Proms 2025 Shostakovich’s Fifth by Heart (17 Aug, 11am)

Explore a symphony from the inside out. Nicholas Collon and the Aurora Orchestra reflect this year’s Shostakovich anniversary with a Prom that takes the audience under the hood of a 20th-century masterpiece and into the mind of the man who made it. Actors join the Aurora’s players to bring to life a symphony born in the shadow of Stalin’s regime – music on the edge of life and death by a composer treading a dangerous line between political obedience and artistic defiance.

Audio-described by Timna Fibert

British Sign Language-interpreted

Broadcast on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer this season

Nicholas Collon © Chris Christodoulou / BBC