The First Night of the Proms 2026 kicked off the eight-week season at the Royal Albert Hall, setting the scene with a distinctly American flavour. Principal guest conductor Dalia Stasevska led the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a programme that highlighted the 250th anniversary of US independence, featuring Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and George Gershwin's An American in Paris.
American themes dominate the opening
Stasevska's trademark dynamism was on full display as she opened with Copland's crowd-pleaser, evoking broad vistas of hope. The performance then shifted to Gershwin's vibrant depiction of Paris, with Stasevska delivering a broad, hearty account that captured an American's view of the city. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, including standout woodwind and brass soloists, matched her energetic pace.
Yunchan Lim delivers introspective Ravel
South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim joined the orchestra for Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, offering a cool, unsentimental interpretation. Lim eschewed the jazz-bar seductions of the final presto, instead providing étude-precision and a slow movement of introspective delicacy that was barely audible in the hall. His performance shunned display despite the circus that follows him.
Mixed results after the interval
The second half of the concert featured a new commission by Anglo-French composer Josephine Stephenson based on Emily Dickinson's poetry, which had little to say but said it intermittently very loudly. Finzi's rarely heard For St Cecilia was stirring, particularly when evoking Hubert Parry or Vaughan Williams. Tenor Thomas Atkins delivered beautiful renditions of Edmund Blunden's verse, supported by the BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Chorus.
Surprise encore adds political twist
The evening concluded with an unexpected encore: a massed-voice and orchestra performance of Oasis's Wonderwall. Intended as a World Cup homage, it landed differently in light of recent events, serving as a tribute from Manchester's finest to a prime-minister-in-waiting. As one observer noted, "Who says the Proms isn't political?"
