Artiste: BBC Singers

David Pountney's vernacular translation and Ruth Knight's vivid staging lent a thrilling immediacy to Shostakovich's chilling opera.

A programme heavily skewed to the balletic saw the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Josep Pons dispatch difficult passages with ease.

Adams, Rachmaninov and Berio are not three easy bedfellows, however Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra pull these strands together remarkably. 

The second half of this year’s Proms season heats up with visits from the Czech Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – along with operas by Bizet and Britten.

Stretching over 8 weeks, and with concerts in London and 6 cities across the UK, this year’s BBC Proms has a vast offering – including guest orchestras, premieres, and celebrations of Holst, Bruckner and Schoenberg.

At the next general election, the former cellist in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra could become UK Culture Secretary. She tells us about how her musical career has helped her in politics and her desire to rebuild music education.