Ever heard Beethoven’s Battle Symphony with the sound of 193 – yes 193 – cannon? Well, the chance is now there as the schedule for the 2024 season of the Battle Proms Picnic Concerts, in aid of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity is announced.
The concerts take place in the grounds of four of the UK’s most celebrated stately homes, starting on Saturday, July 6 at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, then on to Burghley House in Lincolnshire on July 13.
A week later, it is on to Hatfield Park in Hertfordshire on July 20, while the season finale takes place at on August 3 at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, known and perhaps even loved world-wide as “The Real Downton Abbey”.
Fittingly, the theme to Downton Abbey will be performed by the New English Concert Orchestra at all four venues, and the programme will include other delights such as The Dam Busters March, Gershwin’s Summertime, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
The orchestra’s signature piece and firm concert favourite is Beethoven’s Battle Symphony (Wellington’s Victory) with those 193 cannon.
But that is not all.
As has become Battle Proms tradition, the music at these open-air concerts starts in the afternoon with the vintage voices of the Battle Proms Belles warming up the crowd and end with a sing-along finale with all the traditional “Last Night of the Proms” favourites under a sky of fireworks.
Concert-goers will also be treated to a show of Cavalry through the Ages, displays from the British Army’s Red Devils parachute display team, and the Grace Spitfire, which was in action on D-Day and will accompany the opening orchestral pieces including Elgar’s Nimrod.
Georgia Kay, SSAFA’s Senior Special Events Officer, said: “SSAFA is grateful to the organisers of the Battle Proms Picnic Concerts not only for the wonderful experiences given to people, but also because of the funds the concerts raise for the charity, bringing support to so many within the Armed Forces community.
“So, don’t miss out on these spectacular summer events; get your friends and family together and head to www.battleproms.com for your tickets today.”
