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BBC Radio 3 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced Third Programme.

BBC Radio 3

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BBC Proms

Music: Classical

The world's greatest classical music festival - stunning performances and collaborations.

The world's greatest classical music festival. Stunning performances, unique collaborations and the sheer joy of live music. Relive 2023's highlights before the new season begins.

BBC Proms: 2013 Season: Prom 39

BBC Proms: 2013: Prom 39: Part 2: Prom 39 (part 2): Holst, Nishat Khan & Vaughan Williams

Performances & Events

Prom 39

Part 2 Part 2: Prom 39 (part 2): Holst, Nishat Khan & Vaughan Williams

2013

Prom 39 (part 2): Holst, Nishat Khan & Vaughan Williams

BBC Radio 3 - BBC Proms, 2013, Prom 39, Prom 39 (part 2): Holst, Nishat Khan & Vaughan Williams

BBC National Orchestra of Wales under David Atherton in Vaughan Williams's Symphony No 2.

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London, David Atherton conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a performance of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No 2 (A London Symphony).

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Presented by Suzy Klein

East meets West in two visions of India and a portrait of London. Nishat Khan's Sitar Concerto and Vaughan Williams's London Symphony with David Atherton and The BBC National Orchestra of Wales live at the BBC Proms.

Holst: Indra
Nishat Khan: The Gate Of The Moon (Sitar Concerto No. 1) (BBC Commission: World Premiere)

19.45 Interval

Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony (Symphony No. 2)

Nishat Khan (sitar)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
David Atherton (conductor)

Gustav Holst's fascination with Sanskrit literature found early expression in the 1903 tone-poem Indra, composed before the first set of his Hymns from the Rig Veda (heard on Radio 3 in Proms Chamber Music no.5 Monday 12 August 13:00). Sitar virtuoso Nishat Khan is a proms verteran, having first played as a soloist in 1989. This is the first time one of his own compositions has appeard at the Proms. Writing his concerto is a dream come true: "I have a huge love and respect for the Western classical tradition, and it's a daunting challenge to find a way of combining the sitar with this beautiful, gigantic orchestral sound". He's taken a minimalist approach, with soloist partly playing composed lines and partly improvising; somtimes the forces meet in dialogue, sometimes embarking upon rhythmic exploration together, and a lot of interaction. He won't be using other indian instruments, though, rather exploiting the sounds of the orchestra. "I think of Western classical music as a huge ocean with so many different fish, plants and temperatures. Among the elements, he particularly loves the sound of the cello and the oboe, which he says combines beautifully with the sitar, bringing a "piercing nostalgia". 

First performed in 1914, Vaughan Williams's A London Symphony evokes the chimes of Westminster, a chill November in Bloomsbury and the bright lights of the Strand in a city that would soon be scarred by war.

First half simulcast on BBC Asian Network.

An edited version of this Prom will be broadcast on Thursday 15th August at 2pm.

BBC Proms: 2013

BBC Proms: 2013: Prom 39

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

All broadcasts from the 119th season of the BBC Proms.

Prom with evocations of India and London with performances by Nishat Khan and the BBC NOW.

Suzy Klein presents a Prom featuring evocations of India and London with performances by sitar player Nishat Khan and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under David Atherton

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Part 2: Prom 39 (part 2): Holst, Nishat Khan & Vaughan Williams

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