Not everyone listens to every single Prom. Life gets in the way. No matter. Here’s a list of must-listens for those who are busy and need someone to prioritise for them.
Curious explorers and seasoned listeners
Five concerts every week that feature must-listen-to works for both the curious explorer and the seasoned listener.
Each concert is listed below, streaming links added as they become available.
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. First Night of the Proms 2025
Friday 18 July 2025, 7.30pm
The two-month season kicks off with a mixed bag of crowd-pleasers, a new ten-minute work from the Master of the King’s Music, Errollyn Wallen, and a rarely heard choral work by Vaughan Williams.
Expect hyperbole when there isn’t music, and wall-to-wall season promotion. There is often so much enthusiasm about the season starting on air, that the First Night risks giving the appearance of the concert-going experience being universally what you see on TV or on the radio. If it feels awkward to watch then it probably is. That said, it may not. The Sibelius Violin Concerto is epic.
🔊 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002fkqv
2. Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand & Walton’s Symphony No. 1
Sunday 20 July 2025, 7.30pm
One-handed pianist Nicholas McCarthy joins forces with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for Ravel’s glittering Piano Concerto. Walton’s Symphony No. 1 in the second half is a wild ride of orchestral colours, textures, and harmonic bombast.
🔊 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002fwmj
3. Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 from BBC Philharmonic
Monday 21 July 2025, 7.30pm
Running to 70–80 minutes long, this epic piece of musical storytelling is something to get in amongst and revel in.
🔊 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002fwn5
4. Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique from BBC Philharmonic
Tuesday 22 July 2025, 7.30pm
Written 84 years before Mahler’s seventh symphony performed the night before, the BBC Philharmonic plays a work that transformed how music was used to tell stories in evocative detail.
🔊 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002fx0m
5. Beethoven’s 5th Symphony from Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Friday 25 July 2025, 7.30pm
Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev has a track record in bringing about exhilarating, rip-roaring performances of established repertoire. It will be fascinating to see what he does with one of Beethoven’s perennially popular works.
🔊 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002fwzx
🎫 https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/ej3wxj
📅 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
BBC Proms 2025: First Night of the Proms 2025
Review and reflections from the first night of the BBC Proms, with original photography, streaming links, and Thoroughly Good introductions.
Five concerts to listen out for this week at BBC Proms 2025
Memorable tunes, big sounds, and electric experiences guaranteed to touch the soul of even the most skeptical of Proms virgins.
5 concerts from BBC Proms 2025 for FIRST TIMERS
Memorable tunes, big sounds, and electric experiences guaranteed to touch the soul of even the most skeptical of Proms virgins.
11 UNMISSABLE BBC Proms to Book or Stream in 2025
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.
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