Some 376 tickets were sold every minute in the first hour of BBC Proms tickets sales, in what is expected to be the corporation’s most successful season to date.A record number of tickets were sold within the first 12 hours of being made available. More than 85,000 were shifted in total – up by seven per cent compared with last year.
The series of concerts, which represents the linchpin in the BBC’s classical music coverage, takes place over an eight-week period between July 15th and September 10th at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
All seated tickets for Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra sold out within three hours, quickly followed by Verdi’s Requiem.
Seated tickets for Havergal Brian’s gargantuan The Gothic Symphony have also all been snapped up, although up to 1,400 additional £5 Promming tickets are released on the day of each concert.
Tickets for the vast majority of other events are still available.
Roger Wright, director of the BBC Proms, commented: “The Proms remain the world’s largest music festival and the demand for tickets on the first day of booking has been extremely high.
“We’re delighted that so many people have been able to get their tickets successfully and look forward to welcoming them to the Proms this summer. It’s worth reminding people that there are still tickets available for the vast majority of events and also encourage them to try for returns, come and Prom on the day, or listen and watch on the BBC.”
Other highlights within this year’s 90 concerts include Nigel Kennedy in a solo Late Night recital devoted to the music of JS Bach, Steve Reich with three of his seminal works in a Late Night Prom and the first Comedy Prom, hosted by Tim Minchin.