James Naughtie introduces live coverage of the First Night live from London's Royal Albert Hall in a special concert to welcome American-born Leonard Slatkin to his first Prom season as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
The programme reflects Slatkin's love of British and American music, opening with Benjamin Britten's overture to his American operetta Paul Bunyan, orchestrated by Colin Matthews, and featuring John Adams' stunning contemporary choral classic Harmonium which sets to music poetry by John Donne and Emily Dickinson. The programme also features 16 leading young singers performing Vaughan Williams's Serenade to Music - originally composed for Prom founder Henry Wood - and the winner of last year's BBC Young Musician competition, Guy Johnston, who makes his Proms debut playing Elgar's much-loved Cello Concerto.
(Also broadcast on Radio 3 and on the internet)
During the interval, composer John Adams tells Charles Hazlewood about his childhood and early musical experiences, his move from the east coast to the west coast, the influence of both the Californian music scene and minimalism, and how, for him, his work in inextricably bound up with America and its landscape.
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(BBC Proms Guide 2001: price £4.50, from bookshops or music retailers)
Guy Johnston: page 12; Leonard Slatkin's kind of day: page