Learning English

World’s biggest classical music festival… from home

The world’s biggest classical music festival will go ahead this summer in London – but not as we know it. The season will start with musicians performing from lockdown, and end – with any luck – with live concerts. Neil and Catherine look at the vocabulary in the news around this story.

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The story

The BBC Proms is going ahead this summer, but with a difference. The event will open in July with a virtual concert inspired by Beethoven recorded by 350 musicians in their own homes. Hopefully, the season will end with live performances at the Royal Albert Hall in the final fortnight.

Key words and phrases

virtual
appearing via the internet

• Virtual reality will change the media.
• Virtual pub nights have become normal during the UK’s lockdown.

mash-up
media product which combines clips and music from a number of sources

• Gamers are excited about the latest mashup of classics.
• Celebrity mashups often go viral.

unthinkable
not possible to imagine

• Before the pandemic, the idea of cancelling the Olympics was unthinkable.
• Rob says he’s giving up biscuits, but, frankly, that’s unthinkable.

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