BBC Proms

Introduced by Richard Baker BBC2 joins Radio 3 in stereo at the Royal Albert Hall for a live relay of the first half of tonight's Henry Wood Promenade Concert, the opening of the 89th season. Beethoven Mass in c major Ileana Cotrubas (soprano) Kathleen Kuhlmann (mezzo-sop) Robert Tear (tenor) Gwynne Howell (baritone) BBC Singers BBC Symphony Chorus conductor BRIAN WRIGHT London Philharmonic Choir conductor RICHARD COOKE BBC Symphony Orchestra leader BELA DEKANY conductor Sir John Pritchard

Introduced by Richard Baker In the first of this year's BBC1 relays from the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall , London John Lill plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 3. in c minor with the BBC PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, conducted by GUNTHER HER -BIG Beethoven wrote his Op 37 in 1800 when he was 29. The three movements are Allegro con brio. Largo, and Rondo: Allegro.

Introduced by Richard Baker In the second of this year's BBC1 relays from the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Simon Rattle conducts the Philharmonla Orchestra leader RAYMOND OVENS , in Rachmaninov's Second Symphony A masterpiece of romantic music, ,full of luscious melodies for which the composer is justly famous.

Introduced by Richard Baker In BBCl's third visit to this season's Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Janet Baker (meZzo-soprano) and Hermann Winkler (tenor) are the soloists in Mahler's symphonic song-cycle Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), with the BBC Symphony Orchestra leader RODNEY FRIEND conductor Sir John Pritchard

Recorded from this year's Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall with Marie Slorach (soprano), Stephen Roberts (baritone), Michael Rippon (bass), David Wilson-Johnson (speaker), BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, chorus-master Brian Wright, Choristers of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, musical director Francis Grier, BBC Symphony Orchestra, leader Bela Dekany, conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki Introduced by Richard Baker who also talks to Penderecki before the performance. This fine work by one of the leading figures in Polish contemporary music was given its first performance in 1966 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Münster Cathedral when the composer was 33. Scored for large choral and orchestral forces, it gives a graphic account of the Passion story while the range and textures of voices and instruments are extensively exploited to convey its intense drama and grief.

ntroduced by Richard Baker Tonight at the Henry Wood Promenade Concert, music by two of America's most popular composers: Bernstein Overture: Candide Gershwin Piano Concerto in F soloist Steven de Groote Gershwin An American in Paris BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton George Gershwin was famous as a composer of popular music, much of it written for the stage or cinema. An American in Paris is probably best known through its use in the film of the same name, but it was written in 1928 as a concert piece and had its first performance in that year conducted by Walter Damrosch. Damrosch also conducted the premiere three years earlier of Gershwin's Piano Concerto with the composer as soloist.

Introduced by Richard Baker The fifth of this year's BBC1 relays from the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Academy of St Martin-in-the-Flelds leader KENNETH SILLITO is conducted by Neville Marriner in a performance of Mendelssohn's' Italian' Symphony They are joined by Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor) in Britten's Les Illuminations

Introduced by Richard Baker In the last of this year's recordings from the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall Pinchas Zukerman is the soloist in Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D with the BBC Symphony Orchestra leader RODNEY FRIEND conducted by Mark Elder

The traditional end to what has been called ' the greatest music festival in the world' includes Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No 1, dn D major Walton Suite: Facade Henry Wood , arr Sargent Fantasia on British Sea Songs Parry, orch Elgar Jerusalem BBC Singers BBC Symphony Chorus BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Norman Del Mar Introduced by Richard Baker