In the 125th anniversary year of The Proms, it is fair to say this great festival is still the biggest event in the international classical music calendar. It holds a cherished place in the hearts of many fans, the world over, and has carried on regardless of any disruptions - including two World Wars!
So how to ensure it goes ahead, when the country is still largely in a state of lockdown?
These have been challenging times for our nation and the rest of the world, and as we discussed the impact on the summer season, it became clear this was not going to be the Proms as we know them, but the Proms as we need them.
These recent months have shown that we need music and the creative industries more than ever. At such a difficult time, music plays an important role in our lives – reflecting the wide range of different emotions we are all experiencing.
Whilst the ambitious and innovative season we had planned for 2020, won’t unfold as we had initially envisaged, it has however opened up a whole host of other opportunities.
We are very excited to be delving into the incredible BBC archive collection for the first time, and pulling out a range of past Proms performances to entertain audiences on Radio 3 every evening, with stand-out Proms on BBC Four every Sunday evening and more to explore on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
As always we want to make sure this really is the People’s Proms, so Radio 3 listeners will be invited to share their favourite Proms moments, and these will help form the programme.
As well as our own 125th anniversary, we will be celebrating the 250th year since Beethoven’s birth. This will begin on the First Night with a new mash-up of Beethoven's 9 symphonies which has been specially created by Iain Farrington. This unique commission will be performed by all the BBC Orchestras and BBC Singers together - over 350 musicians - in a Grand Virtual Orchestra. I can’t think of a better way to launch this summer season and celebrate the music that so many artists have been creating from their own homes.
As the following six weeks of the season unfolds across BBC television, radio, iPlayer and Sounds, we look forward to sharing the rich and stimulating gems unearthed from our unrivalled archive.
Our ambition is that the season will culminate in a final two weeks of live performances from the Royal Albert Hall, and in particular the much-loved Last Night of the Proms. Never has this moment of national togetherness seemed more important or poignant.
So whether this is your first experience of the Proms, or another season of many, I hope you will enjoy and celebrate this unique and remarkable festival with us.
