The BBC Proms 2018 Season
From Bach to Bernstein and New York disco-punk....
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The Royal Albert Hall brings the best of classical music to the widest possible audience with promming (standing) tickets costing just £6.
For all it’s classical allegiance, this year’s BBC Proms line-up is truly one for 2018 with feminist rap, NYC punk-disco and a YouTube sensation. The programme also celebrates centenaries from those of suffrage to Bernstein.
The BBC Proms Unveils its 2018 Season
Leonard Bernstein, who was born in 1918, will be celebrated as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century in a season that explores his work as a conductor, composer, pianist, and educationalist. John Wilson leads performances of West Side Story and also Bernstein’s 1944 production On the Town.
The centenary of Debussy’s death in 1918 leads the Proms in an exploration of French music that traces the 20th century cannon through the lens of some of Debussy’s most influential works such as Pelléas et Mélisande and La mer.
100 years since the end of the First World War brings a contemporary response from the imaginative and eclectic young composer Anna Meredith, in collaboration with 59 Productions. This new orchestral work explores the varied forms of communication from the Front Lines.
A Relaxed Prom will offer an informal environment where all can enjoy world-class music. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will be joined by its disabled-led ensemble BSO Resound, under the direction of James Rose. This Prom marks the first major UK performance by this pioneering ensemble, which is forging the way for extraordinary musicians with disability.
The British Museum Hosts First Major Music Festival
Anna Meredith is also one of 24 women composers championed by the Proms in a reflection on Parliament’s 1918 decision to grant the vote to some women aged 30 and over. Roxanna Panufnik receives the coveted Last Night of the Proms commission and as part of the Proms Chamber Music series, eight women, never previously commissioned by the BBC, receive world premieres, including Laura Mvula and Bushra El-Turk.
In ‘New York: Sound of a City’, Jules Buckley explores the current sounds on New York’s streets, embracing everything from disco-punk to feminist rap.
From a solo recital by oud virtuoso, Joseph Tawadros to a Prom devoted to vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and YouTube sensation, Jacob Collier, there is, as they say, something for everyone.
Where to Eat
In celebration of this year’s BBC Proms, The Ivy Kensington Brasserie has partnered with Josh Bristow, a London-based artist and illustrator best known for his work with brands such as Smythson of Bond Street. Inspired by BBC Proms, from Friday, 13 July to Friday, 7 September, The Ivy Kensington Brasserie’s façade will feature a quintessentially British floral installation, complete with pink, red and yellow flowers, blooms and roses – the national flower of Great Britain. The Ivy Kensington Brasserie’s bar team has conjured up two exclusive cocktails, the ‘Classical Lady’ and ‘Strawberry Symphony,’ priced individually at £9.75 and available as a refreshing addition to the brasserie’s set menu offering. The Ivy Kensington Brasserie’s pre-Proms set menu will be available Monday-Friday from 11:30am – 6:30pm (between Friday, 13 July and Friday, 7 September) and will be priced at £25.00 for two courses with a cocktail and £29.00 for three courses with a cocktail.
For the full line-up, visit BBC Proms.
When & Where: 13 July to 8 September at Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, Kensington, London SW7 2AP.
