| The BBC Proms - London | 19 April 2024 |
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Les TroyensThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
An evening of compelling drama and wonderful music making |
 11 Sep 23 / Planet Hugill |
Géant! |
| 9 Sep 23 / Forum Opéra |
Berlioz’s epic The Trojans triumphs at the BBC Proms |
| 7 Sep 23 / Seen and Heard |
more reviews [+]
One of this season’s standout events |
| 7 Sep 23 / Classical Source |
The glorious grand opera sounded gorgeous |
| 5 Sep 23 / Evening Standard |
A triumph against the odds |
| 5 Sep 23 / Bachtrack |
associated articles [+]
BBC investigating Sir John Eliot Gardiner following altercation
Sir John Eliot Gardiner is under investigation after having allegedly punched bass William Thomas backstage at the Berlioz Festival in France.
Sir John Eliot Gardiner is under investigation after having allegedly punched bass William Thomas backstage at the Berlioz Festival in France.
SamsonThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 4 | |
Large-scale drama from Allan Clayton, Philharmonia Chorus, Academy of Ancient Music, Laurence Cummings |
| 28 Aug 23 / Planet Hugill |
Handel’s Samson at the Proms attained a level of musical excellence available to very few performances |
| 25 Aug 23 / Seen and Heard |
Humour, chewy harmonies and Handel at his best |
| 25 Aug 23 / The Guardian |
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Samson, in many ways, is a role that seems made for tenor Allan Clayton |
| 25 Aug 23 / The Arts Desk |
Fin de partieThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 4 | |
For those attuned to drama of the absurd, this was unquestionably a rewarding performance |
| 22 Aug 23 / Classical Source |
Kurtág’s Endgame has to be one of the most significant Proms for many years |
| 21 Aug 23 / Seen and Heard |
Music brings compassion to Beckett’s austere drama |
| 20 Aug 23 / The Guardian |
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György Kurtág’s Endgame receives its UK premiere at the Proms |
| 19 Aug 23 / Opera Today |
Dialogues des CarmelitesThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
Want something moving? There’s Nun here |
| 15 Aug 23 / London Unattached |
A gripping performance triumphs over unfair acoustic and theatrical compromises |
| 14 Aug 23 / Planet Hugill |
The Albert Hall was silenced by Glyndebourne’s semi-staged Poulenc |
| 13 Aug 23 / The Observer |
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Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites is one of opera’s great one-offs and Glyndebourne and the Proms did it proud |
| 11 Aug 23 / Classical Source |
Glyndebourne Opera’s Dialogue of the Carmelites stuns at the BBC Proms |
| 9 Aug 23 / Seen and Heard |
Barry Kosky’s production of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites travels from Glyndebourne to the Proms |
| 9 Aug 23 / Opera Today |
SolomonThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 3 | |
Sofi Jeannin conducts the English Concert and BBC Singers, with Iestyn Davies in the title role |
| 24 Aug 22 / Classical Source |
Solomon returns to the BBC Proms with a superb line-up of performers |
| 22 Aug 22 / Planet Hugill |
Overall, the performance felt too decorous |
| 21 Aug 22 / Opera Today |
Il tabarroThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 2 | |
Sir Mark Elder and the Hallé Orchestra play Puccini at the Proms |
| 3 Aug 22 / Opera Today |
Troubled Waters: glimmering Respighi and sparkling Dukas precede a murky Il tabarro |
| 3 Aug 22 / Bachtrack |
The WreckersThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 2 | |
Hopefully it won’t take another 28 years to grace another British stage or concert platform |
| 28 Jul 22 / Classical Source |
The BBC Proms proves Smyth’s voice is as unique and as compelling as her dramatic sense in The Wreckers |
| 27 Jul 22 / Seen and Heard |
Dido and AeneasThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 2 | |
Purcell writ large: a lavish Dido and Aeneas at the BBC Proms |
| 25 Jul 22 / Planet Hugill |
An ‘interventionist’ Dido and Aeneas from David Bates and La Nuova Musica |
| 21 Jul 22 / Opera Today |
Tristan und IsoldeThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 4 | |
A highly memorable night at the Proms |
| 3 Sep 21 / Music OMH |
The London Philharmonic rise to epic heights, an inspired conductor … and two Tristans |
| 3 Sep 21 / Opera Today |
Robin Ticciati conducts his first Wagner opera, and it's a revelation |
| 2 Sep 21 / The Arts Desk |
more reviews [+]
Glyndebourne’s Wagner semi-staging is brought to the BBC Proms 2021 and becomes a tale of two Tristans |
| 2 Sep 21 / Seen and Heard |
Benvenuto CelliniThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 7 | |
A dazzling carnival erupts onto the stage and we don't want it to stop |
| 9 Sep 19 / Planet Hugill |
Michael Spyres proved a class act as he revealed an exceptionally expansive tenor voice |
| 5 Sep 19 / Music OMH |
Sir John Eliot Gardiner brings Benvenuto Cellini to the Proms |
| 5 Sep 19 / Opera Today |
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The characterful interpretation by Gardiner and the ORR was complemented by a charismatic cast of singers |
| 4 Sep 19 / Classical Source |
It was impossible not to be swept away |
| 4 Sep 19 / The Guardian |
Sir John Eliot Gardiner leads a Berlioz performance of awe-inspiring scope at the Proms |
| 4 Sep 19 / Seen and Heard |
Berlioz with a bronze glow as Benvenuto Cellini crowns 150th anniversary |
| 4 Sep 19 / Bachtrack |
JephthaThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
Uneven soloists in Handel's Jephtha |
| 3 Sep 19 / Bachtrack |
For many it is the masterpiece among his oratorios |
| 2 Sep 19 / Opera Today |
Some powerful individual performances in Handel's final oratorio |
| 2 Sep 19 / Planet Hugill |
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Of the soloists, the men fared best |
| 1 Sep 19 / Music OMH |
Tenor Allan Clayton in the title role and bass-baritone Cody Quattlebaum’s Zebul are the pick of the cast vocally |
| 1 Sep 19 / Independent |
Handel's searing response to Old Testament horror strikes afresh |
| 1 Sep 19 / The Arts Desk |
Die ZauberflöteThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 2 | |
The highest accolades go to Caroline Wettergreen’s Queen of the Night |
| 30 Aug 19 / Music OMH |
The music emerged as much the more rewarding element |
| 29 Aug 19 / Classical Source |
TheodoraThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
The oratorio’s dramatic energies and emotional relevance were sadly absent |
| 11 Sep 18 / Opera Today |
Handel's intimate penultimate oratorio in an, at times, profoundly beautiful performance |
| 10 Sep 18 / Planet Hugill |
A superb performance of Theodora as the Proms season nears its close |
| 10 Sep 18 / Seen and Heard |
more reviews [+]
A notably textured, nuanced and insightful performance |
| 10 Sep 18 / Music OMH |
A serious and sobering offering ahead of the revelries of the Last Night of the Proms |
| 9 Sep 18 / Classical Source |
Though immaculately performed, Handel’s sanctimonious opera was faintly tedious |
| 9 Sep 18 / Telegraph |
L'Enfant et les SortilègesThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
Ravel’s L’enfant becomes dangerously glib in the hands of Magdalena Kozena at the Proms |
| 23 Aug 18 / The Spectator |
Colourful music full of fantasy, but never sentimental |
| 21 Aug 18 / Independent |
Sir Simon Rattle’s masterful Ravel at the Proms |
| 21 Aug 18 / Seen and Heard |
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French speakers may disagree but there were no real weak links in the conspicuously cosmopolitan cast |
| 20 Aug 18 / Classical Source |
Rattle and the LSO play Ravel |
| 20 Aug 18 / Bachtrack |
Fables and the fabulous from Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO at the Proms |
| 20 Aug 18 / Opera Today |
West Side StoryThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
Superlative playing from the John Wilson Orchestra in West Side Story |
| 14 Aug 18 / Bachtrack |
The capacity crowd was rightly euphoric at the close |
| 14 Aug 18 / Classical Source |
A superb concert performance of West Side Story at the BBC Proms |
| 14 Aug 18 / Seen and Heard |
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Musical magic but a lack of spirit in this precise production |
| 14 Aug 18 / Independent |
John Wilson brings Broadway to South Kensington |
| 13 Aug 18 / Opera Today |
Under Wilson’s brilliant direction, his orchestra turned in a corker of a performance |
| 13 Aug 18 / Music OMH |
Die Walküre (Act I)The BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 2 | |
A performance both magnificent and fruitful |
| 13 Aug 18 / Opera Today |
Plenty of interesting music but little drama at the Proms from Salonen and the Philharmonia |
| 13 Aug 18 / BBC News |
Pelléas et MélisandeThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 4 | |
Glyndebourne's baffling Pélleas et Mélisande arrives at the Proms |
| 20 Jul 18 / Bachtrack |
The undisputed highlight of the evening was the playing of the London Philharmonic Orchestra |
| 19 Jul 18 / Opera Today |
Glyndebourne’s Proms Pelléas baffles watching audience, enchants listeners at home |
| 19 Jul 18 / Seen and Heard |
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This was a thrilling and unsettling presentation |
| 18 Jul 18 / Classical Source |
La clemenza di TitoThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 5 | |
La clemenza di Tito transfers from Glyndebourne to the Proms |
| 31 Aug 17 / Bachtrack |
Glyndebourne’s excellent La clemenza di Tito comes to the Proms |
| 31 Aug 17 / Seen and Heard |
Bringing Glyndebourne once again to the Proms is a wonderful public service by the BBC — long may it continue |
| 30 Aug 17 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
more reviews [+]
The performance conveyed intense emotions with great style |
| 30 Aug 17 / Opera Today |
Musically, the performance was top notch |
| 29 Aug 17 / Classical Source |
La Damnation de FaustThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 5 | |
A thoroughly compelling performance of Berlioz’s ‘dramatic legend’ |
| 16 Aug 17 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
Brimming with detail and colour |
| 11 Aug 17 / Independent |
Overall this performance felt as polished as it was entertaining from start to finish |
| 11 Aug 17 / Music OMH |
more reviews [+]
An intoxicating La Damnation de Faust from Gardiner and the ORR |
| 10 Aug 17 / Bachtrack |
A triumphant Prom performance of La Damnation de Faust |
| 10 Aug 17 / Seen and Heard |
OklahomaThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
Energy, joy, and overwhelming affection |
| 15 Aug 17 / Independent |
A sharp, crisp Oklahoma! at the Proms |
| 14 Aug 17 / Bachtrack |
Oh what a beautiful musical! |
| 14 Aug 17 / Classical Source |
more reviews [+]
It would be easy to write numerous superlatives and stop there |
| 14 Aug 17 / Classical Source |
‘Oh, what a beautiful Prom!’ John Wilson takes the Promenaders to Oklahoma! |
| 14 Aug 17 / Seen and Heard |
The out-and-out star of the show, though, was the John Wilson Orchestra itself |
| 13 Aug 17 / Music OMH |
KhovanshchinaThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 8 | |
Superb singing from principals and soloists |
| 9 Aug 17 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
A memorable Prom as Semyon Bychkov conducts a wonderfully sung Khovanshchina |
| 9 Aug 17 / Seen and Heard |
A glowing panorama of history |
| 9 Aug 17 / Financial Times |
more reviews [+]
On this occasion Semyon Bychkov was on blazing form |
| 8 Aug 17 / Opera Today |
Whoever said Mussorgsky’s characters lacked humanity? |
| 8 Aug 17 / Independent |
Bychkov was unfailingly persuasive in characterising the cast through orchestral colour and timbre |
| 8 Aug 17 / Classical Source |
Bychkov's Mussorgsky is magisterial, measured and relentless |
| 8 Aug 17 / The Guardian |
Twilight of the Old Believers as Semyon Bychkov leads a majestic Khovanshchina |
| 7 Aug 17 / Bachtrack |
FidelioThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 6 | |
The BBC Philharmonic lacks energy |
| 30 Jul 17 / Express |
Refined beauty in Beethoven's Fidelio |
| 24 Jul 17 / Bachtrack |
Fidelio lives by its Florestan |
| 24 Jul 17 / Opera Today |
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Stuart Skelton’s outstanding Florestan is the highlight of Fidelio at the BBC Proms |
| 24 Jul 17 / Seen and Heard |
Stuart Skelton lived up to expectations |
| 23 Jul 17 / Classical Source |
Skelton’s Florestan is not for those who must have a can belto tenor in this role |
| 23 Jul 17 / Music OMH |
SemiramideThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 8 | |
Semiramide post Sutherland |
| 16 Sep 16 / Mundo Clásico (Spanish) |
A wonderful Semiramide |
| 9 Sep 16 / Opera Today |
Opera Rara’s revelatory Semiramide at the Proms |
| 8 Sep 16 / Seen and Heard |
more reviews [+]
Albina Shagimuratova gives extraordinary vocal depth and brilliance to the title role |
| 7 Sep 16 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
Every second was thrilling |
| 6 Sep 16 / The Guardian |
A barnstorming evening of bel canto |
| 6 Sep 16 / The Arts Desk |
Albina Shagimuratova demonstrated that for sheer technique she has few rivals in this repertoire |
| 6 Sep 16 / Classical Source |
A feast of Rossini as Albina Shagimuratova dazzles in Semiramide |
| 5 Sep 16 / Bachtrack |
Vec MakropulosThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 9 | |
Janacek's The Makropulos Affair offers a virtuoso part in its mysterious heroine Emilia Marty |
| 28 Aug 16 / Express |
Karita Mattila's affinity with the role shone in every bar |
| 26 Aug 16 / Music OMH |
Karita Mattila triumphed again |
| 23 Aug 16 / Independent |
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Karita Mattila's diva glows with breathtaking opulence |
| 22 Aug 16 / The Guardian |
Karita Mattila’s compelling presence in The Makropulos Affair |
| 22 Aug 16 / Seen and Heard |
Karita Mattila was born to sing Emilia Marty |
| 22 Aug 16 / Opera Today |
Mattila's Elina Makropulos a star turn in a drab surrounding |
| 22 Aug 16 / Bachtrack |
Karita Mattila, in incandescent company, is Janáček's long-lived diva to the life |
| 22 Aug 16 / The Arts Desk |
Mattila was, by turns, imperious, mysterious and sinister |
| 21 Aug 16 / Classical Source |
Duke Bluebeard's CastleThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 4 | |
RPO under Dutoit play Dvořák and Bartók superbly |
| 6 Aug 16 / Seen and Heard |
A performance which was by turns dark, creepy, radiant and magnificent |
| 5 Aug 16 / Classical Source |
The dark, soulful realms of Bluebeard and Dvořák |
| 5 Aug 16 / Opera Today |
more reviews [+]
Behind closed doors: Poetic drama from Dutoit in Bluebeard's Castle |
| 5 Aug 16 / Bachtrack |
Roméo et JulietteThe BBC PromsNo. of reviews: 2 | |
A wonderfully clear account of this remarkable symphony |
| 3 Aug 16 / Mark Ronan's Theatre Reviews |
A Shakespearean tale à la française |
| 1 Aug 16 / Opera Today |
Reviews search
Performance schedule
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News & Articles
| BBC Proms spotlights opera in 2023 programme |
The BBC Proms has announced it’s festival programme for 2023, with a special focus on operatic and choral works. |
| 21 Apr 2023 / Opera Now |
| BBC Proms announces its 2022 season |
Freddie De Tommaso, Alice Coote, Lise Davidsen, Anthony Roth Costanzo and Angel Blue lead BBC Proms' 2022 season |
| 28 Apr 2022 / OperaWire |
| BBC Proms announce 2020 programme |
Musical greats, from the past and the present, will be brought together in one extraordinary Proms season, 17 July - 12 September 2020. |
| 4 Jul 2020 / Opera Today |
| BBC Proms announces revised summer season plans |
The 2020 season will offer a mix of broadcasts from their extensive archives and a two week season of live music. |
| 30 May 2020 / OperaWire |
| BBC Proms delays season announcement |
BBC Proms hopes to remain 'part of the summer' despite delayed season announcement amid coronavirus crisis. |
| 10 Apr 2020 / Evening Standard |
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