When the line-up for the 2021 BBC Proms was announced earlier this year, four were kept under wraps. The BBC Proms team has finally announced the details of these four ‘Mystery Proms’, which were kept secret so as to allow the festival to adapt to the changing pandemic landscape.
A brand new ensemble made up of freelance musicians will form the Proms Festival Orchestra. Mark Wigglesworth will lead the orchestra in Shostakovich's Festive Overture and Mahler's Fifth Symphony in a Prom on Wednesday 8 September.
Another of the 'Mystery Proms' will feature the Britten Sinfonia and the National Youth Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Mozart's Requiem. David Bates will conduct this Prom on Friday 20 August. The concert will open with a selection of excerpts from Rameau operas, before moving on to the Second Symphony of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The line-up of soloists featured in Mozart's Requiem includes bass William Thomas, one of the newly announced BBC New Generation Artists.
Harpist Catrin Finch and kora player Seckou Keita will perform at the Proms together for the first time on Monday 23 August.
The final 'Mystery Prom' will take place on Friday 10 September featuring pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, who will perform JS Bach's much-loved Goldberg Variations.
For full details of these 'Mystery Proms', visit our BBC Proms complete schedule.
Top image credit: Chris Christodoulou
