Two months of classical music concerts span the summer, at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London, and in venues across the UK. This selection of twelve unmissable concerts is for anyone who’s looking for the exhilaration of live performance and big bold classical tunes. No previous knowledge necessary.
Attending the Proms
Some concerts may well appear sold out, but it’s always worth checking for returns either online, or at the venue box office. Standing tickets (Promming tickets) are available online every day (check the Royal Albert Hall for details). Dress code: there isn’t one.
Listen Live or Stream
If you can’t get there, every concert is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Some concerts are available on TV and BBC iPlayer. When available the links below will be updated with streaming links.
1. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Friday 25 July 2025, 7.30pm
🧨 A revolutionary piece of classical music with the the most well-known opening. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra are renowned for their energetic performances.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ehh6gw
2. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday 30 July 2025, 7.30pm
🎹 Rachmaninov’s most-loved piano concerto with its heartstring-tugging slow movement that brings tears to the eyes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e339hn
3. Dvorak’s New World Symphony from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Thursday 7 August 2025, 7.30pm
❤️ Music that yearns for home. Its slow movement evokes a nostalgic air that one bread manufacturer found invaluable in selling their products back in the 1980s.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/emxd2m
4. Rachmaninov’s Paganini Variations from the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Friday 8 August 2025, 6.00pm
🎹 Drama, invention, and virtuosity. Rachmaninov creates all manner of spectacle at the keyboard in this entertaining excursion for piano and orchestra.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/erbv9r
5. National Youth Orchestra plays Star Wars and Holst’s Planet Suite
Saturday 9 August 2025, 7.00pm
🎞️ There is nothing quite so invigorating as the energy the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain brings every year. This year they’re stepping up for the annual performance of Holst’s much-loved Planet Suite, plus an unapologetically enthusiastic performance of John Williams’ crowd pleasing Star Wars score.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/exngfx
6. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring from the BBC Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday 13 August, 7.30pm
🧨 No longer causing riots, but still widening eyes. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring is a technicolour and visceral depiction that brings the orchestra alive. Get as close to the stage as you possibly can. The intricate detail and the insistent rhythms are a delight.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ewxd2m
7. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 by heart from Aurora Orchestra
Saturday 16 August, 7.00pm
💥 Shostakovich’s fifth symphony used to be looked down upon when it was first written for being too compliant to the overbearing Soviet authorities. That changed thirty or so years later. A hugely satisfying and entertaining listen, full of pathos, drama, and militaristic drama.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ebp2rz
8. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with Klaus Mākelā
Saturday 23 August, 8.00pm
💥 An epic journey with a technicolour score. Arguably the finest symphony ever written, with a ravishingly beautiful slow movement. The chance to hear this in the Royal Albert Hall with a few thousand others in rapt attention would normally be sufficient. But this is the Royal Concertgebouw with conductor Klaus Mākelā.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/eb3wxj
9. Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra play Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2
Tuesday 26 August, 7.30pm
💥 Sibelius is big bold and fiercely proud and you can hear it in this music. If you don’t leave the auditorium fortified for the remainder of the week, then its time to contract the services of a mental health professional.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/en6mzc
10. Vienna Philharmonic play Mozart’s Prague Symphony and Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6
Tuesday 9 September 2025, 6.30pm
🎭 Tchaikovsky’s grand virtuosic writing reaches new heights in the exhilarating third movement of this work, packed full of drama, yearning, passion, and grace. See a symphony orchestra – one of the finest in the world – at full throttle in a venue that matches the scale of the music and the sound.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/exzqwh
11. Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2 from BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Wednesday 10 September 2025, 7.30pm
❤️ Rachmaninov’s second symphony is a triumph over his first work, and the result of a therapeutic intervention that tackled the composer’s crippling self-doubt. It is the most immediate of musical romantic expressions. The third movement slow movement will destroy all even the coldest of hearts.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ezj4mb
📅 Planning your Proms 2025?
Here’s where to start: the Thoroughly Good Proms Edit highlights big names, offbeat surprises, and must-hear performances: a guide to concerts worth attending or streaming in 2025
Review – BBC Proms 2025: Last Night of the Proms
This year’s end of term party was certainly polished and appeared to satisfy the target audience.
BBC Scottish Symphony’s Ilan Volkov speaks out against Israel at the BBC Proms
A cracking performance of Brahms’ fortifying Symphony No. 2 rounded off with a much-needed plea from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s principal conductor Ilan Volkov
Radio 3 Unwind launches on DAB radio
Radio 3 Unwind arrives on DAB today — mood music with a BBC badge. Once derided, now unavoidable. A bold pitch for new listeners or a Reithian nightmare? Either way, it’s a sign the classical broadcast landscape is shifting faster than some critics would like to admit.
Sam Jackson on Radio 3, the BBC Proms, and cultural leadership
What does it mean to be a “programme maker” when strategy and credibility keep intruding? In this new Thoroughly Good Podcast, Sam Jackson talks Proms, Radio 3, and the contradictions of cultural leadership.
Opinion – The bigger picture on BBC orchestras (and why more tv isn’t the answer)
The BBC has been forced to do more with less for years. Orchestras are a tiny fraction of its output, and classical music isn’t what the broad audience is demanding. The Proms remain protected because they deliver reach — and reach is what justifies the Licence Fee.
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