward Seckerson exploring music from British films with
John Wilson
- Sir Roger Norrington in conversation with Chris de Souza
about The Seasons
- Nicholas Kenyon in conversation with Jenny Doctor and
David Wright about the history of the Proms
- Tom Service talks to Thea Musgrave, Dame Evelyn Glennie
and Nicholas Daniel about Two's Company, a BBC
commission and world premiere
Full listings available in the BBC Proms Guide or online at
bbc.co.uk/proms
Audience forum
The audience get the chance to put questions to Proms
Director Nicholas Kenyon and Royal Albert Hall Chief
Executive David Elliott. Admission is free.
Tuesday 4 September, 5.45pm, RAH
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