First Night of the BBC Proms 2025

One of classical music's most influential and exciting summer festivals returns next week on 18 July. To help you make the most of it, IDAGIO shares a guide to the First Night of the Proms, featuring the full programme and key listening highlights. Whether you're attending in person or watching from home, this guide ensures you're fully prepared to enjoy the evening.

MEET THE PROGRAMME

Bliss: Birthday Fanfare for Sir Henry Wood

Sir Arthur Bliss wrote this fanfare to celebrate Sir Henry Wood, the pioneering British conductor closely associated with the Proms concerts, which he helped found in 1895. Additionally, Wood played a crucial role in shaping the BBC Symphony Orchestra after its formation in 1930, leading numerous performances, including premieres by British composers such as Vaughan Williams.

Mendelssohn: Overture ‘The Hebrides’ (Fingal’s Cave)

Widely regarded as one of Felix Mendelssohn’s most celebrated works, the overture was inspired by his visit to the Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland. It vividly evokes the rolling waves and raw beauty of Fingal’s Cave, serving as a poignant example of the deep connection between nature, particularly water, and classical music.

Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor

Despite being Jean Sibelius’s only contribution to the concerto repertoire, his Violin Concerto in D minor is a cornerstone with its unique blend of emotional depth and technical intensity. The work is divided into three movements, each characteristically different with a prominent cadenza in the first movement and ending with a finale that British musicologist Sir Donald Tovey described as a “polonaise for polar bears.”

Errollyn Wallen: The Elements. BBC commission: world premiere

Errollyn Wallen, Master of the King’s Music, was commissioned to compose a new work for the opening night of the Proms. Renowned for her versatility across orchestral, pop, and film music, Wallen has drawn on a wide range of influences in her previous compositions, including jazz, Venezuelan Joropos, and Byzantine chant.

Vaughan Williams: Sancta civitas

Sancta Civitas or The Holy City is an oratorio composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, using texts primarily from the Book of Revelation. The work is scored for full orchestra, organ, chorus, and soloists, making use of the full range of the acoustics of the Royal Albert Hall. Composed in one continuous musical movement, the oratorio is noted for its apocalyptic depictions and lyrical passages and is considered Vaughan Williams's favourite of his choral works.

MEET THE ARTISTS

Lisa Batiashvili, violin

Lisa Batiashvili is a Georgian-born violinist renowned for her virtuosity, expressive eloquence, and international career performing with leading orchestras worldwide as well as establishing her own foundation to help young Georgian musicians.

Caspar Singh, tenor

Caspar Singh is a British-Indian tenor acclaimed for his performances in leading European opera houses, notably as a principal singer at the Komische Oper Berlin, with previous engagements at the Bayerische Staatsoper and debuts at major festivals.

Gerald Finley, bass-baritone

Gerald Finley is a GRAMMY Award-winning Canadian bass-baritone renowned for his interpretations in staple and contemporary opera roles, performing at leading opera houses worldwide and previously at the BBC Proms.

Sakari Oramo, conductor

Sakari Oramo is a Finnish conductor and Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Oramo has conducted a number of top orchestras across Europe with a distinguished career, including positions at the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

BBC Symphony Orchestra

The BBC Symphony Orchestra was founded as the first permanently salaried orchestra in London and as the the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Originally conceived by Sir Thomas Beecham and the BBC, the orchestra has remained central to London’s musical culture scene throughout the last century.

BBC Singers • BBC Symphony Chorus • Members of London Youth Choirs

Sounds of the First Night of the BBC Proms is available on IDAGIO.