The star events are coming thick and fast now. It is more than a decade since the last solo piano recital at the Proms, but an Olympic year is probably the right time to try another. Having played at Beijing’s opening ceremony, Lang Lang was also a good choice of pianist, and appearing before the mere 5,000 at the Royal Albert Hall is unlikely to have unnerved him.

For these solo Proms the piano is set on a small platform in the middle of the arena. With the Promenaders breathing down the player’s neck, and cameras circling him like silent predators, the pianist has every right to feel intimidated. One slip of a finger and they may pounce.