Not long to go to Proms 2009 so these are my highlights for this year. I hesitate to call them ‘recommendations’, they just happen to be what I either like or would like to hear from this year’s programme. If you’re a horse racing fan, why not look upon them as tips and take a punt.

21 July: Purcell The Fairy Queen
25 July: Holst The Planets
28 July: Stravinsky The Firebird, plus late-night Bach
11 August: Sullivan Patience 
12 August: Prom 36 completely given over to Handel, also Philip Glass Violin Concerto Philip Glass Symphony No.7, ‘A Toltec Symphony’ (UK premiere)
13 August: Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
14 August: Jonny Greenwood Popcorn Superhet Receiver
16 August: Prom41 given over to Indian voices
19 August: Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
20 August: Handel Samson
22 August: Beethoven Fidelio(conducted by Daniel Barenboim)
25 August: Michael Nyman – various film scores
4 September: Ligeti Atmosphères and Richard Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra
6 September: Handel Messiah
(I’m a bit ambivulent about The Last Night. I did watch last year as Bryn Terfel was singing)

There’s a lot of Stravinsky and Bach this year so I’ve just chosen my favourites.  No Nigel Kennedy/Jeff Beck showdown this year but its nice to see Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood flying the flag. And of course very good to see some Gilbert & Sullivan included on the programme.

Every Prom concert is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/ as is traditional with  music, BBC television gives scant coverage. Details of what coverage there is can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2009/broadcasts/tv/