It’s a great honour to guest edit Gramophone’s Proms issue. Firstly, because I love Gramophone, a magazine that has made classical music so much more connected and inspiring to audiences and musicians alike. Secondly, because of the importance of the Proms in my life.

The biggest night of the 21st century for me so far was my Proms debut, with Yuri Temirkanov and the St Petersburg Philharmonic. We did the Rach Three and that was the launch of my European career, my London debut and it was recorded. It was broadcast around the world and that was so powerful. The next day my manager told me that he had suddenly been asked to book a lot of gigs!

In the world there isn’t as exciting a place to make music as the Proms. The audiences are comprised of true music lovers, especially the ones who stand, who get the best position to watch, standing right in the centre of the arena. Yet everyone goes so quiet for the music. Sometimes it feels quite mysterious because everyone shouts and cheers when you go out to perform, then when you sit down to play it’s silent. You can see the excitement on people’s faces. They’re so curious, so anxious for something special and this is incredibly inspiring.

After the Beijing Olympics in 2008 I flew to London for my first Proms solo recital. That was amazing. We had four big screens above the hall, so it almost looked like a basketball game! Surprisingly the sound was very good and in that environment it all felt so fresh to play. The reaction was overwhelming.

This issue covers areas important to me, not least innovative new ways to programme concerts and sibling musicians (I’m a huge fan of the Capuçon brothers). And I got to interview a hero of mine, Yo-Yo Ma. With all this, and my Last Night appearance, it’s set to be another milestone season. But then, for me, 
the Proms always is.

Lang Lang