BBC Proms 2024: Doctor Who Prom

Doctor Who Prom:

The 2024 BBC Proms are well under way, with the greatest classical music festival returning to the Royal Albert Hall for its 130th season for a string of 73 concerts. Alongside this, there are further 17 concerts across the UK, making this one of the Prom's most ambitious and diverse seasons so far. The programme this year has been overseen by Director David Pickard, who is in his ninth and final season in this role. Pickard and his team have helped organise a number of new, and exciting, concerts for this year's programme, as well as bringing back some all-time Prom favourites. One of the most highly anticipated returns has been Proms 47 and 48; The Doctor Who Proms. Iwas lucky enough to be in attendance for the matinee performance, Prom 47, to watch the first Doctor Who Prom for over 11 years. In this time there has been five different doctors, a multitude of new companions, and two different composers gracing the show with their musical art. This prom acted as a celebration of all of this, and more.

The program created for the 2024 Doctor Who Prom was nothing short of perfect, showcasing several of the recent season's most epic pieces, mixed amongst some of the most iconic compositions from prior series. On several occasions the past and present were even combined, most notably in the second act's 'The Companion Suite', which garnered some of the loudest audience responses of the night.

A classical concert set within one of the world's most famous auditorium is always going to feel like a special event. However, the combination of the above music with a multi- media visual experience, meant this was a performance which transcended being just a concert. The stunning stage, which had the iconic TARDIS in its heart, had a big screen hanging above it, allowing video montages of some of Doctor Who's most iconic scenes to be played in time with the music. This not only tied the pieces of music to their relevant moments in the show's history, but also added to the emotional response you felt to each song, having such a visual representation of the story being re-told.

The visual aspects of this performance went far beyond the stunning orchestral scenery, and video montages though, In true Doctor Who fashion we were also joined by a host of the shows biggest and baddest villains, who would make their way throughout the stage, aisles and standing arena as the show progressed. This sci-fi brilliance provided a platform to create even more audience engagement, adding to what was already an extremely memorable show. However, at the very heart of it all, was the musical excellence on display.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the London Philharmonic Choir are crammed full of world class musicians, each of whom gave
their all to ensure that these iconic pieces received the performances they deserved. This approach was shared by the mind-blowing vocalists who took the concert to new heights. Following the 'Twist at the End', the capacity audience delivered a deserved standing ovation to the huge cast of talented musicians, actors and dancers who made this work of art possible. This was not only the perfect celebration of Doctor Who, but also showed why the BBC Proms are So special as a whole.

Performers:

Catherine Tate - Presenter
Aida Garifullina - Soprano
Shahid Abbas Khan - Vocalist
Hollie Buhagiar - Vocalist
Lucie Jones - Vocalist
Tobias Turley - Vocalist

BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Lesley Hatfield Leader

London Philharmonic Choir
Tori Longdon - Chorus-Master

Alastair King- Conductor
Paul Bullock - Director
Murray Gold - Composer
Segun Akinola - Composer