Klaus Mäkelä and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform Walton’s choral symphony Belshazzar’s Feast, while Yuja Wang is the soloist in Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

‘Be embraced, all you millions!’ Since the earliest days of the Proms, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony has had a special place in each season – and with its climactic choral ‘Ode to Joy’, it’s one of those works that takes on a new meaning every time it’s played. This year, it’s performed by Chineke! – Europe’s first majority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra, along with Chineke! Voices. BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Nicole Cabell leads a world-class team of solo singers, and opens the Prom with the haunting Lilacs, the heartfelt song-cycle with which George Walker became the first African American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

South Korean star violinist Bomsori performs Bruch’s First Violin Concerto with conductor Anja Bihlmaier and the BBC Philharmonic.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and new Chief Conductor Ryan Wigglesworth perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the first of their two Proms together this season.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales and their conductor laureate, Tadaaki Otaka, perform perhaps the most famous classical symphony ever written, Beethoven’s Fifth.

Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto leads The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in a concert of works by Beethoven, Vivaldi and Andrea Tarrodi.

Clive Myrie presents live from the Royal Albert Hall as the annual music festival is launched with Sibelius, Grieg, Britten and a world premiere from Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak.

Over a century of public service broadcasting, the BBC has forged a global reputation for its coverage of the planet we call home – from the oceans and mountains to rivers, glaciers, deserts and the infinite wonders of life on Earth itself. Tonight, the Proms hosts a stunning audio-visual celebration of the BBC’s world-famous Natural History Unit, from David Attenborough’s pioneering early adventures through to the landmark series of the 21st century. Expect breath-taking images, natural sounds, spoken words and music by composers including Hans Zimmer and George Fenton, performed live in the spectacular surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall by Ben Palmer and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

The end has come, and in the silence after the Last Trumpet, a solitary bird is the only sound heard on Earth. The ambition of Gustav Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony staggers the imagination – an emotional odyssey on a cosmic scale that embraces tenderness, rage, dark humour and – yes – the end of the world itself. Sir Simon Rattle was still a teenager when he conducted his first performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony, and it’s been a personal touchstone at every stage of his career. Now, as he prepares to step down as Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra, he pairs it with a short (but very personal) tribute from the late Harrison Birtwistle, one of Britain’s most distinguished recent composers.