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The BBC Proms are an eight-week summer season of daily Orchestra l Classical Music concerts held annually in Central London , predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington . Founded over 100 years ago, each season now consists of over 70 concerts in the Albert Hall, a series of eight Chamber Concerts , additional locations on the Last Night and associated educational and children's events. It is the biggest classical music festival in the world. "Proms" is short for "promenade concerts". The term " Promenade Concert " arose from the original practice of audience members promenading, or strolling, in some areas of the concert hall during the concert. "Promming" now refers to the use of the standing areas inside the hall (the arena and gallery) for which ticket prices are much lower than for the reserved seating. Single concert promming tickets can be purchased, with few exceptions, only on the day of the concert, which can give rise to long queues for well-known artists or works. Prommers can purchase full or half season tickets instead for guaranteed entry, although not guaranteed standing position. A number of Prommers are particularly keen in their attendance, and see it as a badge of honour to achieve the "full house" of attending every concert of the season. The 1997 BBC documentary "Modern Times" covered this dedicated following. HISTORY The first Proms concert was held on 10 August 1895 in the Queen's Hall in Langham Place and was arranged by Robert Newman . Newman's idea was to encourage an audience who, though not normally attending classical concerts, would be attracted by the cheap ticket prices and more informal atmosphere (in addition to promenading, eating, drinking and smoking were all allowed). However, it is the Conductor Henry Joseph Wood whose name is most closely associated with the concerts. As conductor from that first concert, Wood was largely responsible for expanding the repertoire heard in later concerts, such that by the 1920s the concerts had grown from being made up of largely more popular, less demanding works, to presenting music by contemporary composers such as Claude Debussy , Richard Strauss and Ralph Vaughan Williams . A bronze bust of Wood, belonging to the Royal College Of Music , is placed in front of the Organ for the whole season. In 1927 , the BBC — later based at Broadcasting House opposite the hall — took over the running of the concerts, and when the BBC Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1930 it became the main orchestra for the concerts. At this time the season consisted of nights dedicated to particular composers; Mondays were Wagner , Fridays were Beethoven with other major composers being featured on other days. There were no Sunday performances. However, with the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the BBC withdrew its support. The Proms continued though, under private sponsorship, until the Queen's Hall was gutted by an air raid in 1941 (its site is now the St Georges Hotel). The following year, the Proms moved to their current home, the Royal Albert Hall, and the BBC took over once more. From the 1950s , the number of guest orchestras giving concerts in the season began to increase, with the first major international conductors ( Leopold Stokowski , Georg Solti and Carlo Maria Giulini ) performing in 1963 , and the first foreign orchestra, the Moscow Radio Orchestra , performing in 1966 . Since that time, almost every major international orchestra, conductor and soloist has performed at the Proms. In 1970, Soft Machine caused press attention and comment as the first "pop" band to perform there. The other major conductor associated with the Proms was Sir Malcolm Sargent who was Chief Conductor between 1948 to 1966 . The charity founded in his name continues to hold a special 'Promenade Concert' each year shortly after the main season ends. The charity also benefits (along with the Musicians' Benevolent Fund and a third "musical" charity, chosen each year) by many thousands of pounds from a collection made by the prommers after most concerts. (The Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children merged with CLIC in early 2005 forming CLIC - Sargent). The Proms continue today, and still present newly commissioned music alongside pieces more central to the repertoire and early music. Innovations continue, with pre-Prom talks, lunchtime chamber concerts, children's Proms, Proms in the Park either appearing, or being featured more heavily over the past few years. In the UK , all concerts are broadcast on BBC Radio 3 , an increasing number are shown on BBC4 with some also broadcast on BBC1 and BBC2 . It is also possible to hear the concerts live from the BBC Proms website. The Last Night is also broadcast in many countries around the world. In 1996 a related series of eight chamber concerts was started, taking place on Mondays at 1300 during the Proms season. In their first year these were held in the Britten Hall of the Royal College of Music (just across Prince Consort Road from the Albert Hall). The following year they moved slightly further afield, to the Henry Cole Lecture Theatre at the V & A . In 2005 they moved further again, to the new Cadogan Hall , just off London's Sloane Square . These allow the Proms to include music which is not really suitable for the vast spaces of the Albert Hall. THE PROMS TODAY Details of the 2006 season (the 112th) were announced on 27 April 2006 . As expected they mark the 250th birthday celebrations of Mozart and the centenary of Shostakovich 's birth. New initiatives for the year include four Saturday matinee concerts at the Cadogan Hall and the chance for audience members to get involved with ''The Voice'', a collaborative piece to be performed in two Proms on July 29 th. LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS Most people's perception of the Proms is taken from the 'Last Night', although this concert is quite different from the others. In the UK , it is usually broadcast on BBC2 (first half) and BBC1 (second half) and traditionally takes place on a Saturday. The concert is traditionally in a lighter 'winding-down' vein, with more popular classics being followed by a series of patriotic pieces in the second half of the concert, including Hubert Parry 's " Jerusalem " (a setting of a Poem By William Blake ), Edward Elgar 's '' Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1'' (" Land Of Hope And Glory "), Sir Henry Wood's Fantasia On British Sea Songs , and " Rule Britannia ". Tickets are highly sought after, and it is necessary to have attended several other Proms in the season to stand a chance of obtaining one. Prommers will likely queue up much earlier than usual (even over night) in order to gain a good place to stand in the hall. This, in part, adds to the atmosphere. Additionally, ", " Auld Lang Syne " is sung. The limited capacity of the Royal Albert Hall would be filled many times over with people wishing to attend the Last Night. To accommodate these people, and to cater for those who are not near London, the Proms in the Park concerts were started a few years ago. Initially, they were just in Hyde Park , adjacent to the Hall. More locations were added in recent years, and in 2005 , Belfast , Glasgow , Swansea and Manchester hosted a Last Night Prom in the Park. Each location has their own live concert, before joining with the Royal Albert Hall for the traditional finale. 's melancholy '' Adagio For Strings ''. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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