1998

Season 52 · 1998 · 12 episodes

Episodes

1The First Night of the PromsJames Naughtie introduces live coverage from London's Royal Albert Hall - in simultaneous broadcast with Radio 3 - of Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, the opening concert of this year's BBC Proms season. The Damnation of Faust, with a dramatic score recounting the story of a man who uses his soul to strike a deal with the Devil, reflects one of the 1998 Proms season's major themes - the connection between magic, mystery and music. Baritone Bryn Terfel takes the role of Mephistopheles while tenor Richard Margison and mezzo-soprano Ann Murray play, respectively, Faust and his lover, Marguerite, with baritone Donald Maxwell as Brander. Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, BBC Singers, and New London Children's Choir.
2BBC Proms 98Live from London's Royal Albert Hall, Charles Hazlewood introduces a simultaneous broadcast with Radio 3 as the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, performs Shostakovich's Symphony No 10. The concert opens with Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, and includes the world premiere of Michael Berkeley's Garden of Earthly Delights.
3BBC Proms 98The BBC Proms season continues at London's Royal Albert Hall with a live transmission - broadcast simultaneously with Radio 3 - introduced by James Naughtie. Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the television premiere of Elgar's Symphony No 3. Elgar left behind an incomplete work when he died in 1934, but composer Anthony Payne has elaborated on the sketches to produce a major symphonic work. The evening also includes two well-loved pieces - Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, and Mozart's Piano Concerto No 17 in G, with soloist Richard Goode.
4BBC Proms 98In the first of four Proms recorded for BBC television, James Naughtie introduces a concert performance of classical music from the movies, performed at London's Royal Albert Hall on 20 July. Yan Pascal Tortelier conducts the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Gershwin's Girl Crazy Overture and Rhapsody in Blue, Leonard Bernstein's music for On the Waterfront, and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, with Canadian pianist Louis Lortie.
5BBC Proms 98In the second of four Proms recorded for BBC television, James Naughtie introduces another concert centred on music used in films, performed at London's Royal Albert Hall on 2 August. Beethoven's Symphony No 7 was used in Immortal Beloved, the composer's biopic, and is joined by Elgar's evocation of childhood, The Wand of Youth. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is led by Finnish conductor Osmo Vanska.
6BBC Proms 98Live from London's Royal Albert Hall, Stephanie Hughes introduces the Los Angeles' Philharmonic, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen, as they perform the London premiere of American composer John Adams's Slonimsky's Earbox. The concert also features Gustav Mahler's song cycle Leidereines Fahrenden Gesellen, with soloist Lorraine Hunt (mezzo-soprano), and, after the interval, Jean Sibelius's Four Lemminkainen Legends. In the interval, there's a visit to the ancient landscape of Finland, home of the Kalevala, the mysterious and magical epic on which Sibelius based the aforementioned work.
7BBC Proms 98In the penultimate Prom recorded for BBC television, James Naughtie introduces another concert performance of the classical music used in films, performed at London's Royal Albert Hall on 10 August. Tadaaki Otaka conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in Paul Dukas's witty Sorcerer's Apprentice, created in Walt Disney's Fantasia. The mystic Zoroaster is explored in Richard Strauss's tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra, and French tenor Jean-Paul Fouchecourt sings Szymanowski's exotic Songs of an Infatuated Muezzin.
8BBC Proms 98Live from the Royal Albert Hall , London, Stephanie Hughes introduces the European Union Youth Orchestra as they perform Richard Strauss 's Alpine Symphony, conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. The concert also includes Marine a travers les Arbres by Andrew March , winner of the 1998 Masterprize for new compositions, and Swedish soprano Hillevi Martinpelto sings Berg's Seven Early Songs.
9BBC Proms 98James Naughtie introduces a concert of popular Baroque music, performed at London's Royal Albert Hall on 17 August. Christopher Hogwood conducts the Academy of Ancient Music, with the Choir of New College, Oxford, in a programme including Zadok the Priest and Water Music by Handel and Bach's Violin Concerto in E. With soloists Andrew Manze (violin) and Emma Kirkby (soprano), who sings the Vivaldi motet Nulla in Mundo Pax, which featured in the film Shine.
10The Last Night of the PromsJames Naughtie hosts the traditional celebration live from London's Royal Albert Hall, with Andrew Davis conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Pieces by Rossini, Mozart and Rachmaninov are among the highlights, plus the European premiere of Variations for Orchestra by British composer Hugh Wood. There is also a visit to the Proms in the Park concert taking place simultaneously in Hyde Park and hosted by Terry Wogan.
11The Last Night of the PromsJames Naughtie introduces live coverage of the second half of tonight's concert from London's Royal Albert Hall. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Davis, performs Bernstein's Candide, before being joined by the BBC Singers and Symphony Chorus for Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens. Baritone Thomas Hampson sings a selection of Gershwin songs, and Terry Wogan introduces a recital in Hyde Park of Paganini's Caprice by violinist Tasmin Little. Then it's back to the Royal Albert Hall for Thomas Ades's These Premises Are Alarmed, followed by the traditional finale, including Arne's Rule, Britannia! and Parry's Jerusalem.
12The Blue Peter PromIn honour of Blue Peter's 40th anniversary. Katy Hill introduces a concert from London's Albert Hall, with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.