13/09/2025
"Freddie would have loved this" remarked Sir Brian May of the rock band Queen, which was fronted by Asian bisexual hero Freddie Mercury between 1969 and his death in 1991. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the epic pop operatic piece Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen were invited to perform with the backing of a full concert and symphony orchestra at the Last Night of the Proms, which were televised by BBC1 and transmitted on the radio by BBC Radio 3. The audience were in raptures and gave a standing ovation to the performance of the five minute long song, which was Christmas Number 1 in both 1975 and 1991, despite not specifically being a seasonal record. The Promenade concerts, known as the Proms, began in 1885 but have been a staple of broadcasting since 1927 when the BBC National Programme as it was then, began organising and transmitting the eight week celebration of music. WIkipedia notes " Each season consists of concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, chamber music concerts at Cadogan Hall (or occasionally other venues), additional Proms in the Park events across the UK on the Last Night of the Proms, and associated educational and children's events. Recently, concerts have been held in additional cities across different nations of the UK, as part of Proms Around the UK. The season is a significant event in British culture and in classical music. Czech conductor Jiří Bělohlávek described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".
