So the Proms 2013 programme came out yesterday. Here’s what I reckon.

The highlights are clearly Proms no.50 (Ilan Volkov conducts the BBC SSO in John White, Gerald Barry, Rzewski and Feldman), no.11 (Ex Cathedra reprise their triumphant Welt-Parlament from MITTWOCH last year) and no.5 (Lachenmann’s Proms debut – Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied programmed beside Mahler 5). But no.25 (Aurora Orchestra play Zappa, Nancarrow and Glass) also looks fun.

I’m intrigued to see how the 6Music Prom (no.40) pans out; the Urban Classic Prom (no.37) looks flimsier.

There’s lots for Lutosławski fans, in his centenary year – much more than there was for Cage in 2012. Still no Livre pour orchestre – which I know will disappoint Adrian Thomas, and others.

Special mentions to a couple of other inclusions: both Pärt’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten (Prom 67) and Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Prom 71) should sound lush from up in the gods. Another big new Birtwistle is nice to see (Chamber Prom 5), and I’m interested to hear Pintscher’s double trumpet concerto (Prom 48) and Eötvös’s violin concerto for Midori (Prom 63). As Simon Cummings points out, it’s also interesting that several of the BBC commissions (Adès, Khan, Sohal) are for pieces of substantial length. Thumbs up too that a lot of the new music events have been moved back into the main evening programmes, and not shunted out into the matinees and chamber proms, as they have been in the past.

The biggest disappointments are the notable absences: four major composers passed away last year – Carter, Harvey, Henze and Nunes. Only Henze (nos.26 and 37) is represented in the programme. I would have been surprised if any Nunes had been included, but Carter’s absence seems like a major oversight; Harvey’s even more so, given that this is a British festival. I realise there wouldn’t have been time to devise a substantial memorial to either composer given that they died only late last year. But since the programmes aren’t finalised until February or even March, there should have been time to squeeze one or two small works in. A pity no one thought to do so. Harvey’s music in particular seems made for the RAH’s acoustic.

Here’s a quick guide to the whole lot for new music fans. No stylistic filters, just a list of all Proms featuring a living composer, or one predominantly active since the 1960s or so:

Prom 1, First Night. Julian Anderson: Harmony (new piece); Lutoslawski: Paganini Variations bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Proms Chamber 1. Lutosławski: Partita bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 5. Lachenmann: Tanzsuite mit Deutschlandlied bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 6. David Matthews: A Vision of the Sea (new piece) bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 8. Lutosławski: Cello Concerto, Adès: Totentanz (new piece) bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 11. Stockhausen: Gesang der Jünglinge, Welt-Parlament bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 17. John McCabe: Joybox (new piece) bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 21. Colin Matthews: Turning Point bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 25. Zappa: The Adventures of Greggery Peccary, Nancarrow: Player Piano Study no.7, Glass: Symphony no.10 bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 26. Henze: Barcarola bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 27. Naresh Sohal: The Cosmic Dance (new piece) bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 28. James MacMillan: Vn Conc. bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Proms Chamber 4. Diana Burrell: Blaze (new piece) bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 30. Edward Cowie: Earth Music I – The Great Barrier Reef (new piece) bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 32. Lutosławski: Sym. Variations, Pf Conc. bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 37. Urban Classic Prom. Including Henze bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 38. Mark-Anthony Turnage: Frieze (new piece) bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Proms Chamber Music 5. Birtwistle: The Moth Requiem bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 39. Nishat Khan: Sitar Conc. no.1 bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 40. 6Music Prom. Including Berio, Adams, Anna Meredith bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 41. Gubaidulina: The Rider on the White Horse bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 44. Penderecki: Concert Grosso bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 48. Matthias Pintscher: Chute d’etoiles bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 50. John White: Chord-Breaking Machine, Gerald Barry: No other people, Rzewski: Piano Concerto, Feldman: Coptic Light bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 52. Param Vir: Cave of Luminous Mind bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 55. Lutosławski: Concerto for Orchestra bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Saturday Matinee 4: Lutosławski: Paroles tissées bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 63. Peter Eötvös: DoReMi bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 67. Arvo Pärt: Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 70: George Lloyd: Requiem bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 71. Górecki: Symphony no.3 bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…

Prom 75. Last Night. Anna Clyne: Masquerade bbc.co.uk/proms/whats-on…