conductors at the BBC Proms 2021

Dalia Staevska inspiring the BBC Symphony Orchestra at First Night of the PromsAll pictures from Chris Christodoulou

They must have been especially thrilled to be back in front of (or with their backs to most) a live audience.

But inspiring musicians is what conductors are there to do at night, and what you see in the top image is what we got from the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction by his principal guest conductor Dalia Stasevska on the first night of the balls. It was a Sibelius second symphony like no other, but much more over the revitalizing six weeks of summer was unforgettable as well.

This is the 12th year that we are organizing the shots of Chris Christodoulou’s conductor and the 40th anniversary of his outstanding photography documenting the BBC Proms. Although Chris was present at the Proms 2020, an audience was not, and that absence meant that the images could not have the same power, In 2021, despite the shorter season and some distance, the spark was absolutely there (and the arts office is proud to have reviewed 22 Proms). Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, there were seven female conductors this year – still not enough, but it’s increasing all the time. If not all are represented here, it is because Chris was not on duty that night. Anyone familiar with previous collections of the Weird and Wonderful knows what to expect.

Click on each image below for the full image, or follow the arrows when clicked for the entire sequence.

Dalia Stasevska (July 30)