Martin Neary will play the instrument at this year's Proms

The 133-year-old organ will be heard at the opening ceremony of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday.

It will be the first time in three years that the organ - which is the height of a five-storey building - has been played to a Proms audience.

Built in 1871, the magnificent instrument has been described as the eighth wonder of the world.

Acclaimed organist Martin Neary will play the first notes of the 2004 Proms season.

Technology

The organ deteriorated in recent years, prompting the three-year renovation.

Some of the chimney-size pipes began to buckle under their own weight, which led to restorers having to remove every pipe and mechanism from the casing to clean and replace them.

During the renovation, the organ - designed at a cost of some �7,000 by Henry Willis - had an extra stop added to make it larger than its rival in Liverpool's St George's Hall.

It also boasts new soundboards and modern technology.

The renovation work was part of a �75m refurbishment programme on the Grade 1 listed Royal Albert Hall, which began in 1995.