Simpson, Suk, Delius, Verdi, Massenet, Bruch, Puccini

Live from the Royal Albert Hall, London

Presented by Sean Rafferty and Suzy Klein

Jiri Belohlavek conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the traditional Last Night of the Proms festivities with special guests violinist Nicola Benedetti and tenor Joseph Calleja.

The year's biggest musical party at the end of the world's greatest musical festival in what is a special summer for London promises to be a special event. Since taking the nation by storm as the 2004 BBC Young Musician of the Year, Scottish-born Nicola Benedetti has enhanced her reputation as one of Britain's most innovative and creative young violinists and tonight she's playing Bruch's luscious Violin Concerto, a piece often voted the nation's favourite. Also on stage is Joseph Calleja, the Maltese tenor who sings with the grace and elegance of the voices of a bygone era. In his last concert as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek brings with him two works by fellow Czechs - Dvorak and Suk. All this before the familiar home-grown classics bring down the curtain in time-honoured fashion.

Mark Simpson: Sparks [BBC commission, world premiere]
Suk: Toward a New Life
Delius: Songs of Farewell
Verdi: Forse la soglia attinse... Ma se m'e forza perderti (from Ballo in Maschera)
Massenet: Pourquoi me reveiller? (from Werther)
Bruch: Violin Concerto no. 1 in G minor
Puccini: E lucevan le stelle (from Tosca)
Puccini: Nessun dorma (from Turandot)

Joseph Calleja (tenor)
Nicola Benedetti (violin)
BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Jiri Belohlavek (conductor).