From the Royal Albert Hall in London. Shostakovich's mighty juggernaut of a Seventh Symphony, with its distinctive, relentless snare-drum motif, has represented resistance to oppression for many different audiences worldwide since its first performance by starving musicians during the Siege of Leningrad in 1942. In the first half, the London premiere of a work by the prodigious 80-year-old composer Hans Werne Henze that is equally full of dazzling orchestral colours, telling of a magical bird charged with carrying messages between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Presented by Louise Fryer.
Orchestre National de France, conductor Kurt Masur
Hans Werner Henze Five Messages for the Queen of Sheba (first London performance)
7.55 Twenty Minutes: Music for the Masses
Alexandra Wilson talks to Rosamund Bartlett , an expert in Russian culture, about Moscow's
"People's Conservatoire", established in the wake of the 1905 Revolution to provide musical education for Russia's working classes.
8.15 Shostakovich Symphony No 7 (Leningrad) This Prom is also broadcast live on BBC4