:00:00. > :00:00.It's the world's biggest classical music festival.
:00:07. > :00:09.We'll be feasting on scintillating music and sensational performers
:00:10. > :00:11.for the next two months, so you might do well
:00:12. > :00:39.Welcome to the First Night of the BBC Proms 2017!
:00:40. > :00:42.Hello and a very warm welcome from me, Katie Derham,
:00:43. > :00:45.and the whole BBC Proms team here at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
:00:46. > :00:48.It's the launch of what promises to be another cracking Proms season.
:00:49. > :00:53.We've even got new titles, complete with jellyfish.
:00:54. > :00:56.We'll be with you tonight on BBC Four for the next hour,
:00:57. > :00:58.where we'll be enjoying Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto,
:00:59. > :01:01.with coverage continuing on BBC Two at 9pm for a performance
:01:02. > :01:08.Over the coming two months we'll be showcasing the very best music
:01:09. > :01:12.Much-loved masterworks will sit alongside world premieres specially
:01:13. > :01:16.commissioned for the season, all performed by exceptional musicians.
:01:17. > :01:21.And on that stage right now, those exceptional musicians
:01:22. > :01:24.from the BBC Symphony Orchestra are getting in the zone,
:01:25. > :01:27.the Prommers in the arena are settling in to their spots,
:01:28. > :01:29.and we're all bursting with anticipation.
:01:30. > :01:32.In just a few moments conductor Edward Gardner
:01:33. > :01:36.will take to the stage, so the first of 75 Proms concerts can launch.
:01:37. > :01:40.And we're kicking off the season with one of those world premieres -
:01:41. > :01:43.an exhilarating five minute piece by Tom Coult.
:01:44. > :01:46.It's called St John's Dance, named after a bizarre social
:01:47. > :01:51.phenomenon in medieval Europe, also known as Dancing Mania.
:01:52. > :01:54.Groups of peasants would start dancing for no obvious reason.
:01:55. > :01:58.They'd carry on in a trance-like state for hours, days, weeks
:01:59. > :02:01.and even months on end, often until they collapsed from exhaustion.
:02:02. > :02:04.Thankfully we're not expecting that to happen to the audience
:02:05. > :02:10.But we are expecting an appearance from the composer Tom Coult,
:02:11. > :02:13.who says, "My piece is a relentless series of dances - often
:02:14. > :02:16.spiralling out of control, often with two or more heard
:02:17. > :02:50.That ripple of applause suggests the leader is coming onto stage, there
:02:51. > :02:59.he is, Stephen Bryant. It is an exciting moment, this is the First
:03:00. > :03:03.Night of the Proms. And any minute now, we should be seeing our
:03:04. > :03:11.conductor tonight, Edward Gardner. Here he comes. It is the first time
:03:12. > :03:16.he has conducted Tom Coult's music that he describes it as incredibly
:03:17. > :03:21.vibrant and vivid with a unique fingerprint. Can't wait. So, let's
:03:22. > :03:36.get going with the First Night of the Proms.
:03:37. > :09:41.MUSIC: St John's Dance by Tom Coult
:09:42. > :10:19.The BBC Symphony Orchestra. And there is Tom Coult coming to the
:10:20. > :10:22.stage to take his bowl. -- bow. Great excitement.
:10:23. > :10:24.29-year-old Tom Coult is surely one of the outstanding
:10:25. > :10:27.He studied with leading British composer George Benjamin
:10:28. > :10:30.and was recently nominated for a South Bank Sky Arts Award.
:10:31. > :10:33.One of Tom's biggest fans is from very close to home.
:10:34. > :10:36.He says, "My Mum's been wanting me to be in the Proms for ages,
:10:37. > :10:51.I'm looking forward to hearing more from Tom in the future.
:10:52. > :10:54.Now then, let's turn our attention to the titan of classical music -
:10:55. > :10:57.Beethoven, and his magnificent but tumultuous Third Piano Concerto.
:10:58. > :11:00.It was first performed in Vienna by Beethoven himself in 1803.
:11:01. > :11:04.It's one of his most angst-ridden works.
:11:05. > :11:06.The first and third movements are brim-full of high drama
:11:07. > :11:10.and tension, offset by the dreamy, tender reflection
:11:11. > :11:16.The emotion of the piece is certainly not lost
:11:17. > :11:19.on our soloist, Igor Levit, who calls the Third Piano Concerto
:11:20. > :11:24.At 30, he's the same age as Beethoven was when he wrote this
:11:25. > :11:28.piece, and Levit has said that not a single day goes by without him
:11:29. > :11:32.Well, we spoke to him in rehearsals about this deep
:11:33. > :11:54.All these questions got about myself, who I am, what my role as an
:11:55. > :12:00.artist is, what musically matters to me, I always felt that Beethoven was
:12:01. > :12:06.the one-to-one to these questions. It is the most humane,
:12:07. > :12:12.unpredictable, chaotic, beautiful, sane, insane, funny, sad, whatever
:12:13. > :12:17.you want music imaginable. And therefore, as I feel it, the closest
:12:18. > :12:23.to who we are. If you ask me why is it my favourite Concerto, I would
:12:24. > :12:30.probably answer, why not? There is so much in it, so much to say. It is
:12:31. > :12:38.incredibly funny. At the same time, it can be unbelievably dark. Playing
:12:39. > :12:44.a Concerto is so exciting, because you can sit at home and practice.
:12:45. > :12:48.Then you walk on stage for the first rehearsal. You share the stage with
:12:49. > :12:53.80 plus colleagues and they start playing. They make a statement and
:12:54. > :13:00.you have to accept maybe all your ideas could be overthrown in this
:13:01. > :13:09.moment. Which is great. The same thing happens with the audience. We
:13:10. > :13:13.obviously go on a journey together, the audience, myself, there is not
:13:14. > :13:17.so much difference here. The only difference is I am the guy who
:13:18. > :13:25.presses down the keys. We hear this music and we experience it together.
:13:26. > :13:32.So what the journey will be about, what the emotions are, I cannot
:13:33. > :13:35.possibly tell you. To play the First Night of the Proms is really
:13:36. > :13:47.exciting and emotional, it means a lot.
:13:48. > :13:57.APPLAUSE And here he comes, Igor Levit, for
:13:58. > :14:05.what will be a special performance of Beethoven's's piano Concerto.
:14:06. > :14:06.Shaking hands with Stephen Bryant and Edward Gardner standing by to
:14:07. > :14:23.conduct. MUSIC: Piano Concerto No 3
:14:24. > :50:10.in C Minor by Beethoven Fabulous, life affirming performance
:50:11. > :50:13.of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto bike Igor Levit, with the BBC
:50:14. > :50:21.Symphony Orchestra led by Stephen Bryant and conducted by Edward Alain
:50:22. > :50:30.Webber gardener. Listen to the jeers in the hall. -- conducted by Edward
:50:31. > :50:34.Gardner. He calls that work at whole miracle, written by the most human
:50:35. > :50:40.of composers, and I think we heard a most heartfelt performance. He was
:50:41. > :50:42.visibly moved in the second movement, I'm sure you noticed that,
:50:43. > :50:55.as well. As indeed were we all. He's recorded Beethoven on disk to
:50:56. > :50:58.great acclaim. He won the prestigious gramophone recording of
:50:59. > :51:05.the year last year for his account of Diabelli Variations.
:51:06. > :51:08.He's no stranger to the BBC, as in 2011 he was chosen as a BBC
:51:09. > :51:11.Radio Three New Generation Artist - widely respected as a platform
:51:12. > :51:18.for the hottest young talent in classical music.
:51:19. > :51:26.They certainly spotted a good one there.
:51:27. > :51:37.Coming back out to take another bow. Banking the BBC Symphony Orchestra
:51:38. > :51:47.warmly. -- thanking the BBC sympathy Orchestra warmly.
:51:48. > :52:01.What a very lovely man Igor Levit seems to be.
:52:02. > :52:10.He was born in Russia. He lived there for eight years, before moving
:52:11. > :52:14.to Germany. Nowadays he based in Berlin but as can imagine regularly
:52:15. > :52:20.performs in concert houses the world over. Now, I rather think that
:52:21. > :52:33.everyone who would like to hear some more from Igor Levit. Here he comes.
:52:34. > :52:37.And whilst he is bowing again I'm rather hoping he's going to give us
:52:38. > :53:11.an encore. MUSIC: Transcription
:53:12. > :53:17.of Ode To Joy from Beethoven's Ninth
:53:18. > :56:59.Symphony by Liszt. Igor Levit improvising on one
:57:00. > :57:19.of the most famous tunes of Beethoven - the Ode to Joy
:57:20. > :57:27.from his Ninth Symphony. And if that whetted your appetite,
:57:28. > :57:30.then you can hear the whole of that glorious ninth symphony,
:57:31. > :57:32.his "Choral" symphony, on 30 July - right here on BBC Four,
:57:33. > :57:54.with the BBC National Orchestra Igor Levit coming back on to take
:57:55. > :57:59.another bow. For that wonderful encore. And absolutely breathtaking
:58:00. > :58:10.performance of Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto.
:58:11. > :58:17.Don't forget, you can listen to every Prom live on Radio Three and
:58:18. > :58:21.we'll be bringing you all sorts of great performances every Friday and
:58:22. > :58:25.Sunday here on BBC Four, and I'll be having my guests on Proms Extra on
:58:26. > :58:33.BBC Two, every Saturday night from 6:50pm, starting a week tomorrow.
:58:34. > :58:40.That has got me in the mood for the 20 17th season. There's so much to
:58:41. > :58:41.look forward to. Join us now on BBC Two as the coverage of the First
:58:42. > :58:50.Night of the Proms continues. The BBC Proms celebrates
:58:51. > :58:59.the extraordinary film music of John Williams in a concert
:59:00. > :59:08.to mark his 85th birthday. ..would you dare find out
:59:09. > :59:09.what you were? ..would you dare find out
:59:10. > :59:31.what you were?