Five pieces to get you in the mood for Bristol Proms 2015

14 July 2015, 19:44 | Updated: 15 December 2016, 11:50

The Bristol Proms for 2015 is less than two weeks away. One of the festival's Prombassadors Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres has the video playlist to get you ready

Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise – Jan Lisiecki

Every year the Bristol Proms features the classical world's best young talent and up and coming stars. The youthful and brilliant pianist Jan Lisiecki is returning to the Bristol Proms with a programme that starts with the purity of baroque and finishes in the passionate romantic era. He's the sort of guy who proves that classical music is very much in the hearts of younger performers. He is just 18 years old in this video but he effortlessly conveys all the emotions, complexities and subtleties of Chopin.

Book now: 30^th July, 7.30pm, Jan Lisiecki, ‘From Purity to Passion’

2. Tallis: Spem in Alium

At the end of the Bristol Proms week, the Erebus Ensemble will be singing a concert of beautiful choral works. They are performing Tallis’s rich and uplifting Spem in Alium with a choir that is forty voices strong. With that many voices all singing independent lines, it's very much a piece that has to be experienced live. But it's still pretty overwhelming on YouTube...

Book now: 1^st August, 7.30pm, Erebus Ensemble, ‘Songs of Hope – In 40 Voices’

3. Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence – Daniel Hope

Now, from ‘Songs of Hope’ to Daniel Hope. The British violinist has swiftly becoming a Bristol Proms legend. In his third appearance he is presenting a battle of composers between Tchaikovsky and Brahms, with a blend of words, music and stories. Last year the star virtuoso turned up in leather, and 2015 looks set to be even more rock 'n' roll as he battles through the legendary arguments between the two great composers.

Book now: 27^th July, 7.30, Daniel Hope, ‘Tchaikovsky vs. Brahms’

4. Lennon/McCartney: Michelle – Milos Karadaglic

If rock 'n' roll happens to be your thing, then how about some music from the swinging sixties? The Bristol Proms is known for experimentation and overlapping genres, so this year classical guitarist Karadaglic is doing a mixed concert, promising a variety of music styles from Bach to The Beatles. Get in the mood with a rendition of The Beatles’ 'Michelle' that is effortlessly chic.

Book now: 31^st July, 7.30pm, Milos Karadaglic, ‘Bach to the Beatles’

5. Piazzolla: Café 1930 (Paris) – Alison Balsom & Milos Karadaglic

This should be amazing. Trumpeter mega-star Alison Balsom will be treating audiences at the Bristol Proms to a late night feast of trumpet music with a range of composers from Handel to Stravinsky. This moody noir-esque video shows Balsom and Karadaglic doing their thing in the recording studio playing some atmospheric Piazzolla. Wow, etc.

Book now: 29 July, 21.45pm, Alison Balsom, ‘Late Night Trumpet’

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres is a classical composer and music critic.

Read some of her reviews on Bachtrack, and listen to some of her music here.