BBC Proms 2017 season revealed - including a feast of violin concertos

The full BBC Proms 2017 programme has today been announced, including a number of treats for string fans. The 123rd season of the leading UK music festival features more than 90 concerts taking place in London’s Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall and several other venues from Friday 14 July to Saturday 9 September.

Violin soloists appearing this year include Lisa Batiashvili in Sibelius's Concerto conducted by Daniel Barenboim (July 15), Joshua Bell in Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole conducted by Charles Dutoit (August 17), Nicola Benedetti in Shostakovich's  First Violin Concerto conducted by Thomas SøndergŠrd (18 July), Isabelle Faust in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado (3 September), Alina Ibragimova in  Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto conducted by Vladimir Jurowski (6 September), Leila Josefowicz in Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto conducted by Mirga GražinytÄ—-Tyla (21 August), Leonidas Kavakos in Brahms’s Violin Concerto conducted by Riccardo Chailly (25 August), Anne-Sophie Mutter in Dvorák’s Violin Concerto conducted by Manfred Honeck (4 September), and Christian Tetzlaff in Berg’s Violin Concerto conducted by Robin Ticciati (15 August).

Cello soloists include 2016 BBC Proms winner Sheku Kanneh-Mason with the Chineke! orchestra (30 August), Natalie Clein in the world premiere of Brian Elias's Cello Concerto, Alban Gerhardt in Schumann's Cello Concerto conducted by John StorgŠrds (10 August), and Alisa Weilerstein in the UK premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s Outscape (19 July).

The season also celebrates composer anniversaries, including Monteverdi at 450, Handel’s Water Music at 300 and John Williams at 85, plus the birthdays of two pioneers of American Minimalism - John Adams’s 70th birthday and Philip Glass’s 80th birthday.

For full details visit bbc.co.uk/proms.

Photo: Sim Canetty-Clarke / BBC