Welcome to The Proms

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. The concerts were originally known as "Mr Robert Newman's Promenade Concerts", after the impresario whose inspiration they were. In what decade did the first Proms concert take place? 1870s 1900s 1880s 1890s

2. When Henry Wood mounted the podium and picked up his baton at the start of the very first Proms concert, what piece did he conduct? Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody no 2" Thomas's "Mignon" Overture Rossini's "Largo al factotum" from "The Barber of Seville" Wagner's "Rienzi" Overture

3. In what concert hall were the Proms held for almost the first 50 years of their existance? Royal Albert Hall Queen's Hall Royal Festival Hall Wigmore Hall

4. For many years, there was a tradition of Monday night being “Wagner Night”. But whose music would an early promenader expect to hear if they pitched up on a Friday? Beethoven Brahms Mozart Handel

5. On 5th October 1929, Henry Wood conducted an arrangement of J S Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ”, orchestrated by Paul Klenovsky. What was notable about Mr Klenovsky? He was Henry Wood's illegitimate son He was only 14 when he wrote it The name was a pseudonym for Henry Wood himself "He" was actually a woman

6. When in 1926 Robert Newman died, the future of the Proms seemed in doubt. But what organisation stepped in to take over the organisation and funding of the Proms? The Royal Philharmonic Society The UK Government The British Broadcasting Corporation The Arts Council of Great Britain

7. In what year did Sir Henry Wood die? 1937 1949 1939 1944

8. During the 1950s and 60s, which conductor, Chief Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra from 1950-1957, became almost as intimately associated with the Proms as Henry Wood had been before him? Malcolm Sargent John Barbirolli Basil Cameron Adrian Boult

9. The Proms has an enviable reputation as a showcase for new music as well as established masterpieces, and many well-known works have been given their world premieres there. But of the following pieces, which did NOT receive its world premiere at a Prom concert? Walton's "Viola Concerto" Mahler's "Fourth Symphony" Vaughan Williams' "Fifth Symphony" Britten's "Piano Concerto"

10. Up until the 1960s, no orchestra from outside the UK had appeared at the Proms. Which foreign orchestra became the first to give a concert as part of the 1966 season? New York Philharmonic Orchestra Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Moscow Radio Orchestra Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

11. Who was the director of the Proms from 1960-73, who shocked some of the more traditional concertgoers by programming such avant-garde works as Stockhausen’s “Kontakte” and Peter Maxwell Davies’ “Worldes Blis”? Victor Hely-Hutchinson William Glock Robert Ponsonby John Drummond

12. In 1974, during a televised performance of Karl Orff’s cantata “Carmina Burana”, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andre Previn, the baritone soloist Thomas Allen fainted during his big solo, "Estuans interius. What happened next? The rest of the concert was cancelled A promenader who knew the work replaced him He recovered after being ducked in the Arena fountain The conductor sang his part

13. What violinist made his or her Proms debut under Henry Wood in 1937, and was back for the 100th season in 1994? Yehudi Menuhin Ida Haendel Itzac Perlman Anne-Sophie Mutter

14. The world of the Proms is littered with arcane rituals that can puzzle outsiders. What activity prompts the Promenaders to cry “Heave-ho”? The conductor getting onto the podium The lid of the piano being raised Any overweight singer taking his or her bow The tuba player coming onto the stage

15. At the Last Night of the Proms, it has become traditional for the conductor to make a short speech, saying how successful the season has been and thanking all the participants. What was memorable about the speech made by Andrew Davis in 1992? He forgot his notes and had to go offstage to fetch them He dropped his notes and swore loudly in front of a radio and television audience of millions He had lost his voice, and the speech was given by the first violinist instead He sang it