Classical Music

What's on this week

The BBC Proms celebrates its 80th birthday

BBC Proms stars 2007

Glyndebourne Opera, July 24
Glyndebourne Opera pays its annual visit to the Albert Hall with Verdi's 'Macbeth' on July 24. Richard Jones's production of the rip-roaring melodrama (subtlety wasn't the young Verdi's forte) is 'semi-staged' - a mixed blessing for those who found his controversial ideas (the witches as trailer-trash, anyone?) trying. All ears will be on dynamic maestro Vladimir Jurowski's conducting – all eyes too; the young Russian smoulders star quality.
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Brass Day, July 28
Prepare for blast-off: July 28 is 'Brass Day'. Everything from Uzbekis with ancient, incredibly long instruments to two famous northern bands far from brassed off, via the Coldstream Fanfare Trumpeters and the Early Music sound of His Majesty's Sagbutts and Cornetts – and a piece that uses the spaces of the hall to surround the prommers with 20 tubas. Renaissance sounds to new commissions. You have been warned. Separate programmes at 2pm and 7.30pm.

Henschel Quartet playing Sibelius. © Chris Christodoulou

Lunchtime pleasures, August 6
Don't forget the civilised, social pleasures of chamber music. The Proms' intimate annexe, the Cadogan Hall, hosts lunchtime pleasures on August 6, including one of the year's 50-year anniversaries, Sibelius, played by the superb young Henschel Quartet (three siblings and a mate).

Wagner, August 12
More opera on August 12: Wagner's 'Götterdämmerung', the culmination of his 'Ring' cycle which portrays the twilight of the gods and destruction of Valhalla. The acclaimed Donald Runnicles, a Brit who's found fame abroad, conducts a cast including the great Wagnerian Sir John Tomlinson and much-loved American soprano Christine Brewer. Starting at 4pm, with 90 minutes of intervals for sustenance and checking oil, tyres, etc.

An all-Sibelius programme, August 15 and 16
Scandinavian presences include the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in an all-Sibelius programme (Aug 15) and the Bergen Philharmonic (Aug 16) under an old American friend, the adoptive Briton Andrew Litton. Fine Russian pianist Boris Berezovsky who used to drive a London cab (just for fun – he had to explain to angry punters he wasn't actually a cabbie) plays Grieg's eternally popular Piano Concerto. From black cab to war-horse.

Late-night Proms, August 16
Late-night Proms include a wonderfully stimulating visit from the BBC Scottish SO on August 16, when James MacMillan's 'Veni, veni, Emmanuel' provides a show-piece for virtuoso percussionist Colin Currie; plus Lutoslawski and Harrison Birtwistle's 'Panic' – that caused dismay among traditionalists when premiered amidst the Last Night jollity in 1995.

Paul Watkins playing Elgar's Cello Concerto. © Sasha G

Elgar, August 18
Don't forget Elgar, even though the powers that be removed him from the £20 note in his 150th anniversary year. The City of Birmingham SO, polished to international stature by young Simon Rattle and still superb under Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo, perform the rarely-heard 'Apostles' with super soloists. Stick around for the late-night treat (10.15pm): violin superstar Vengerov plays the viola and electric violin and dances the tango in Benjamin Yusupov's 'Viola Tango Rock Concerto'. Which sums it up.

Simón Bolivar National Youth Orchestra, August 19
The incredible Simón Bolivar National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela arrives with dishy young maestro Gustavo Dudamel on August 19. See what the international fuss (and there's lots) is about. This is the band resulting from Venezuela's socially aware system of giving instruments to homeless, violent and criminal kids (in some cases literally swapping clarinets for the kids' guns). Never mind the sociology; hear their superb musicianship in Shostakovich, Bernstein and Latin-American.

The international big guns, September 3-7
Just when you're almost prommed out here come the international big guns to end the season in a blaze of glory: Barenboim conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Viennese and – possibly more worth catching – Hungarian-Romanian music (Sept 3, 4); the ancient Leipzig Gewandhaus plays Brahms and Beethoven to the manner born (Sept 5); and the aristocratic Boston Symphony presents 'The Damnation of Faust' under James Levine, with the veteran José Van Dam as the Devil (Sept 6), followed by a Carter, Bartók, Brahms programme (Sept 7) – a reverse tribute to the BBC?

The BBC Proms celebrates its 80th birthday

BBC Proms stars 2007

What's on this week

Visit the official BBC Proms website for more information