Original subtitles

Give me two superstar soloists, one of the best orchestras in the

country, countless audience favourites and the most iconic

concert venue in the world. What have you got?

It's The Last Night of the Proms 2024.

Come on in!

Good evening and a very warm welcome to the Last Night Of The Proms 2024.

We are coming to you live from the Royal

Albert Hall, where the air is electric with the anticipation

of 6000 excited Prommers.

Everyone here has been waiting weeks for this -

classical music's biggest annual party.

Down below, the arena is awash with a sea of Prommers armed

with all their traditional Last Night garb - flags,

banners, hats, the lot.

And if you look up to the gallery, we are hanging

from the gods - hello!

- all waiting impatiently for the action to begin.

And what a show we've got for you tonight.

Conductor Sakari Oramo, the BBC Symphony Orchestra,

Chorus and Singers are joined by two fantastic soloists.

Legendary British pianist Sir Stephen Hough and the sublime

American soprano Angel Blue, who's making her

Proms debut tonight,

because why not start with the big one?!

There'll be hit tunes from Puccini, Saint-Saens, and Faure,

a clutch of world premieres, Mancini's Pink Panther -

and of

course, all of the traditional favourites that make the Last Night

a show like no other.

I'll be bringing you all the action here on BBC Two until 9pm,

when we move over to BBC One.

I'll have some fantastic guests joining me throughout

the evening including - if we're lucky - our two superstar

soloists in the interval.

First, though, the fabulous British tenor Nicky Spence and organist

extraordinaire Anna Lapwood.

This is a joy to see you both here. Thank you for being with me.

Anna, you've been a fixture at the Proms this year -

Doctor Who, Florence + The Machine on Wednesday -

but I believe your first time at the Last Night.

It is, I have watched it so many times at home and I have thought,

that looks such a fun, but to be here to see the balloons and

perhaps, it will be quite a party and I can't wait to see Richard

Pearce let loose on the organ. A few little tips, some back-seat

driving?! A round of applause as soon as I say your name, Nicky!

Nicky, we first met 20 years ago when you were wearing

an electric blue kilt.

And a big smile. That is my uniform. I feel positively under dress but I

am glittering on side like a kid in the sweet shop, and you know I am

partial to the odd bon-bon. We had such a great line-up.

We'll be chit-chatting more throughout the show.

But first, some tunes!

Look out for our QR code on screen for access to the programme notes.

Sakari Oramo, the chief conductor of the BBC

Symphony Orchestra, takes to the stage.

He's kicking off our Last Night with British composer

William Walton's overture to Portsmouth Point.

Applause

MUSIC: Portsmouth Point by William Walton

APPLAUSE

Sakari Oramo opens the Last Night Of The Proms 2024 with Walton's

overture to Portsmouth Point.

Writing in 1925, the 23-year-old

Walton said he wanted this piece to evoke the raucous scenes

of an 18th-century dock.

Nicky, could you imagine burly sailors swaggering around?

Oh, I could, my lover! It felt like it was almost dramatic foreshadowing

for the sea shanty is we will hear later and it poses the question,

what do we do with the drunken sailor?! I have no experience in

that area! We will come up with an answer in the interval! Something is

going on on the stage. I think he will find it is one of the many

traditions that makes the Last Night so special. There we are, two

Prommers polishing the bust of Sir Henry Wood, the founder of the

Proms. Just for this concert he gets that lovely wreath.

Anna, it's just one big fanfare, isn't it?

What a perfect choice to kick off the show.

That glorious Walton. I love how it is so hectic. We are just watching

all of these people living their lives and trying to take in as much

as possible. Absolutely.

So, Angel Blue has had a long road to the Proms.

She was due to make her debut back in 2022, but the

concert was sadly cancelled due to the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

And so tonight she is not just making her Last Night debut, she's

gracing the Proms stage for the very first time.

Angel is a California girl born and raised, so I thought

I'd give her a proper British welcome with an afternoon tea.

So, Angel, how are you feeling about the big performance?

Oh, I'm thrilled.

I'm excited for me.

It's a full circle moment.

I really feel like my career in opera started

in the United Kingdom.

I was offered so many opportunities here,

not just with the BBC, but also with the English National

Opera, the Royal Opera House, the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland,

Cardiff Singer of the World in Wales.

So I have such a special connection to the United Kingdom,

so i'm very grateful.

So where do you think your love of opera came from?

Definitely think it came from my dad.

He was always listening to old recordings.

I just grew up hearing my dad sing along to these operatic voices,

and when he sang, this grin would just come on his

face from ear to ear.

I believe that's really why I sing, because joy is something

that is continuous.

Joy happens...

When things aren't so great, even, one can be joyful.

I suppose that's why I'm in opera.

Why it started for me, really, is I felt joy.

So you've chosen to sing Puccini's, O meo bambino Caro, why

that particular song?

I love the simplicity of the song, and it's so famous,

it's so well known.

But I also like the fact that usually, and I want to see if it

happens at the Proms,

I hope it does,

you can hear people singing along.

And then an iconic aria

from Tosca, visitarte.

Over the years, I've grown to sort of look

at visi darte as my anthem, in a way, and that's

because tulska, the character, she says, I lived for art.

I lived for love.

And she's talking about how she's offered up her voice to God,

how she takes her talent and uses it for a greater good.

How do you think you're going to feel when you actually walk

onto that stage in the Albert Hall?

All of my dreams have come true.

All of them.

I never imagined that I would be singing at

the Last Night of the Proms.

I've had so many goals in opera, so many dreams, and I realised,

and I think this is the one that will, I believe, top everything that

I could ever imagine for myself as an opera singer,

so when I walk on stage, I'll just be so grateful

that the United Kingdom still has given me so many opportunities.

And now this one.

What a gorgeous woman.

A woman who wears her emotions very much

on her sleeve, perfect for

Puccini.

And here she comes now.

Angel Blue.

She's chosen to kick off her set tonight with the much loved

aria O Mio Babbino Caro from the 1918 Opera Gianni Schicchi.

The first of three Puccini numbers coming our way this evening.

What a moment for Angel Blue.

MUSIC: O Mio Babbino Caro by Puccini

APPLAUSE

Just listen to the response here in the hall to those beautiful tones

from Angel Blue. One of the most famous arias from Puccini, and a

stunning debut. She knocked it out of the park. She really did. How

could anyone resist that beautiful voice? More Puccini coming up now.

The Humming Chorus from his 1904 Opera Madame Butterfly.

MUSIC: Humming Chorus from Madame Butterfly by Puccini

APPLAUSE

Gentle simplicity.

The BBC Symphony Corus transporting us to Japan.

Angel Blue is back for a second time, and our final dose of

Puccini tonight.

This is Vissi d'Arte, I lived for art.

MUSIC: Vissi d'Arte from Tosca by Puccini

APPLAUSE

The glorious voice of Angel Blue and Vissi d'Arte from Tosca by Puccini.

That voice very well suited to it. And she is such a generous person

and such a generous colleague. Part of her instinct comes out in the

voice, and we can feel the embrace. And a stunning top note as well. You

could see the emotion. Angel will be back later in the second half of the

concert to delight us all over again.

But now, we're fast forwarding away from the

opulent world of Italian grand Opera to a brand-new world premiere.

It's a tradition here at the Proms

that every year we commission a new piece for the Last Night, and this

season is no different.

For 2024, the honour has gone to the American

composer Carlos Simon.

His Hellfighters' Blues is an orchestral

piece inspired by the story of the Harlem Hellfighters, a

predominately African-American infantry Regiment who fought during

World War I and crucially came equipped with a first rate band.

For many Europeans hearing the band in

the wake of the war it was their first time experiencing

the jazz sound of America, so real cultural

pioneers as well as brave soldiers.

We caught up with Carlos earlier to find out more.

I knew about the band, Hellfighters, part of the infantry in World War I.

Many black Americans weren't allowed to see combat,

so through their service they played music.

And it kind of helped boost morale.

So my piece is a collection of WC Handy's Memphis Blues,

which the Harlem Hellfighters recorded.

And the recording was so popular, you know?

People were buying it like hot cakes.

So when you listen to this music you hear the heartbeat

of Harlem, you hear, you know, the streets of Harlem.

You hear all the excitement that comes with Harlem

at that time, in the 1920s.

I used different techniques that they use on the recording.

You know, you hear the trombones glissing, you hear rips in the jazz,

shakes in the trumpets and the brass.

It sounded like they were having a lot of fun.

I think it's so important that we highlight these stories that

don't typically get told, particularly in classical music.

By doing so, we learn about and have sympathy and empathy for those

who may be marginalised.

So I think music has that ability to connect with people,

and just to break down the barriers.

Well, a story of valour but also hope transformed

into music by Carlos Simon.

Sakari Oramo returns to the stage to conduct the

world premiere of Hellfighters' Blues.

Fee should be standing by, coming on any minute now. It is interesting to

hear this soundscape if you like, that little moment in history

described so elegantly by the composer, and our world premiere

here about to begin at Last Night Of The Proms.

MUSIC: Hellfighters Blues by Carlos Simon

APPLAUSE

Carlos Simon's Hellfighters' Blues, the world premiere.

A moving story of an unsung military regiment brought into searing

technicolour by Carlos' vivid music.

A time where history was pretty serious music can be the vehicle for

joy. You saw the brass players, right?

Now from a brand-new commission to one of classical music's most

recognisable and evocative tunes.

We will hear Faure's Pavane.

APPLAUSE

Faure's sumptuous Pavane, there.

A special mention to the flautist, Daniel, too.

Nicky, it's such a simple piece, but has enjoyed enduring

popularity ever since its 1888 premiere.

It is formidable! I get very French when I hear this music. And Faure is

enjoying his centenary, just like the jewel in our crown, the BBC

Singers.

Now, just a few years after Faure wrote that beauty,

over in the States, the 23-year-old Charles Ives was finishing

up his studies at Yale University - there he is at graduation.

What a smart young man!

Before he became a giant of musical modernism,

the youthful Ives was in fact a keen footballer.

So much so, that on the 20th of November 1897 he decided to go

to the annual football derby between Yale and Princeton where,

to his glee, his side - Yale - emerged victorious

to the tune of 6-0.

So pleased was he, that the young Ives decided to capture

the victory in music.

Nicky, this is a bit of a wild ride, isn't it?

Take us through the story we're about to hear.

It really is. We are having a friend field trip to a football pitch. -- a

frenzied field trip. There is everything you can imagine, Chris

and Jones, dissidents, there are a lot of parallels between sport and

music -- crescendos, dissidents. You can perhaps hear a couple of errant

voices cheering on the side.

Anna, as Nicky said, when you hear this piece,

it's an absolute onslaught.

It is almost a soundscape. A bit of a preview of the modern entity was

to become? The story is such a great help, so having the little

programmatic element is a catalyst for our imagination and brings us

closer to the music I make something quite contemporary feel so much more

accessible.

Here is Sakari Oramo. He is not wearing a football shirt, perhaps

for the best!

The stage is transformed into a football pitch.

Here is Charles Ives' Yale-Princeton Football Game.

APPLAUSE

Absolute mayhem on stage in Charles Ives' Yale-Princeton Football Game.

And kazoos! Were you right in the field of action?! I was waiting for

an orange segment that did not arrive. Bring on the sponge!

arrive. Bring on the sponge! It is time for the BBC Singers to take the

reins.

They have chosen a beautiful setting of a poem by Christina Rosetti.

This is Summer is Gone by British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

# Summer is gone with all its roses

# Its sun and perfumes and sweet flowers

# Its warm air and refreshing showers

# And even Autumn closes, and Autumn closes, and Autumn closes

# Yea, Autumn's chilly self is going

# And winter comes which is yet colder

# Each day the hoar-frost waxes bolder

# And the last buds cease blowing, the last buds cease blowing

# Summer is gone!

# Summer is gone with all its roses

# Summer is gone with all its roses.#

APPLAUSE

Summer is gone with all its roses.

Christina Rossetti's poem.

A spellbinding performance from the BBC Singers -

always favourites here at the Proms.

Those gentle touches towards the end in particular, but on an evening

where everything is about large scale, having that moment where

things are stripped back, and it is all about singers trusting the

music.

Well, summer may be nearly gone, but we'll cling to it at least

until the end of the show.

And to get us in a sunnier mood, the next piece up is Grace Williams'

Fantasia on Welsh Nursery Tunes.

APPLAUSE

They loved that here in the hall.

A fanfare of trumpets brings Grace Williams' Fantasia

on Welsh Nursery Tunes to its rousing conclusion.

Apparently Grace Williams wrote that in a morning! A clever woman.

Born in 1906, Williams was Wales' premiere 20th century

classical composer.

She's been enjoying a bit of a renaissance recently.

She deserves that publicity, Anna? She really shines in these glorious

filmic moments of string led orchestration. We are just seeing

another Last Night translation, a gift to given to Sakari by a

Prommers. Tell us about why Grace Williams is such an important voice?

We are lucky to have that peace, she was such a perfectionist. She wrote

a diary entry in red and said it was the day of destruction, she would

look at all of her manuscripts and throwaway all the one she felt were

not worthy of performance, which was a huge number. Her violin concerto,

she said the second movement I guess it's worth performing but I am not

sure about the second -- the first and the third. Her mentor was

Vaughan Williams and you could hear that Pastoral lushness in the music?

It was like a nice romp around a country hedge but the music also had

edge-to-edge, just like Vaughan Williams did himself, no relation.

Worth pointing out. And the first British woman to score a film. One

thing I feel we should touch others her contemporaries when she was

studying were Imogen Holst and Elizabeth McConkey. These formidable

women who were brilliant, well respected composers, if she could

see there is no she would be like, this is really cool, I imagine. And

then she might also think have things not moved on? -- if she could

see this now that she would be like. The idea of getting excited by a

female composer. We are making progress but slowly.

Well, we are nearly at the end of part one

of the Last Night Of The Proms 2024.

But before we let the Prommers out to run to the bar,

we have one more treat in store.

What a treat!

Sir Stephen Hough is one of Britain's most celebrated pianists.

Where Angel is here for her Proms debut, Stephen has been a mainstay

at the Royal Albert Hall since 1985, and tonight he's chosen to perform

the sumptuous second movement of Saint-Saens' fifth piano concerto

- known as the Egyptian.

As well as being a pianist, Stephen's a published author,

composer and a painter - a man of many talents.

Our very own Linton Stephens caught up with him a little earlier to find

out what he's got in store.

So, Stephen, we are actually six degrees of separation

away from each other.

We are both from the Wirral, we both attended the Royal Northern College

of Music and we are both from non-musical households.

Yeah.

So what was it about the piano that drew you to take it up?

Well, I think it's the instrument I saw.

As you said, I had no music in the house, no classical records,

but I had an aunt who had a piano in her house, and we'd go

and visit her and it was very boring when the grown-ups were talking,

so I'd go over to her piano and I'd to pick out melodies of nursery

rhymes that I'd learned.

And I just fell in love with the sound of this box.

I just thought it was the most magical thing ever.

So I said to my parents, "Please can I have piano lessons?"

Well, eventually my mum got out the Yellow Pages and she looked

under piano teachers and found the one who lived closest,

a bit like you might find a plumber.

And I started having lessons, and it really went very quickly from there.

So your first appearance at the Proms was back in 1985.

Right!

That was the year I was born as well.

Oh, thank you for rubbing that in, yes!

So what is it about the Proms that makes it so special?

Why do you keep coming back?

Well, I'm asked, that's the first reason.

But, no, seriously...

I mean, I've always felt at the Proms that it's

a supportive audience.

They want you to do well.

It's not always like that, you know?

I don't know how I'm going to feel.

I might not feel nervous at all, I might just be

enjoying every moment.

I might feel petrified.

But the Proms is...

Everyone wants to have a good time and wants to enjoy this music,

and so I think that's contagious.

So, Stephen, tell me about Saint-Saens' 5th piano

concerto that you're going to be playing?

The second movement that we're going to hear is a little

like a picture postcard of his travels.

He used to go to North Africa for holidays, and it's the movement

that gives the subtitle The Egyptian to the 5th piano concerto.

It's an interesting, unique piece of exoticism

from a time before we could really see these places on film.

It was almost like a sketch that he sent back to friends,

you know, "I've just been to this amazing place and here's a musical

idea of what it was like."

Finally, Stephen, what do you hope the audience takes away

from this performance?

Oh, goodness.

Well, maybe buy some CDs, I don't know!

No, I'm kidding.

Well, I think everyone leaves the last night with a feeling

of goodwill, of friendship.

There's something incredibly precious about the way music,

it doesn't need words, and I think words can get us

into all kinds of problems.

It's one of the few things left, I think, where we can play music

for each other and disagree about everything and yet somehow

still, for the couple of hours we are in a concert hall,

we can be friends.

There's a sort of transcendence there that music brings that, to me,

is something incredibly precious.

The always erudite Sir Stephen Hough.

He has been a pillar of the British classical

music world for decades.

Nicky, I know you've worked with him a lot -

he's just a musician's, musician isn't he?

Quite recently, I remember you were in the studio? We had a premiere

last year at the Whitmore hole. He is terribly well expected? Yes, I

think it is because he is a polymath and you want how comfortably he

wears all of his crimes but he is also entirely unassuming while being

ridiculously talented -- how comfortably he was all of his

crowns. Explains music, communicates beautifully with the audience but

the technical virtuosity is peerless, as we were here? He is

peerless and when you look at that picture of him as a boy, he is an

inspiration. He is from up north, he worked his tail off and we are

celebrating him at the Proms, it is a wonderful story. So many problems

he has delighted us with over the years. -- so many problems.

What shall we look out for?

It is the second movement, it does not necessarily feel like a second

movement, we are thrown straight into the action, into some harmony

we might not necessarily expect and how many that if it was used in film

music we might well our eyes and say, I see we are doing exoticism!

But there is something so quaint and picturesque about the fact he was

trying to capture what he was at and experiencing to take it home for

musical time travel. In those days you could not take a quick snap of

the pyramids, you were not going to do a live Instagram from the Nile so

this was him trying to paint a picture of the mood and the culture?

That's right, and you have the sense of vocal and some of these passages

when the orchestra is really stripped away and you hear a solo

piano line and you feel like you are a snake in a basket being charmed.

That is an image I will keep with me in the next ten minutes also. We

mentioned Stephen is a composer, he has written great work for you and

written great choral work? Yes, and the other thing that is particularly

exciting is he is a great ambassador for the music of Saint-Saens, he has

recorded all of the piano concertos and that is something he does so

well, looking for the music that might not have had its moments in

the sun but he it should. The piano move has happened and I think we can

hear amongst the balloons popping and the cheering, I don't know if

that is full Stephen, the BBC Symphony Orchestra led by Stephen

Bryant is tuning up again. We are about to be taken down the Nile by

Sir Stephen Hough. Get your boat shoes on.

shoes on. We are heading towards the end of the concert. Sir Stephen

Hough is a hugely popular figure here at the Proms, the music

industry in Britain and the classical music world. I can't wait,

the rehearsal really sounded sparkling. Here they are.

APPLAUSE

A swell of applause greets Sir Stephen Hough.

With Sakari Oramo.

It's Saint-Saens' Egyptian piano concerto.

APPLAUSE

A shimmering, almost sinister end there.

The second movement of Saint-Saens' Egyptian piano concerto

in the masterful hands of Sir Stephen Hough.

You can hear the love for him in the crowd. Fascinating sound created

there with the way he played that piece. I really was transported. How

about you? There was that moment when the piano almost sounded like a

cello, where he was leaning into the lower voice and you got the effect

of the upper harmonics from everything he was doing in his right

hand, and I was looking at the screen going, how is he doing that?

How is he doing that? You have stops you can pull on an organ, but he's

doing it with his fingers. And the ease with which he plays more

complex passages, the composer would be proud. And it looks like we're

going to get an encore!

MUSIC: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

AUDIENCE CLAP ALONG.

This LAUGHTER

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Oh, the perfect encore! What a contrast. What a clever man he is.

The Sherman Brothers' sparkling Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Plus other songs from Mary Poppins and other things as well. So clever.

I really hope that he travels home by umbrella! That was practically

perfect in every way, as Mary Poppins herself would say. No

spoonful of sugar is necessary at all. Again, showing his versatility.

Such a serious musician, and yet what fun. This is the thing, we are

in this industry, because we love making music, and we saw him showing

that love to everyone in the room and at home. And we will hopefully

be talking to him in a while, and I hope he is feeling as thrilled as he

should. I hope he is really like a complete rock star, don't you? Of

course, he is probably as ever. If you read his book, called Enough, it

is amazing about how his journey to being a world famous piano player

wasn't an obvious one. Coming from the Wirral, he says it himself, but

he has arrived here and it is sublime, it is a vocation and I

can't imagine him doing anything else. Apart from being the

Renaissance man he is.

And with that, the first half of our Last Night is over.

The Prommers are heading off to stock up on interval

snacks.

This has just appeared. Dangerous! I may restrain myself, that might be

wise for. You are in charge of the ship!

And we're going to unpick what was a pretty

sensational start to the

night.

Anna.

Puccini, Faure, Ives, Coleridge-Taylor, Walton, Williams.

A lot of music has been packed into the first half of this concert. How

did it work? One of the extraordinary things about this

first half is so much of this music relates to the same 30 year period,

a period when musical styles are just exploding everywhere. I can't

quite believe that the Ives was written nearly 30 years before the

Walton. All of the timelines seem cross, but that is what is makes it

so amazing. And it was a fee

so amazing. And it was a fee febrile and interesting time and this was a

snapshot of all the musical style is going on. Did it work for you? It

did, it was a luxurious smorgasbord of music, and such productivity. And

just performed at the very top class of musicianship. This is what we do

well here in Britain, and it is so excited to hear these musicians. And

wonderful to welcome Angel Blue as well, and what a debut at the Proms.

She is another pal of yours. I think we are probably going to have an

emotional response, I suspect, but her emotions which she wears so very

openly on her sleeve, it makes a great performer. Absolutely, and she

came to London, she saw those pavements with gold, and London gave

her so many first breaks, and here she is now being enveloped into our

bosom, so it is great to hear her singing Puccini as well, the Vissi

d'Arte, living for art and love, and we were with her every second of

that aria. Such a treat. Those two arias that she sung, you have sung

some pretty chunky ones in your time, but is the added pressure

knowing that everybody knows every single note? Of course. There is

something about Puccini. He was a master at work in reality, and he

really wrote music which was about the common day, real feelings, so it

is easy to get carried away, when there is an in-built bit of

expectation that people know the songs and they are going to sing

along with you hopefully, and I just love Puccini. It will really

challenge the most sturdy of tear ducts. And we yours safe, or where

you... ? I had nothing left! Watching her eyes and seeing all of

the emotion of standing on stage coming out through her eyes,

throughout the whole performance, and so you get sucked into the

emotions of the songs but you also get sucked into the personal

emotions, and it is just this reminder that this is an

extraordinary setting, an extraordinary hall, an extraordinary

festival, and we are so lucky to have that here in the UK, and we

take it for granted sometimes, I think, but what an amazing thing.

I'm so glad you have been here with us for the first half, and I hope

you have enjoyed it. You are going to head off knowing to relax, you

can take this glass with you, and we will see you afterwards to tell us

what it was like. Save some champagne for us! Sane I will see

what I can do.

There's plenty more music yet to come here

at the Royal Albert Hall this Last Night of the Proms.

The Pink Panther, a specially commissioned

poem by the poet laureate,

and other surprises in store.

But first, a quick chance to reflect.

It's been a truly extraordinary festival this year.

73 concerts over eight weeks here at the Hall,

countless individual performances from thousands of musicians

from all over the world.

Orchestras, jazz bands, gospel choirs, Sam Smiths,

ondes martinots.

You name it, we've had it.

Let's take a look back at some of the incredible highlights

from a summer of music-making here at the Royal Albert Hall.

# Hot stuff, baby, tonight...

# Got to have some loving, glad to have some love tonight.

I want you to sing this one with me! # You make me feel mighty real.

# You make me feel mighty real.

Oh, that's good! Doing something unholy.

# He's sat back while she dropping it, yeah, she put it down slowly.

Such a moving moment.

What a season it's been.

Mark Elder's final Prom

with the Halle Orchestra at the end there, an incredibly emotional

evening for all involved.

Countless soloists, of course - Yo-Yo Ma, Steven Osborne,

Anthony McGill, Sheku, Isata and Braimah Kanneh-Mason.

And hopefully, in a couple of minutes, two more star soloists

will appear in our midst.

Stephen and Angel are fighting their way

through a tide of Prommers to reach us as we speak.

So while we wait patiently, Nicky, what's been your

highlight of the season?

It's like choosing between your favourite children, almost

impossible. I would say Beethoven night with the Aurora Orchestra,

which many people might remember was performed off book, from memory.

Unbelievable feat. It was like hearing the pieces are fresh. Let

your peace as we know and love brought fresh to our ears. I love it

when they take away the music stands, it is very special as a

musician on stage also? I am used to generally singing in the dark and in

a wig but at the Albert Hall you see the whites of their eyes, they are

complicit with you, they want you to do really well. It is an exercise in

terror, we are comfortable but those performers, world class. And they

have only spent 8p per ticket to be there. Isn't that great, you could

sit in the luxury of red velvet or you can be in what we lovingly call

the mosh pit. The most classy sack in the business. We had some

superstars, Stephen and Angel. Bravo, bravo. Thank you so much for

coming to talk to us. Did you fight your way through the crowds? I

almost fell over someone's boot. I think I might have hurt her more

than she hurt me. All is well. Angel, we were in rhapsodies with

your Puccini, I know how emotional you were, how was it? Such an honour

and great blessing for me to be on stage with Stephen, with the BBC

Symphony Orchestra and the whole experience, I don't really have the

words to describe how it feels. The biggest feeling is I feel it is an

incredible honour. Being so close to the audiences special? Very special.

A little daunting, I will not lie, as opera singers we are in the dark

and we don't get to really see the responses but these responses are so

encouraging, you can tell people know the arias and they are quietly

singing along, it is beautiful. Stephen, we have said how many times

that you have played at the Proms, but is it really your first Last

Night? We have found some footage, that could be due and Sir David

Attenborough, I believe you were applying a vacuum cleaner?! And I do

not do any housework! All you needed was a moustache, I thought it was

quite Freddie Mercury, you wanted to break free. That is next year! What

was the story? The vacuum cleaner? It is a piece by Malcolm Arnold for

three vacuum cleaners, a floor polisher and a symphony orchestra

and it is a wonderful piece. Rather like the Walton piece that began the

concert. It was a great honour to be there with David Attenborough, he

still remembers this but I will never forget it. Malcolm Arnold,

what a guy, fabulous. You have both performed separately but in the

second half you are performing together, what is happening, Angel?

We are performing two spirituals that Stephen arranged beautifully,

He's Got The Whole World In His Hands And Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.

I have always known that as a spiritual but I understand that the

UK it is the anthem for a rugby team so people will be singing along with

that, I understand. Why these particular two spirituals, why did

they mean so much to you? They are important, I have been singing that

since I was about five, my sister and I used to sing He's Got The

Whole World In His Hands together and we will hold hands in our room.

There is a great video at Khan Eagle whole code Spirituals In Concert

maybe at 1991, we had it on VHS and we would reply He's Got The Whole

World In His Hands and we were playing as the different singers. It

is a special piece for me. What a lovely story for you to take on, get

involved and arrange? It was such a joy and an honour to work with

Angel. I did not know the back story, it is very special. I have

also known these melodies and songs since I was a kid. Yes, in assembly.

It can be sung with or without accompaniment, universal musical

beauty which is very touching. And a very different genre from Puccini,

is that a delight or a challenge? For me it is a delight, I grew up

singing gospel also, I grew up singing opera and gospel, so it is

the same for me, they definitely come from the same place, the

deepest part of my heart, I love the music so much. We have commented on

the gallery that the first half of the concert has been full of the

most gorgeous lyricism from the Saint-Saens, the Puccini,

Saint-Saens, the Puccini, the Pave by Faure. Could you enjoy that sense

backstage and when you are performing? I was ferociously

practising and trying to calm myself down. It is very sad when there are

wonderful things happening before I play because I never get to hear

them, but I could hear some wonderful things. And we need to

moment for the Sherman Brothers, the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

The Hall went nuts. I have not heard you do that before. Neither have I!

This is it new! It is the 60th anniversary of Mary Poppins. During

the pandemic I did a dozen transcriptions for landline of

Disney songs on this one did not end appearing on it but I always wanted

to learn it once I had done it -- for Lang Lang. When the Proms asked

for something flashy I put pen together and thought it was the time

to risk it. Do you love it, Angel? It was wonderful.

It was wonderful. All I needed was a tambourine, and I wondered whether

you travel by umbrella on the way home. And surely you are Mary

Poppins in waiting? Thank you. We will look to the spirituals, it was

such a touching reason that you chose to sing and prepare these

songs and when we found out about this inspiration we thought we would

prepare you something. Tonight as we enjoy the last evening of the Proms,

Angel, our family is extremely proud of you and you know how much we love

you. Hey, baby, I know it has been a dream of yours to sing at the Last

Night of the Proms. I am so proud of you. You are a wonderful wife and an

amazing mother and I look forward to cheering you on in the audience.

Have a wonderful night. I think we are all going to go! That was just

beautiful. Your lovely husband Adam is here tonight? Yes. It is always

wonderful to have family in the audience. And your sister, Jesse

Norman, right there. She is looking great. It must be difficult

sometimes that you're well to be away from family? Incredibly

difficult, the time we spent away from home as opera singers can be

gruelling, so I am thankful for all of the apps macro and phone calls

are available to us now, I can't imagine singing opera even 20 years

ago, I think it would be almost impossible to stay in touch with

family. It is hard. You two have important work

to do,.

Well, it's definitely time that the two of you got back

downstairs, otherwise I'll have an I rate stage

manager answer to.

Thank you for what you have done already and enjoy the rest of the

show. I hope I will see you afterwards. Enjoy the rest.

afterwards. Enjoy the rest. That was an unbelievably touching moment.

Proof that even on a night like tonight, with all of its pomp

and ceremony, there's always room for family, for a personal touch.

Despite all the pomp.

We are a family here at the Proms.

It is not just words, it is true.

In this year, there is one person who has been very noticeably absent.

In February, the legendary conductor Sir Andrew Davis

died at the age of 80.

For many of us, Andrew was and is the BBC Proms.

He was just 24 when he conducted his first prom back in 1968.

And from then until his last, two years ago, he conducted 132

concerts including 12 Last Nights.

The extraordinary passion and commitment he brought

to his craft was matched only by his sparklingly quick wit

and sense of mystery.

Now several esteemed friends and colleagues remember him.

Here is Andrew Davies. Here comes cancer and tonight was my conductor.

The hero of the Proms, Sir Andrew Davis. He was a marvellous

contractor, a wonderful musician and had a great influence on me. He

lived and breathed music, he dedicated his whole life. I think of

him and I think of the Proms, smiling on the podium, bringing this

extraordinary music to life. He was a wonderful, warm character who

approached music with a desire to have fun.

# This is the very model of a modern music festival... I always think of

him coming in, he would cause joy from making music. You saw it on his

face all the time. A wonderful sense of humour, that sense that

everything will be all right. I think he felt perhaps that you could

achieve things through a light touch, and I think he was right with

that. Why do you suppose we are all here tonight? The answer is that

whether we are listeners or performers, we know, we feel, we

believe deeply that music is not mere entertainment but rather one of

the most powerful forces for good that we have. Andrew meant a great

deal to the orchestra. He had a great way with language, a way of

connecting people to the music. I think that was his great gift.

Music inspires, consoles, heels and give hope. It has the power to unite

us in beauty and in spiritual strength. I think Andrew could

lighten all of our lives when he was around. He was so welcoming and so

kind and generous with his spirit. He did so much and were so

productive, he was a perfect conductor for our country. It seems

so strange still that he isn't alive. He was a good conductor. And

so for now, we have got to go, and we hope that you will still join us

so and this is the very model of a modern music festival!

APPLAUSE Such a lovely man.

APPLAUSE Such a lovely man.

Sir Andrew Davis, a legend whose passing this year has been a great

loss for the BBC Proms, for the British and the world's

classical music scenes.

He will be sorely missed.

And you performed with him a lot. Yes, he was not just a wonderful

musician but a fantastic human being. He was always generous,

always good fun, and you hear that from every single musician you meet.

Absolutely. Not a bad word to be heard.

Now, Andrew was a man who lived and breathed music.

And, hopefully, the concert tonight and the whole Proms season has

reinvigorated in you a love for all things classical.

If you want to catch up on or relive any of the amazing concerts

we've enjoyed this year, every single one of them can be

found on BBC Sounds, and 20 are on iPlayer too.

Whether you're a longterm lover or just testing the waters

of classical music for the first time, we are here to

give you what you need.

I believe if you look carefully,

we are currently zooming over at an alarming pace to the Radio 3

box in the opposite corner of the hall, where you can

see my lovely colleagues Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann

They are deeply busy and chatting away in their conversation, but if

they knew I was talking about them, they would wave!

Remember you can join us every day on Radio three

where the tunes just keep on coming.

And on BBC Television, we have a fantastic array

of classical music programmes to warm your cockles

as the autumn nights draw in.

Let's take a quick look at what's coming up.

Let's take a quick look at what's coming up.

My Achilles snapped on stage. I was there thinking, that's it, career

finished. Mozart has some magical touch. He is above and beyond normal

mortals.

touch. He is above and beyond normal mortals.

Musicians arriving from all over the UK, detention is in the air.

Thank you so much for having me this evening.

CHEERING

Exciting stuff.

Young musician starts tomorrow on BBC Four, and Mozart Rise Of A

Genius is now. You can probably the jollity down below. In a couple of

minutes we will be wrapping things up here on BBC Two and picking up

again on BBC One, to injure all the classics that make the last night

the last night.

Saucy Arethusas, weeping Tom Bowlings, Conquering

Heroes, all to come.

And if that means absolutely nothing to you, you'd better stick around

to find out what on earth I'm on about.

I'm very pleased to say that joining me and Nicky up

here in the gallery for the second half is the fabulous Chris Addison,

who so far tonight has been soaking in the atmosphere down in the Hall.

Are you giddy? I am. It is a proper party down there. There are few

things in life that you watch on the TV, and when you turn up it is

exactly as advertised. It is a proper party atmosphere. I went to

the cricket last week, and it is like that, there are people with

flags, people in fancy dress, people throwing a beach ball around,

wobbling down the steps with a pint of beer, and the Stuart step in when

it gets out of hand. All it needs is jelly and ice cream! Which I'm sure

we can have later. That will appear as if by magic. Chris, you love your

opera, so the Puccini in the first half, and Angel's voice. What an

extraordinary voice, and there is something about being in a room this

size, just one woman with her human voice, no microphone, kept all of

those people hooked. The first time I ever heard it, I heard it had a

comedy club in Manchester, quite a rough club, and it was hard to focus

the audience who were just chatting, and the MC was doing crowd work and

he saw this woman who said, I'm training to be an opera singer, so

he got her to stand up and sing something, and she sang the O Mio

Babbino Caro, and everybody went completely silent, and at the end of

it they just lost their minds. It is one of those. And that is it for

you? There is nothing like that. Just the concentration that people

singing can inspire. And for you, Nicky, Opera is your world now, but

what was the first thing that turned you on it? I've heard my first opera

when I was quite young, and of course that story of community, that

is what got me in there, that and Phantom Of The with Michael

Crawford. Those are two quite extreme examples!

We're about to move over to BBC One, where we're beginning the second

half with a very special new piece to mark the extraordinary

summer of sport that we've been enjoying this year.

From the Three Lions' tantalising performance at the Euros to the 189

medals that British Olympians and Paralympians won over in Paris,

it's been an incredible season.

I'm sure you have been enjoying the sport as well as the music. Oh, yes!

And the cricket.

Just like music, sport has an amazing ability

to bring us together, to inspire collective emotion,

to thrill and delight.

And we thought, what better way to celebrate that superpower

than with a brand-new piece featuring a whole bundle of very

recognisable sporting tunes.

Pens at the ready to see how many you can name.

I'll be testing you two!

And if that weren't enough, we thought we'd let some newbie

presenters kick off our second half on BBC One.