BBC Proms on Television: weekend screen musical highlights

There is nothing to beat the buzz of being in the audience at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms, but you can get pretty close at home with screened concerts and behind-the-scenes features.

This year's BBC Proms on Television, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the eight-week festival (19 July to 14 Sept) is packed with interest and atmosphere, and is fronted by an exciting new line-up of presenter/musician teams.

Look out for the mould-breaking saxophonist Jess Gillam, the thrilling young pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and soprano Danielle de Niese as they take you behind the music and reveal some of the secrets of the professional musical life.

BBC Proms presented and saxophonist Jess Gillam has a talent for unpacking music. Photo: Kaupo Kikkas

Concerts screened every Friday and Sunday evening include the First and Last Nights of the Proms. In between come performances by the world's leading orchestras, including the BBC's own ensembles. There are more than 90 live concerts, many of them screened and all on Radio 3.

Highlights include the John Wilson Orchestra with a Hollywood spectacular, The Warner Bros Story. This popular Prom is given twice at the Royal Albert Hall (3PM and 7:30PM, Fri 9 Aug); the evening performance is screened live.

Unmissable is Prom 40 (live and screened Fri 16 Aug), in which Proms favourite Stephen Hough plays the golden piano of Queen Victoria in a concert with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Hough performs Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No 1 in a programme that includes songs written by Prince Albert.

Stephen Hough will play Mendelssohn on Queen Victoria's piano. Photo: Sim Canetty-Clarke

Talking of Albert, it is from a new home near the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens that BBC Two's weekly Saturday evening Proms magazine programme will take to the air, with previews, highlights and musical up-dates. It's the perfect catch-up spot for busy music-lovers.

Another must-see is the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's concert under their dynamic conductor Miga Gražinté-Tyla, joined by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason in Elgar's Cello Concerto. The programme is introduced by his pianist sister Isata. The live performance is at the Royal Albert Hall (Thurs 22 Aug) and broadcast on Sun 25 Aug.

Watching the Proms at home is a fantastic introduction to music for youngsters, and the programmes have been chosen with the new generation in mind. For really tiny music-lovers, two CBeebies Proms (21 and 22 July) will go to air after the festival.

For the Last Night of the Proms (Sat 14 Sept) tune to BBC Two for Part One and BBC One for Part Two.