BBC Proms
BBC Proms: Season 55

Air Date

July 20, 2001

Episodes

27 episodes

BBC Proms

Season 55

Episodes

1. First Night of the Proms

July 20, 2001

James Naughtie introduces live coverage of the First Night live from London's Royal Albert Hall in a special concert to welcome American-born Leonard Slatkin to his first Prom season as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

2. BBC Proms 2001

July 29, 2001

Live broadcast of Sally Beamish's Proms commission Knotgrass Elegy, Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto, and Stravinsky's The Firebird.

3. BBC Proms 2001

July 30, 2001

A live broadcast of Nielsen's Symphony No 2 (The Four Temperaments), Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No 1, played by Louis Lortie, and Vaughan Williams' Symphony No 2 (A London Symphony).

4. BBC Proms 2001

July 31, 2001

A live broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall, London, featuring Berlioz's Le Corsaire, the world premiere of Stuart MacRae's Violin Concerto, performed by Tasmin Little, Britten's Les Illuminations and Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra.

5. BBC Proms 2001

August 1, 2001

Live from London's Royal Albert Hall where American soprano Renee Fleming makes her long-awaited Proms debut singing Mozart's motet Exsultate, jubilate and Richard Strauss's ravishing Four Last Songs of 1948. The first half also features Dvorak's Carnival Overture and Brahms's Variations on the St Anthony Chorale, while the all-Strauss second half begins with the colourful tone poem Don Juan. Christoph Eschenbach conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra and the concert is introduced by Stephanie Hughes.

6. BBC Proms 2001

August 2, 2001

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, a performance of Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra Op 31, Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor and Kurt Weill's one-act opera Royal Palace.

7. BBC Proms 2001

August 3, 2001

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, a concert featuring Varese's Arcana, violinist Joshua Bell playing Bernstein's Serenade and his West Side Story Suite, and Ravel's Bolero. Performed by the BBC Philharmonic.

8. The Nation's Favourite Prom

August 5, 2001

Mariella Frostrup presents highlights of a concert from the Royal Albert Hall featuring classical music voted for in a Radio Times poll of the Nation's Favourite Music. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, led by conductor Paul Daniel , performs renditions of Elgar's Enigma Variations, Bruch's Violin Concerto No 1, and Puccini's aria 0 Mio Babbino Caro , with celebrated violinist Nadja Salerno -Sonnenberg and Russian soprano Elena Prokina also performing.

9. BBC Proms 2001

August 5, 2001

Including works by Debussy, Britten and Finzi. Featuring singers Lillian Watson, Pamela Helen Stephen and Philip Langridge.

10. BBC Proms 2001

August 11, 2001

Stephanie Hughes introduces tonight's programme live from London's Albert Hall, consisting of a single work and featuring the annual appearance at the Proms of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, conducted by Andrew Davis. The piece is Oliver Messiaen's distinctive Turangalila Symphony, scored for a huge orchestra and featuring solo piano performed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Cynthia Millar on the ondes martenot.

11. BBC Proms 2001

August 12, 2001

Sir Andrew Davis conducts Sally Beamish's Knotgrass Elegy.

12. BBC Proms 2001

August 19, 2001

Nielsen's Symphony No 2, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No 1 and London Symphony by Vaughan Williams.

13. BBC Proms 2001

August 23, 2001

Manfred Honeck, who stands in for an indisposed Neeme Jarvi, conducts the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Singers in a concert recorded in London's Royal Albert Hall on 9 August. It offers a rare chance to hear highlights of Grieg's incidental music for Ibsen's Peer Gynt in dramatic context. Actor Simon Callow - who introduces tonight's Prom in the absence of Paul Scofield - narrates the Norwegian play in English, Bo Skovhus performs the title role, Anitra is played by Inge Kosmo, while soprano Barbara Bonney sings the part of Solveig.

14. BBC Proms 2001

August 26, 2001

Including Le Corsair by Berlioz and Britten's Les Illuminations.

15. BBC Proms 2001

August 27, 2001

Live from the Royal Albert Hall in London, James Naughtie presents an evening of music performed by Japan's leading orchestra, the NHK Symphony, conducted by Charles Dutoit. The concert commences with Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu's Ceremonial - an Autumn Ode and featuring a solo by Mayumi Miyata on the sho, a traditional Japanese reed instrument. Then, Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No 3, with acclaimed pianist Martha Argerich. Finally, after the interval, a performance of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, subtitled "A Soviet Artist's Practical Creative Reply to Just Criticism".

16. BBC Proms 2001

August 30, 2001

Wayne Marshall the celebrated pianist, organist and conductor presents a concert of American and Russian music from London's Royal Albert Hall. The programme includes Copland's El salon Mexico, Barber's Adagio for Strings and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the pianist Stephen Hough as soloist. The BBC Symphony Orchestra will be under the baton of Leonard Slatkin, its new chief conductor.

17. BBC Proms 2001

September 2, 2001

Featuring music by Schoenberg and Weill, from the Royal Albert Hall.

18. BBC Proms 2001

September 6, 2001

Tonight featuring the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra with their music director Herbert Blomstedt who is making his Proms' debut. Michael Aspel introduces this concert from London's Royal Albert Hall which includes Dvorak's symphony No 9 From the New World and Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream.

19. BBC Proms 2001

September 13, 2001

James Naughtie introduces live coverage from London's Royal Albert Hall. This year's Proms have explored the countryside and nature. Tonight the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, perform a programme linked by a pastoral theme that includes Sibelius's late tone-poem The Oceanides, Sir Michael Tippett's The Rose Lake and Beethoven's Symphony No 6 the Pastoral.

20. Last Night of the Proms

September 15, 2001

Stephanie Hughes introduces the first half of this evening's traditional celebration live from the Royal Albert Hall, with Leonard Slatkin conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the finale of the Proms season. The programme includes Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco, while the pastoral theme is represented by Finzi's The Fall of the Leaf and Constant Lambert's famous Rio Grande.

21. Last Night of the Proms

September 15, 2001

BBC1 takes over live coverage of the spectacular finale to the 2001 Prom season. The BBC Symphony Orchestra's American conductor, Leonard Slatkin, lends a transatlantic theme to proceedings, which include John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine and a Sousa march made famous by Monty Python. American mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade makes her Proms debut with Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne and the evening concludes with the traditional sing-along, joined by those gathered at Proms in the Park locations around the country. Presented by Stephanie Hughes. [Editor's note: The programme was subject to change due to 9/11. These details, from the billing in the Radio Times, may be incorrect.]

22. Proms 2001

September 16, 2001

Highlights from this year, featuring a tribute to composer Gerald Finzi. Conducted by Richard Hickox.

23. Helene Grimaud at the Proms

December 20, 2001

The young French pianist gives a stylish performance of Beethoven's Fourth Concerto.

24. CBBC Prom in the Park

December 23, 2001

A concert recorded earlier this year in London's Hyde Park. Simon Thomas , Matt Baker and Faye Tozer introduce Russell Watson , Steps, Al, DJ Pied Piper and the Master of Ceremonies, the Tweenies and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

25. The Best of the Proms 2001

February 17, 2002

A musical retrospective featuring Sally Beamish's first Proms commission, Knotgrass Elegy, Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto (played by Canadian violinist James Ehnes); and Stravinsky's Firebird suite. Andrew Davis conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

26. The Best of the Proms 2001

February 21, 2002

Featuring Varese's Arcana, a work inspired by the occult philosophy of Paracelsus. Plus American violinist Joshua Bell plays Bernstein's Serenade, and the UK premiere of his West Side Story Suite. The concert ends with Ravel's ever-popular Bolero. The BBC Philharmonic is conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier.

27. The Best of the Proms 2001

February 28, 2002

Featuring Berlioz's Overture Le Corsaire; the world premiere of Stuart MacRae's Violin Concerto, played by Tasmin Little; Britten's Les Illuminations, with soprano Inger Dam-Jensen; and Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra - the tone-poem that was featured in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: a Space Odyssey.

No cast information available