'Unique' BBC Proms will combine archive recordings and live concerts

Organisers of the BBC Proms are planning to combine archive recordings and live concerts for the upcoming season.

They will take on a unique format due to the coronavirus pandemic, but organisers are still planning to stage live concerts at the Royal Albert Hall if restrictions allow.

David Pickard, the director of BBC Proms, explained: "These are challenging times for our nation and the rest of the world, but they show that we need music and the creative industries more than ever. This year it is not going to be the Proms as we know them, but the Proms as we need them.

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"We will provide a stimulating and enriching musical summer for both loyal Proms audiences and people discovering the riches we have to offer for the first time."

The hope is that musicians will be able to perform live at the Royal Albert Hall across the final two weeks of the season, culminating in a unique \'Last Night of the Proms\' in an effort to unite the nation.

The upcoming event - which is being broadcast on the BBC\'s radio, TV and online platforms - will also see a Grand Virtual Orchestra mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven\'s birth.

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Jan Younghusband, the head of BBC Music TV Commissioning, said: "As the nation unites in these unprecedented circumstances, BBC TV, Radio and Online all team up to support the Proms\' mission of bringing classical music to as many people as possible.

"BBC Four and BBC Two will once more hold a unique place in this once-in-a-lifetime cross-platform celebration, providing audiences with the opportunity of enjoying weekly stand-out Proms performances from our precious filmed Archives, leading up to the joyous return of live broadcast concert and a new-style but still glittering \'Last Night of the Proms\' on BBC Two and BBC One."

The 2020 season will open on July 17 on BBC Radio 3.