Proms 2026 Poulenc and Adams

The human voice ‘riding upon waves of rippling sound’ was the starting point for the glittering, pulsing soundscapes of John Adams’s Harmonium – one of the American composer’s defining works, harnessing the motoric energy of Minimalism to large-scale architectural form and textural richness. Commissioned by the BBC in 1947, Poulenc’s Sinfonietta is a typically playful, nose-thumbing riff on the traditional symphony, full of wit and brilliance – a mood it shares with the composer’s joyful, Mozart-inspired Concerto for two pianos. ‘Breathtaking’ Dutch siblings Lucas and Arthur Jussen make their Proms debut, joined by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Kazuki Yamada.

Kazuki Yamada © Benjamin Ealovega