Proms 2026 Mahler’s First by Heart

‘All the floodgates within me have opened … my whole being points me towards this symphony.’ Proms favourites Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra are back to lift the bonnet on another symphonic masterwork. Fifteen years in the making, Mahler’s First Symphony was a major statement of intent – a musical distillation of the composer’s life in sound, from klezmer bands to the natural world, folk dances to funeral marches, symphony and song united as one. A dramatised first half featuring mezzo-soprano Natalie Lewis introduces both the music and the story behind it, before a complete performance of the symphony after the interval.

Audio-described by Timna Fibert

British Sign Language-interpreted by Kate Green (first half)

Nicholas Collon © Chris Christodoulou/BBC