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BBC brings Symphony Orchestra to the masses with first look at the People's Prom
Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent25 Jun 2009
They are best known on stage at the Royal Albert Hall playing the Last Night of the Proms.
But today members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra are playing at railway stations and hospitals, in museums and libraries across the city to show commuters what they can do.
Starting at 9.30am at Kings Cross St Pancras, a brass quintet welcomed commuters. Then different ensembles from percussion duos to woodwind quartets are playing at venues from the British Museum to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery before they all get together for a pre-Prom Prom in the Westfield Shopping Centre, west London.
In keeping with the month-long Story of London Festival organised by the Mayor of London, the Westfield concert at 7pm will include music inspired by the rich heritage of the capital.
London Calling by Eric Coates, a world premiere by the film and jazz composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett entitled Chelsea Reach and Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra are all in the programme.
Earlier in the afternoon, members of the public are invited to bring their own instruments to create a family orchestra at Westfield and play alongside the world-class musicians from the BBC.
Roger Wright, the Proms controller, said BBC Proms Out and About was an even bigger version of the initiative originally launched seven years ago to take its music to Londoners.
“We want to celebrate the fact that although this is an international festival and the world's largest music festival, it does take place in London,” he said.
“And we want to get the message out to show that the Proms not only have quality music but they are the most accessible festival.
“It will take some stamina from the performers, but they aim to inspire Londoners and give them an unexpected insight into the BBC Proms.”
He had “no idea” how many people they could expect at the finale at the Westfield Shopping Centre, he said. “That's the beauty of it. It's an open space and it's unticketed.”
As players perform in places including Shepherd's Bush Library, a busker's spot at Waterloo tube station and the Natural History Museum, leaflets will be distributed flagging up a free Prom for families as well as two other concerts designed for children on the theme of Charles Darwin.
Tickets for the free family Prom at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 July can be booked from Friday. Tickets for other concerts are already available with tickets for under-16s at half price for all Proms apart from the First and Last Nights.
The 115th Proms get underway on 17 July and run until 12 September. www.bbc.co.uk/proms
Jury bbc proms time schedule
Performances will take place at the following places and times:
9.30am St Pancras International
10am BBC White City Reception
11am Shepherd's Bush Library
11am University of the Third Age, Mundan Street, Hammersmith
11.30am British Museum
11.30am Askew Road Library, W12
12pm Lyric Square, Hammersmith
1pm Connections at St Martins, 12 Adelaide STreet, WC2
1pm UCH Hospital
1.15pm Waterloo Tube Station
1.30pm Victoria Embankment Bandstand
1.30pm Heart Hospital, Westmoreland Street, W1
2pm The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery
2pm Lyric Hammersmith Community Garden
3pm Natural History Museum
3.30pm Westfield Shopping Centre, Family Orchestra
7pm Westfield Shopping Centre, Free Prom
Reader views (1)
Beautiful performance, congratulations to the players! Why was the microphone put so close to the core'anglais?
Exquisitly played though it was, it was a little beauty but rather dominating! Bit like a precocious but restlesss child wonder.
- Jonathan Williams, London, 19/08/2009 11:59
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