Production
The World's Greatest Classical Music Festival. The BBC Proms is a classical music festival held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and in recent years has explored an innovative series of Proms around the UK with concerts in all four nations. Its aim: to bring the best in classical music to the widest possible audience, which remains true to founder-conductor Henry Wood’s original vision in 1895. Whether you are a classical connoisseur or think classical music isn’t for you, there is something for everyone in the eight-week stretch of concerts.
Michael Parkinson presents the sensational John Wilson Orchestra in a celebration of festive musical treats from the golden age of swing, with soloists Seth MacFarlane, Anna-Jane Casey and special guest Curtis Stigers. The Christmas classics include Winter Wonderland, Baby It's Cold Outside, Let It Snow and White Christmas.
This documentary portrait, the first television biography of Rattle for 15 years, follows him through an extraordinary year of concerts, oratorios and opera with five different orchestras. We see his rigorous preparation and experience his irresistible dynamism in rehearsal and performance. We will watch him at work with the Berliner Philharmoniker, often described as the world’s leading orchestra. We will also see him with the Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment and with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. We see him preparing a score for performance, share his experiences with the players and gain privileged insights into the day-to-day life of a conductor
The Sacred Music journey continues with this special celebration marking the 400th anniversary of the death of the Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. One of the greatest choral composer of the Renaissance, Victoria devoted his life to the church and his music is profoundly spiritual. Interwoven with Victoria’s music, this documentary follows Simon Russell Beale as he takes us through the life and times of Victoria. Harry Christophers and his award-winning ensemble, The Sixteen, perform Victoria’s music in the glorious setting of the Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes in Madrid, founded in 1606 by Philip III in Victoria's lifetime.
Solo show-stoppers from the world's greatest musicians including John Williams, Jacqueline du Pre, Wynton Marsalis, Nigel Kennedy, James Galway, Ravi Shankar and Dudley Moore.
Julian Lloyd Webber takes an extraordinary musical journey through the BBC archives from the 1950s to the present to celebrate the world of the cello through some of its greatest interpreters. From dazzling performances by legendary masters such as Paul Tortelier, Jacqueline du Pre and Mstislav Rostropovich to some of today's leading interpreters including Yo Yo Ma, Steven Isserlis and Mischa Maisky, Julian gives us a cellist's perspective on an extraordinary virtuoso tradition.
A dazzling music tribute to the Man with the Golden Flute, Sir James Galway. Features archive performances across 40 years of television including The Chieftains, Cleo Laine and Sir James himself.
Clemency Burton-Hill celebrates the rich and ravishing world of the string quartet in a journey through 50 years of BBC archive. Some of the world's greatest ensembles including the Amadeus, Chilingirian, Borodin and Kronos quartets perform in myriad styles and settings, from stately homes to helicopters. Music ranges from Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert to Steve Reich, Elvis Costello and Pete Townshend, in a tradition which stretches back to Haydn in the 18th century.
Nicola Benedetti introduces performances by celebrated violinists including Nathan Milstein, Mischa Elman, Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman and Nigel Kennedy.
Musical marvels from the Royal Albert Hall for the TV premiere of a new show - Wallace and Gromit at the Proms. There's specially filmed new Wallace and Gromit animations featuring the dynamic duo's backstage exploits as they prepare for the first performance of Wallace's brand new work, My Concerto in Ee Lad. On stage are the Aurora Orchestra, violin soloist Tasmin Little with conductor and host Nicholas Collon performing some classical favourites.
Winner of five Academy Awards, 22 Grammy Awards and seven BAFTAs, John Williams is among the greatest of film composers. His scores for Star Wars, Harry Potter, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and the Indiana Jones films have made him a household name. The BBC Proms celebrates his extraordinary achievements in a concert to mark Williams's 85th birthday. Keith Lockhart – a long-time colleague of Williams at the Boston Pops Orchestra – conducts the BBC Concert Orchestra in an evening featuring excerpts from the composer's best-loved scores, as well as some lesser-known gems.
