Podium odes to joy: conductors at the 2021 BBC Proms

They must have been especially overjoyed to be back in front of (or with back to the greater part of) a live audience.

But inspiring musicians is what conductors are there to do on the night, and what you see in the top image is what we got from the BBC Symphony Orchestra burning under its principal guest conductor Dalia Stasevska at the First Night of the Proms. That was a Sibelius Second Symphony like no other, but so much more throughout six revitalizing summer weeks was also unforgettable.

This is the 12th year we've run Chris Christodoulou's conductor shots, and the 40th anniversary of his peerless photography documenting the BBC Proms. Although Chris was present at the 2020 Proms, an audience wasn't, and that absence meant that the images couldn't have the same potency, In 2021, despite the shorter season and a certain amount of distancing, the spark was absolutely there (and theartsdesk is proud to have reviewed 22 Proms).Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, there were seven women conductors this year - still not enough, but it's going up all the time. If not all are respresented here, it's because Chris wasn't on duty that night. Anyone familiar with previous collections of the weird and wonderful knows what to expect.

Click on each image below for the full picture, or follow the arrows once clicked for the whole sequence.

• Read all Proms reviews on theartsdesk