On 20 July 2023, Josep Pons returned to the BBC Proms to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The concert explored musical images of Spain through works by Spanish and French composers, bringing together orchestral colour, dance and rhythmic vitality in a programme shaped by contrasting visions of the country.
The evening opened with the Interlude and Dance from Manuel de Falla’s La vida breve, followed by Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, performed by the young Spanish violinist María Dueñas in her Proms debut. The second half featured Claude Debussy’s Ibéria and Maurice Ravel’s Boléro, which brought the concert to a close with an enthusiastic ovation.
The programme offered an opportunity to explore the different ways in which French composers imagined Spanish music and culture, set alongside the directness and authenticity of Falla’s musical language. Conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Josep Pons highlighted the scores’ orchestral colour, folk-inspired rhythms and subtle transitions between atmosphere, dance and celebration.
British critics praised the combination of drama and delicacy in his interpretation. The Guardian highlighted the natural way in which Pons built the tension of La vida breve, the refinement with which he shaped the cross-rhythms and colours of Ibéria, and the intensity of a Boléro that earned a particularly warm ovation.
Arcana also praised the orchestra’s form, the quality of the accompaniment to María Dueñas and Josep Pons’s ability to preserve the cohesion of the music while revealing the detail of its orchestration. The concert’s positive reception further confirmed his long-standing relationship with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Proms, where he has appeared on several occasions throughout his career.