Actress Lesley Manville ‘so excited’ to narrate at First Night of the Proms

Actress Lesley Manville has said she is “so excited” as she is set to make her BBC Proms debut on its opening night.

The Crown star, 67, will narrate a piece by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius titled Snofrid during the First Night of the Proms on Friday night at the Royal Albert Hall.

It is a new translation by British writer and director Edward Kemp, described as a “supernatural melodrama for narrator, choir and orchestra”.

Manville, who portrayed Princess Margaret in the most recent series of The Crown, said: “I absolutely adore the Proms and am so excited to be involved in the iconic First Night to narrate Sibelius’s Snofrid with all its dramatic lyricism and tempestuous energy.

“The Proms is a brilliant festival and I can’t wait to join in and kick off this summer’s celebrations.”

The actress was also nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Phantom Thread and has starred in films including Mrs Harris Goes To Paris and Vera Drake.

The programme for the opening night of the BBC Proms will also include the world premiere of a piece by Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak, titled Let There Be Light.

Sibelius’s Finlandia, Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra are also on the line-up.

Principal guest conductor Dalia Stasevska will lead the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the BBC Singers and renowned pianist Paul Lewis during the classical music spectacle.

Behind-the-scenes action will be broadcast from the Royal Albert Hall on BBC Radio 3 ahead of the live concert, which will air on the station from 7pm with radio presenters Georgia Mann and Petroc Trelawny set to host the coverage.

Broadcaster Clive Myrie will also present the TV coverage of the first night from 7pm on BBC Two with musician Anna Lapwood and comedian Sandi Toksvig joining him.

David Pickard, director of the BBC Proms, said: “The First Night of the Proms is very nearly here and we are so looking forward to the coming eight weeks of fantastic classical music.

“We are excited to say that from 6.30am on Friday our colleagues at BBC Radio 3 will join us for a day of broadcasting live from the Royal Albert Hall, and, for the First Night of the Proms concert we are delighted to collaborate with Lesley Manville, one of Britain’s greatest actors, who will perform alongside over 200 musicians and singers from the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the BBC Singers, led by Dalia Stasevska.

“Whether you’re joining us on the radio, on TV or in person, we can’t wait for the beginning of what we hope will be another thrilling season.”

The eight-week season of the BBC Proms will feature more than 80 concerts before concluding on Saturday September 9 with the famous Last Night of the Proms.