Battle Proms - Music with Gunpowder

The Battle Proms will visit Burghley House in Stamford on Saturday, 11 July, with patriotic anthems blending with military history to create the spectacular night.
The evening will kick off with a flypast from one of the most famous aircraft in the world – a Spitfire – performing a carefully choreographed and breathtaking air display.

There will also be a dramatic war re-enactment from the Napoleonic Association, with a sensational skill-at-arms display on horseback and on foot, expertly bringing to life the skirmishes of one of the most colourful and dramatic periods of history.

After the display, the music will begin, announced by a volley of shots from an authentic vintage field gun, answered by infantry musket fire.

Classic patriotic classical favourites, such as Jerusalem, Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory will be performed by the New English Concert Orchestra, with soprano soloist Denise Leigh joined by the acclaimed tenor Michael Bracegirdle on stage.

One of the most dramatic parts of the evening will be Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and the unforgettable performance of Beethoven's Battle Symphony.

Both pieces will include the live firing of cannons, using real gunpowder, fired by the orchestra's percussionist to the original score.

The Battle Proms is believed to be the only concert in the world that includes the firing of authentic cannons, rather than synthetic explosions.

The evening will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display in front of the house itself.