Welcome! It's your day-by-day guide to the action at the 2025 BBC Proms. And today (Friday 25 July), the Proms are going big, dramatic - and iconic.
What's on at the Proms today?
Today's Prom begins in colourful style with the suite from French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau's (1683-1764) vibrant opera-ballet Les Indes galantes. Blending exotic tales, stunning dance, and dazzling Baroque music, Rameau's music for Les Indes galantes is like a colourful journey across cultures - as seen from 18th-century France. With its rich orchestration, catchy rhythms, and theatrical flair, it still charms audiences today with its energy, elegance, and playful storytelling.
After this technicolour introduction, we continue travelling the globe with a performance of Camille Saint‐Saëns's Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, nicknamed the ‘Egyptian’. A whirlwind of colour and flair, Saint-Saëns's final piano concerto mixes French elegance with exotic scales and rhythms. He composed it while travelling in Egypt, a country he loved, and it's bold, fun, and full of surprises—like a musical postcard from a faraway land, showing off Saint-Saëns’ wit and virtuosity.
'A voyage to the East'
The nickname also reflects the exotic musical flavours in the piece—especially in the second movement, where Saint-Saëns weaves in Middle Eastern, North African, and even Asian musical influences. Saint-Saëns described the concerto as 'a voyage to the East', and its use of unusual scales, rhythms, and evocative melodies gives it a colourful, adventurous feel that sets it apart from his earlier works.
After the interval tonight, we'll hear something very different: Bruckner’s Skull, a 15-minute orchestral work by Scottish composer Jay Capperauld (b. 1989). It's inspired by the life-and-death obsessions of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, who reputedly kissed the exhumed skulls of Beethoven and Schubert when the composers’ remains were transferred between Viennese cemeteries.
Tonight's Prom ends in dramatic style with one of the most iconic works in all of classical music: Beethoven's mighty Fifth Symphony. One of the most iconic works in classical music, Beethoven's Fifth is instantly recognizable from its opening four-note motif: da-da-da-DAH. That dramatic phrase feels like fate knocking at the door, and what follows is a thrilling journey from darkness to triumph.
Beethoven shattered expectations with this symphony, using bold structure, raw emotion, and driving momentum that still stuns listeners today. It’s music of struggle and victory, deeply personal yet universally powerful. The Fifth doesn’t just impress—it grips you, shakes you, and leaves you changed. It’s not just a masterpiece; it’s a symbol of music’s power to move and endure.
Who's performing at the Proms tonight?
Tonght's Proms performers are the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and conductor Maxim Emelyanychev. For Saint-Saëns' colourful concerto, the soloist is French pianist Alexandre Kantorow, who memorably performed in the rain at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Born in 1997, Kantorow was the first French pianist to win the gold medal and Grand Prix at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition at age 22—a historic triumph. Hailed as 'Liszt reincarnated', he plays with dazzling virtuosity, poetic depth, and luminous tone. Hearing him in Saint-Saëns' equally dazzling Gallic masterpiece will be a treat indeed.
And what time does today's Prom start?
Today's Prom, Beethoven’s Fifth, gets underway at 6.30pm at the Royal Albert Hall, and tickets cost from £11 to £56
Pics: Getty Images
