First Night of the Proms review – a thrilling adventure ride
A seemingly safe ticket – Handel, Bruckner, Clara Schumann and Beethoven’s Fifth – became in the hands of Elim Chan and the BBCSO a dazzling, joyous launch night
‘We’re in for a treat’: five Proms performers pick their highlights of the season
From operatic to the orgiastic, and fanfares to the ‘fantastique’, leading musicians tell us which concert they’ll be sure not to miss of the eight-week festival which opens this weekend.
Observer New Review Q&A
Countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński: ‘Breakdancing feeds into my performances – music dictates the way you move on stage’
The singer on his high voice, his forthcoming Proms debut and his other lives – as a breakdancer, skateboard champion and Vogue model
April 2024
The week in classical: Lucia di Lammermoor; Nash Ensemble; Anthony McGill and Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective – review
A fearless central performance anchors Katie Mitchell’s busy yet insightful Donizetti revival. And two chamber concerts serve as a vibrant prelude to this year’s BBC Proms…
The Guardian view on patriotism and the Last Night of the Proms: time for a change
For years, Rule, Britannia! has had a divisive presence in the festival. It should make way for other anthems of national identity
This Proms season ticks all the boxes and promises special things
Andrew Clements
BBC unveils 2024 Proms lineup: Daniel Barenboim, Daleks and disco
Sir Andrew Davis obituary
February 2024
‘We’re going to blame the women, not our sexism’: bias holding back top female pianists
Discrimination and bias in classical music are denying women opportunities at festivals, venues and in recordings, research finds
January 2024
Cellist at Prince Harry’s wedding says Proms should drop Rule, Britannia!
Patriotic song makes people ‘feel uncomfortable’, Sheku Kanneh-Mason tells Desert Island Discs
November 2023
BBC Proms director David Pickard to step down after nine years
Pickard will leave post after next summer’s classical music festival and says it feels like right time to go
September 2023
Flying the flag for internationalism at the Proms
Rufus Wainwright: Want One and Want Two review – double-Prom epic is magnificently opulent
Prom 62: The Rite by Heart review – fresh insight into Stravinsky’s complex classic
The week in classical: LSO/ Rattle; Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Nelsons – review
August 2023
Prom 52: Boston SO/ Nelsons review – weighty lyricism and ravishing reflection
The Boston Symphony showed signature depth in a grand Prokofiev Fifth, and splendidly contrasting textures in both Strauss and an emotionally driven premiere from US composer Julia Adolphe
Prom 50: Samson review – humour, chewy harmonies and Handel at his best
Allan Clayton’s rich tenor defied the tricksy acoustics of the great hall, while the Philharmonia Chorus were truly outstanding
John Eliot Gardiner pulls out of BBC Proms after punching bass soloist
Proms 45 & 46: BBCSO/Oramo; Manchester Collective review – Mahler with martial zeal and shimmering electronic works
Prom 44: BBCSSO/Kolesnikov/New review – expressive debut an exercise in delayed gratification
