"What I’m looking for is that fraction of a second that at least I could remember the concert by." At the start of the 2013 BBC Proms season, photographer Chris Christodoulou let theartsdesk into the secret of snapping conductors at work. Now that the Proms are over for another year, we publish not the official shots, but the ones which are simply too quirky to be released by the BBC press office. These images may not particularly flatter their subjects, but they do capture what it is to be a silent maestro magically conjuring sound from the massed ranks of an orchestra. Make sure to click on the images to enlarge. And in the comment box let us know which is your favourite.
reviews, news & interviews
Wild things: Conductors at the 2013 Proms
Feast on our annual gallery of baton men and women
Sweet Prom 16: Jac Van Steen
more classical music
This team retains the freshness and exuberance of its earlier interpretations
A subtle Dutch accent enriches a typically diverse programme
Schumann's dark nights of the soul made radiant
Vaughan Williams and Britten provide intensity, while Carmel Smickersgill’s premiere avoids the promised angst
Safe beauties, and bombastic thrills, from a magisterial ensemble
Dynamic and sonic perfection in two masterpieces
A big concerto is a river with rocks, but an orchestral masterwork sweeps all before it
The Viennese master's late sonatas as confidential companions
Heavenly sounds in a vintage Berlioz blockbuster
Performances full of character and life – but some balance issues
New choral music, French piano miniatures and a phalanx of bassoons
A luxurious mezzo-led journey across Mahler's soundscape