Proms Extra
A series of free daily pre-concert events at Imperial College Union, including talks, readings, film screenings, workshops and participation events for all ages - offering the chance for audiences to get closer to the music.
Published: 20 April 2017
BBC Radio 3 presenters and music and culture experts introduce the music of the evening’s Prom and explore themes including mood and emotion, and the influence of the natural world. Hosted at Imperial College Union, highlights of the series include an exploration of Schiller’s essay On Naive And Sentimental Poetry by thinker and academic Seán Williams; and novelist Charlotte Mendelson (29 July), tackles the question: why do novelists prefer to write about unhappy people?
Elsewhere, Radio 3 presenters talk to composers such as Gerald Barry, Mark Simpson and Mark-Anthony Turnage about their works receiving premieres at the 2017 Proms.
Proms Extra Films
Film screenings giving insight to the evening’s performance: Ten Pieces I and Ten Pieces II showcase the music of the BBC’s award-winning music education initiative (23 July); a series of four documentaries from BBC archives, including a 1967 programme about Monteverdi’s Vespers, screened ahead of a concert celebrating 450 years since the composer’s birth (31 July); and Norman Lebrecht’s Mahler (18 August), which explores Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony (No. 2) through the eyes of former Wall Street economist turned conductor Gilbert Kaplan.
Proms Extra Sing
Mary King, Simon Halsey and Ken Burton hold Proms Extra Sing events, offering audiences the opportunity to explore two of the major choral works in this year’s season and to sing selected excerpts from them with professional coaching: The Choir with No Name join to sing Beethoven’s Choral Symphony (30 July); and the BBC Singers present Mozart’s La Clemenza Di Tito
(28 August).
Proms Extra Family Workshops
Five Proms Extra Family workshops throughout the season offer family-friendly introductions to the music of the Prom that follows for children aged seven and over.
