Magnificent minimalism, sizzling Strauss, bracing Berlioz: Guardian critics’ top picks for Proms 2026
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Thomas Dunford leads Ensemble Jupiter with tenor Laurence Kilsby for a late‑night programme of Purcell, Handel and John Dowland on 21 July.
- Olivier Latry presents an all‑Bach organ recital on 26 July, featuring transcriptions by Duruflé and Widor and an improvisation on the letters of Bach’s name.
- Swedish Chamber Orchestra offers a dance‑evolution concert on 16 August, tracing the development of dance through works by Rameau, Bach, Handel and Beethoven.
- Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment teams with soloists for a 9 August concert of Jan Dismas Zelenka and Haydn spiritual music.
- Arcangelo closes the season with Bach’s Mass in B minor on 10 September, delivering a climactic celebration of faith.
- Sir Antonio Pappano conducts Berlioz’s Requiem on 15 August, employing massive forces including eight bassoons, twelve horns, sixteen timpani and ten cymbal pairs.
- Les Siècles under Jakob Lehmann performs La Damnation de Faust on 30 August with soloists John Osborn, Véronique Gens and Gerald Finley.
- National Youth Orchestra plays Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique on 8 August, led by Thomas Adès alongside his Dante ballet and Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz.
Why it matters: Royal Albert Hall gains from the Requiem’s massive 8‑bassoon, 12‑horn, 16‑timpani, and 10‑cymbal‑pair forces on 15 August, boosting ticket revenue and cementing its status as a premier venue for large‑scale works.
Ask SkimNews
