| Set List | 'Goldberg Variations 85', Bach |
| Performance Notes | In 2021, the BBC Proms returns to the Royal Albert Hall for a summer of live music, as it has done every year since 1941. With 46 concerts over 44 days, featuring 30 orchestras and ensembles and more than 2,000 musicians, this ambitious season promises a celebration of live music on a scale not seen since before the pandemic. From the power of a symphony orchestra to the sheer joy of a single performer on the Halls magnificent organ, this summer we look forward to coming together through music. Every Prom will be live on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds.
Fourth of four Mystery Proms whose details will be revealed nearer the time.
Is it a coded message, an exercise in numerology. Is it a glorious attempt to marry old and new, or is it a nocturnal, private, fanciful tale? Russian-born Pavel Kolesnikov asked these questions and more when he took up the challenge of deciphering one of the undeniable peaks of the piano repertoire, Bachs Goldberg Variations. And, going by the judgement of The Guardian, which declared that Kolesnikovs recent recording of the work stands alone the Russian-born pianist has found some answers. Bachs beguiling sequence of a gentle Aria followed by 30 miniature variations was designed for the refreshment of the spirits, a mindful mix from the 18th century.
The season was shortened to six, rather than eight, weeks because of the financial risk to the BBC not knowing audience sizes due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. |
| Related Archival Material | Prospectus (RAHE/1/2021/5),
Programme (RAHE/1/2021/) |