Principal Guest Conductor Dalia Stasevska leads the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the BBC Singers and internationally renowned pianist Paul Lewis for a celebratory evening of music, marking the start of the world’s greatest classical music festival. The programme for the evening also includes Grieg’s Piano Concerto, Sibelius’s Finlandia, Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and a world premiere piece by Ukrainian composer, Bohdana Frolyak, entitled Let There Be Light.
From the moment the Royal Albert Hall doors open, BBC Radio 3 will take listeners behind the scenes as they broadcast live from the Hall throughout the day. The Proms Countdown begins at 6.30am, as Petroc Trelawny explores the opening week of the 2023 season, followed by programmes with Georgia Mann, Linton Stephens, Penny Gore, Elizabeth Alker and Sean Rafferty, before Georgia and Petroc co-host the live concert broadcast of the First Night from 7pm. In addition, a special mini-series of short Proms programmes, hosted by Tom Service, will be broadcast on the day and made available on BBC Sounds.
The festivities for the First Night of the Proms are also celebrated on TV. From 7pm on BBC Two, presenter Clive Myrie will be joined by guests Anna Lapwood and Sandi Toksvig.
Lesley Manville CBE says: “I absolutely adore the Proms and am so excited to be involved in the iconic First Night to narrate Sibelius’s Snöfrid with all its dramatic lyricism and tempestuous energy. The Proms is a brilliant festival and I can’t wait to join in and kick off this summer’s celebrations!”
David Pickard, Director of the BBC Proms says: “The First Night of the Proms is very nearly here and we are so looking forward to the coming eight weeks of fantastic classical music. We are excited to say that from 6.30am on Friday our colleagues at BBC Radio 3 will join us for a day of broadcasting live from the Royal Albert Hall, and, for the First Night of the Proms concert we are delighted to collaborate with Lesley Manville, one of Britain’s greatest actors, who will perform alongside over 200 musicians and singers from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the BBC Singers, led by Dalia Stasevska. Whether you’re joining us on the radio, on TV or in person, we can’t wait for the beginning of what we hope will be another thrilling season.”
Over the eight-week season, which will conclude on Saturday 9 September with the world-famous Last Night of the Proms, BBC television and BBC iPlayer will broadcast over 20 programmes, and for the first time, all will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer for 12 months.
