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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Alexandra Coghlan, Clive Paget, Flora Willson, Rian Evans and Erica Jeal

Magnificent minimalism, sizzling Strauss, bracing Berlioz: Guardian critics’ top picks for Proms 2026

Abel Selaocoe playing the cello
Abel Selaocoe will perform in the UK premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s These Righteous Paths, her cello concerto, on 20 July. Photograph: Phil Sharp

Ecstatic baroque and early music

If 19th-century repertoire thrives on scale and scope, baroque and early music is all about intimacy: the husk of bow on gut strings, the purity of an unaccompanied voice. It’s music that often struggles to find a place at the Proms, but clever choices make for an intriguing lineup this year.

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