BBC Proms 2018
BBC Four provides an evening of eclectic world music tonight with two contrasting concerts. First off, Prom 27, beamed live from the Royal Albert Hall, showcases British and Irish folk music, a move sure to please those who feel that the genre is under-represented at the annual event. The BBC Concert Orchestra, under conductor Stephen Bell, will support performances by some of folk’s best home-grown talents, including Julie Fowlis, the Gaelic poster girl whose ethereal vocals have been wowing the folk scene for 15 years. On the same bill are singer Sam Lee, uilleann piper Jarlath Henderson and clogdancing sister act The Unthanks. The show will also be broadcast live on Radio 4, with an interlude that features a discussion between poets Gillian Clarke and Peter Mackay.
At 11.00pm is a showing of Tuesday’s late-night Prom 23, Havana Meets Kingston, a diverting mash-up of Caribbean styles. Australian reggae and dance-hall producer Mista Savona – aka Jake Savona – brings together musicians from Cuba and Jamaica to create a sound drawing on both cultures, unifying the likes of roots reggae, dub, salsa and rumba and having Jamaican patois underscored Cuban rhythms in what’s sure to be a genre-busting concert.