Welcome to the July issue of BBC Music Magazine!
It is billed as the world’s biggest celebration of classical music, and each year the BBC Proms manages to earn that esteemed title and then some!
The 86 concerts of the 2026 season (which we've listed in full this issue) showcase big-ticket items from every BBC orchestra alongside such visiting masters as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in their Proms debut.
Plus, there’s a wealth of star names, from Marin Alsop, Joyce DiDonato and Martha Argerich to Yuja Wang, Yunchan Lim and Leonidas Kavakos – and dazzling new music from the likes of Betsy Jolas, Thea Musgrave, Wynton Marsalis and Jessie Montgomery.
Into this heady mix strides the LA Philharmonic in two high-profile August dates, led by their outgoing music director Gustavo Dudamel. After 17 years at the helm of the West Coast’s premier ensemble, the exuberant Venezuelan maestro is preparing to take on its East Coast equivalent, the New York Philharmonic, following in the footsteps of Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein and Pierre Boulez.
Far from being intimidated, however, he welcomes the opportunity. As he tells Richard Morrison on page 24, ‘I am suddenly aware of the people whose shoes I’m in. But it’s a beautiful responsibility, this challenge of creating an exciting new chapter in the history of such an institution.’ If anyone can take on the discerning New York players – and perhaps even show them something new – it’s Dudamel.
Also in this issue: Andrew Green visits the Royal Albert Hall Archive and discovers an abundance of items from the iconic venue’s venerable history. And from London to Bayreuth: Before Wagner set up shop, Princess Wilhelmine turned the small German town into a major artistic hub, as Michael White relates.
‘He appears so shy and demure, but when he plays the piano, everything comes out’. Yunchan Lim is one of the world’s most famous pianists – and his legions of devoted fans are there for every note, reports Simon Broughton.
This month's Musical Destination is Perth, Australia. It may be many miles from the fashionable East Coast, but Western Australia’s capital city is teeming with culture, writes Andrew Green. And for Building a Library, we take a look at American composer Roy Harris's ruggedly atmospheric Third Symphony. Terry Williams is captivated by the wide-open American landscape as he enjoys the best recordings of this 1930s orchestral masterpiece.
On this month's cover CD
This month's cover CD features a selection of beautiful performances of much-loved orchestral Lieder (songs) from BBC Proms past. These include four Schubert songs in arrangements by Franz Liszt (including 'Gretchen am Spinnrade', D118 and 'Erlkönig', D328; and three songs by Alma Mahler-Werfel. Performers include soprano Elizabeth Watts, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, pianist Louis Lortie and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor John Storgårds.
Click here or on the image below to see the track details for this month's cover CD.
