BBC Proms 2024 to feature disco night and Florence + The Machine

The BBC has announced a bumper Proms season for 2024, with 90 concerts that mix traditional repertoire with concerts by Florence + The Machine, Sam Smith and Bristol’s Paraorchestra.

After a lean period during Covid, international orchestras are back in full force, with performances from the Berlin Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and the West-Eastern Divan.

And there will be a tribute to Sir Andrew Davis, the jovial conductor who led the Last Night concert on a dozen occasions, after his death last week.

Sir Andrew had been scheduled to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra at Prom 54 in August, featuring works by Stravinsky and Schumann alongside a new work by Steve Reich.

The conductor, who was known for both his musicality and humorous speeches, died of leukaemia in Chicago on Saturday at the age of 80.

Proms director David Pickard said the shape of the tribute had yet to be decided, but “we will find a way of commemorating him and his marvellous work on the Proms”.

“I think it will be extremely emotional for the orchestra because he was not only a brilliant musician, he was the loveliest man,” he said. “We’ll miss not only his music-making but frankly his smile, his laughter [and] his spirit of bonhomie.

“He’s a real character that we’ve lost, and it’s a great sadness.”