BBC Concert Orchestra RSS feed

Robbie Williams sings with Take That but he's not back for good

2009-11-13T09:30:24Z

Video: Robbie Williams sang with Take That last night for the first time since the band broke up 13 years ago.

Smokey Robinson is still the king of motown

2009-10-26T00:00:00Z

Motown legend Smokey Robinson came to the Roundhouse on Saturday to give the fourth year of the BBC Electric Proms the send-off it deserved.

Robbie Williams returns after three years for gig at BBC Electric Proms

2009-09-22T14:26:32Z

Robbie Williams is to play his first UK show for three years with an intimate BBC gig.

BBC tempts Dizzee to go orchestral for Electric Proms

2009-09-15T14:16:35Z

Another Abba star is Bj�rn as Kylie joins the band

2009-09-13T23:00:00Z

If it's impossible to think of a more perfect pop group than Abba, then it�s probably because there isn�t one

Gilbert's satire still punishes the poseurs

2009-08-11T23:00:00Z

Proms 2009: So long as vanity, affectation and poseurs are with us, Patience will have its targets.

Welcome to the Slumdog Proms

2009-04-08T07:28:51Z

The Proms are going to Bollywood with a day dedicated entirely to Indian music culminating in a Bollywood song and dance extravaganza

Orchestra keeps in mime for Sam Taylor-Wood art

2008-10-23T08:35:58Z

Forget air guitar - this orchestra has taken musical imagination to a whole new level

Magic moments with Burt

2008-10-22T23:00:00Z

Few artists combine poignant and cool in one package, but Burt Bacharach is that man. His Roundhouse show was a triumph.

Bill Bailey is frustrated Roy Castle

2008-10-08T23:00:00Z

Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide To The Orchestra was a terrifically entertaining mainstream classical music primer, a less terrific comedy gig.

Music

2008-10-02T11:26:16Z

Live music, be it opera or rock festivals, is proving more popular than ever � and is offering a desperately needed financial lifeline. London remains the heartbeat of the industry.

Gwilym Simcock is dazzling poet of the keyboard

2008-08-10T23:00:00Z

In a weekend packed with premieres, Simcock's Progressions wins the prize for enlightened commissioning, says Fiona Maddocks.

That 'gorgeous blond blue-eyed guy' image. That was all bulls**t

2008-08-11T07:20:25Z

David Soul is about to battle it out on TV with other celebrities to find the best classical conductor, and he's glad finally to have escaped his heart-throb status

Anna Meredith is prom queen

2008-08-06T10:57:09Z

How will Anna Meredith's gutsy, wild new composition for 800 performers be received by the Last Night audience?.

Kennedy returns with an eloquent, edgy Elgar

2008-07-20T23:00:00Z

The 2008 BBC Proms have begun and brought the return of Nigel Kennedy to the festival after an absence of 21 years.

From Radiohead to Hollywood

2008-02-08T10:52:16Z

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood is about to become known as one of our best classical composers.

Garbarek the enigma soars to a sparky beat

2007-11-19T00:00:00Z

Jan Garbarek was a popular choice of headliner at the 15th annual London Jazz Festival and his admirers were not disappointed.

Prom night for Ronson and his famous friends

2007-10-24T23:00:00Z

Mark Ronson kicked off the Electric Proms, an event which is fast becoming a London institution after just two years.

All that Jazz

2007-10-15T12:22:24Z

London's annual jazz festival returns with a cracking line-up of both well-established names and up-and-coming musicians from the capital's thriving alternative scene.

Proms queen Lily lines up for Electric event

2007-09-04T09:50:40Z

The BBC today announced the line-up for its second Electric Proms - including Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen, Paul Weller and Sean Lennon.

Sweet dreams are remade by Annie Lennox

2007-08-15T23:00:00Z

Now a sprightly 52, Annie Lennox's voice still broods as naturally as Gordon Brown's.

Whole lot of Shakespeare going on

2007-08-08T23:00:00Z

The Proms took a gamble on British jazz royalty and honoured Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine in From Bard to Blues.

Shaken and stirred

2007-03-22T00:00:00Z

The audience was dancing the conga in the aisles and gave Pink Martini a standing ovation, but Mark Espiner found the 12-strong band a little too predictable.

A night of more gold than guilt

2007-03-21T00:00:00Z

Cerys Matthews, Chas and Dave, and Suggs were among the guest singers at the Guilty Pleasures Live night at Hackney Empire.

Bill limbers up for a musical marathon

2007-02-26T00:00:00Z

After a stint in Pinter's People, comedian Bill Bailey fronted the BBC Concert Orchestra and his musical departure was certainly more successful than his theatrical foray.

Critic's choice: BBC Electric Proms

2006-10-25T10:07:17Z

The BBC's latest venture into live events is a long weekend of intriguing collaborations boasting big names from across rock's spectrum.

Pick of the pop Proms

2006-10-24T10:03:37Z

In the first of what it hopes will be an annual festival to complement the classical Proms, the BBC's Electric Proms aims to persuade a wide cross-section of contemporary musicians to try something a bit different.

Committed cult of Jean Claude

2006-10-22T23:00:00Z

The Barbican resembled La Rive Gauche as London's Francophiles assembled for the live recreation of two of the strangest moments in French music.

Take me out: best weekend events

2006-10-19T10:10:30Z

The Affordable Art Fair comes to town, the mammoth Fabric celebrates its 7th birthday party, there's at tribute to the musical legacy of Serge Gainsbourg and Volupte lounge host a special cacao-themed soiree.