Rapture captured: instrumentalists and singers at the 2019 BBC Proms

As two weeks of livestreamed Proms begin tonight, we just want to be there in the Royal Albert Hall.

The exuberance of our lead picture tells one story of a Prom which had to be witnessed live to be believed: the annual visit of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain last year, with brilliant Auerbach and Prokofiev under Mark Wigglesworth, and much-loved Nicola Benedetti uniting with them in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.

Chris Christodoulou is always in a unique position, usually putting his camera unnoticed through the velvet curtains at the top of various sets of stairs to the Albert Hall stalls. This year he'll be one of the few people in the hall other than the singers, players and conductors, and they'll find it hard to touch the ecstasy spots without the Prommers in front of them, but fingers crossed there will be some more memorable captures of what it means to perform together. Click on the images below for the full picture.

• Full list of livestreamed BBC Proms, starting tonight (Friday 28 August)
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