The BBC Proms are to be aired on the BBC World Service again, making their return after a five-year gap.
Seven concerts will be featured on the station during the 2015 season. The seven in question will be those by violinist Nicola Benedetti and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kirill Karabits (10 August); the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim (18 August); the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Nicholas Collon with pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (7 August); the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Thomas Dausgaard (15 August); the John Wilson Orchestra (5 September); cellist Yo-Yo Ma (5 September); and the St Petersburg Philharmonic conducted by Yuri Temirkanov (7 September).
Composers covered by the concerts range from JS Bach to Leonard Bernstein, and each broadcast will be accompanied by commentators – Andrew McGregor, Samira Ahmed and Verity Sharp – plus special guests who will provide expert ananlysis and background information.
Talking about the return of the World Service's broadcasts – the first since 2010 – Edward Blakeman, the acting director of the Proms, says that he is 'delighted' about the decision. 'The Proms is a truly international festival,' he says, 'and it’s wonderful that the BBC World Service will be showcasing such a broad range of programming with our line-up of world class musicians.'
