Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

Image source, Chris Christodoulou

Before tonight, I hadn’t ever watched the Proms and I didn’t know what to expect - safe to say I’ve had my expectations surpassed.

Undoubtedly, one of the highlights was hearing star tenor Nicky Spence’s rich voice for the first time and marvelling as he moved fluidly between Dvořák’s Rusalka, Baccara’s Yes Sir I, Can Boogie and The Proclaimers I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).

Even better witnessing his half a dozen outfit changes, much to our Royal Albert Hall reporter Rorey Bosotti’s delight.

You'd be forgiven for thinking Samuel Barber’s 26-minute“finger-twisting” masterpiece Piano Concerto might pose a minor threat to the attention span.

But Yuja Wang’s performance and glittering stage presence kept me hooked and delighted concertgoers in the venue.

For many, though, it will be the Dolly Parton tribute that sticks in the mind.

The dolled-up, energetic Sheridan Smith and synergetic country-duo Ward Thomas brought 9 to 5 and Jolene to life. While Beverley Knight’s I Will Always Love You proved magnificent and heart-wrenching.

We’re wrapping up our coverage now as the dapper ladies and gentlemen leave the Royal Albert Hall for their night ahead.

To conclude, conductor Sakari Oramo left the audience thinking about Parton's legacy and the future of music, telling us: "It's the time to be authentically human."

Until next year.

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Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

I’ve caught up with Nicky Spence after the great performance he’s just given at Last Night of the Proms.

"It was like I was getting married to the nation," he says as I ask how he felt about the audience’s reaction.

He tells me he collaborated closely with the composer of the original commission, Scotch Snap, sending suggestions on which songs to include in the medley.

He’s now going to take some time to “be a dad” and spend time with his son, he tells me.

Well deserved.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

Everyone is back up and joining in an impressive collaborative feat of shaking hands with their neighbour as they sing Auld Lang Syne.

It’s the perfect farewell to what’s been a great evening, and another great Proms season.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

It's more poignant as well.

The audience normally joins in, loudly, but all I can hear to begin with is mostly humming.

But the energy is quick to change, the audience is still muted as the chorus and the singers are made to do the heavy lifting.

And they get a roaring applause for their efforts.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

As we approach the end, we’re hearing from conductor Sakari Oramo again.

He pays tribute to Dolly Parton, whose legacy he says brings to mind the concept of "authentic integrity".

He says tonight is "unapologetically live, acoustic and imperfect" as he references the expanding use of Artificial Intelligence.

"It’s the time to be authentically human," he concludes as asks the crowd to join in for Jerusalem.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

As often is the case with this tune, we get to have another go. It’s louder than the first.

Not sure I could hear the organ earlier but it’s definitely there now.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

My seat is vibrating as everyone in the hall keeps the tempo with their feet.

It’s also getting a bit drafty with all the waving but it’s hot in here, so I’ll take it.

And everyone’s up to sing the Land of Hope and Glory part, Oramo is now fully turned as he conducts the audience.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

Oramo conducts the orchestra and chorus through tributes to Scotland and Wales before Spence comes back in, you guessed it, a splendid fourth jacket and kilt combo.

He’s greeted with applause before he kicks off the finals stretch with Rule Britannia!

The flags are up again, as is the audience every time we hit the chorus.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

As soon as the orchestra starts playing the first few notes of Fantasia on British Sea Songs, the audience on the pit starts bobbing along.

Sir Henry Wood composed the melody for the centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1905.

But it’s still the start of the fun bit, so the audience is unleashing its creative side.

There’s thumping on the floor, clapping along and flag waving.

It’s only going to get louder from here.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

And now we reach the home stretch, with the traditional closing sequence of the Last Night of the Proms.

It’s now 71 years since these pieces (minus Auld Lang Syne) were first played together for the first time.

The ever-popular Malcolm Sargent (or “Flash” as he was affectionately known) helped put together the programme that evening, as well as conducting the orchestra.

The innovation came around the same time that the Proms were first broadcast on television, and Sargent also encouraged the waving of bright flags and banners to give the concert some visual splendour.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

It’s the final stretch before the party begins.

Among musical theatre folk, Sit Down! You're Rockin’ the Boat is considered an 11 o'clock number - a show-stopping number marking the climax of a show, usually towards the end.

And considering the mood in the room here, it's not hard to see why.

The crowd is clapping along, Spence is electric, and yes, the jacket is gorgeous. Again.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

Taken from the musical Guys & Dolls, Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat is sung by gambler Nicely-Nicely Johnson, as he recounts a dream of being saved from hell.

In the musical, he’s singing it to a prayer circle – describing how he brough dice aboard the boat across the River Styx.

The passengers objected to his gambling and drinking, telling him to "sit down, you're rockin' the boat." He was then washed overboard but awoke thanking the Lord.

A prototypical Broadway showtune, it’s been covered by many famous artists over the years, including Louis Armstrong (1953), Sammy Davis Jr. (1955), Don Henley (1992), and James Taylor (2020).

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

Anne Dudley adapted a poem by Native American poet Zitkála-Šá for her latest piece.

It’s full of shimmering strings, the voices slowly enter one after the other in a gradual accumulation in this touching tribute to nature.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

Another specially commissioned piece, Iris of Life comes from British composer Anne Dudley, who has a long association with the BBC’s orchestras.

Born in Kent, she first found fame as a member of the experimental synth-pop band Art of Noise; and went on to become an arranger and composer for artists like Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Robbie Williams and Pulp.

In 1998, she won an Oscar for her score to the Britcom The Full Monty; and subsequently worked on films including American History X, Pushing Tin and Les Miserables.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

Nicky Spence returns to the stage with another impressive velvet jacket.

And soon delivers on an impressive outfit change as he tears off his black trousers for a tartan pair.

He mixes moments of moving tributes to Scotland - including an operatic take on Proclaimers classic 500 Miles - with more jokey moments with the audience.

And as soon as he gets belting Yes Sir, I can Boogie, the crowd is roaring with laughter.

Me among them.

I basically want to steal all his jackets (if that wasn't clear).

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

We don’t know much about the world premiere of Stuart Calvert's Scotch Snap in advance, only that it’ll be a showcase for tonight’s star Tenor Nicky Spence.

Judging by the title, it’ll delve into his Scottish roots. That could potentially mean the inclusion of Guiseppe Verdi’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play”, Macbeth; or Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, based on Sir Walter Scott’s novel The Bride of Lammermoor.

But, with the traditional tongue-in-cheek levity of the Proms’ Last Night, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear snatches of The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond, or even The Proclaimers’ Sunshine on Leith.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

We’re in a bit of a lull as the stage hands prepare for the next act, but press watch live above and you can see a video of Nicky Spence performing Nessun dorma.

Coming up it's the debut of two newly-commissioned pieces. Mark Savage will have more on them in the next post.

The audience seems eager to start on the fun. Balloons and beach balls are making the rounds across the pit.

The honk is back. And someone in the chorus just popped some confetti.

Rorey Bosotti
At the Royal Albert Hall

The tune goes from a peppy 1930s atmosphere full of piano and clarinets in the first movement to a moodier, slower second half.

The piano still leads, but amply shares the scene with the strings.

It’s definitely a tune of its time, which brings up images of days gone by.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

Ukrainian composer Alexander Tsfasman was one of the pioneers of Soviet jazz, founding Russia’s first jazz orchestra in Moscow in 1926.

Suite for Piano and Orchestra, written in 1945, is his best-known work. An effervescent and agile piano suite, it’s a personal favourite of tonight’s soloist Yuja Wang.

Shortly after it premiered, however, Tsfasman’s career nose-dived, as jazz became seen as a symbol of Western decadence in Cold War-era Russia.

“Today he plays jazz, tomorrow he’ll betray his country” was a widespread propaganda slogan of the Stalinist era.

Happily, though, Tsfasman survived that era – living until 1971 – and his music has enjoyed a renaissance in recent years.

It’s Yuja Wang’s second performance of the evening.

Image source, Universal Images Group via Getty Images