Proms season draws record crowds

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This year's BBC Proms season has attracted a record number of people to its concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall.

Organisers said more than 272,000 people had booked tickets, beating the previous high of 265,000 in 2001.

There was also a 5% increase in ticket sales compared to last year.

The two-month Proms season ended on Saturday with star-studded open-air concerts taking place around the UK at the same time as the main indoor event.

At London's Proms in the Park in Hyde Park, soprano Lesley Garrett has paid tribute to opera great Luciano Pavarotti, whose funeral took place in his home town of Modena in northern Italy on Saturday following his death on Thursday.

Ms Garrett said a few words then sang You'll Never Walk Alone.

Proms director Nicholas Kenyon said this year's Proms had "exceeded all our expectations".

Will Young is in the line-up for the last night of Proms in the Park

This year's line-up included music inspired by William Shakespeare, a musical about climate change and West End star Michael Ball, alongside more traditional classical concerts, including Wagner's Gotterdammerung.

"Audiences have responded with huge enthusiasm," said Mr Kenyon.

"I could not have had a better end to my 12 seasons at the Proms than the record attendance figures we are announcing today."

Mr Kenyon is moving on to become managing director of the Barbican in London.

The Proms' traditional Last Night concert in the Royal Albert Hall was conducted by the BBC's Symphony Orchestra's Jiri Belohlavek for the first time.

The Proms In The Park events were held in London's Hyde Park, Carrickfergus Castle in Northern Ireland, plus Swansea, Glasgow and the Tees Valley.

The London Proms in the Park concert included performances by Will Young and last year's BBC Young Musician of the Year, clarinettist Mark Simpson.

The main event featured Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez and the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Carl Davis.

The Proms in the Park, now in its 12th year, was hosted by Sir Terry Wogan.