Monday 19 March 2012

A Patriotic Night At The Royal Albert Hall


I would like to think of myself as a reasonably well travelled person. However, there are a few occasions where I become very very British.  One of these occasions is my annual visit to the Royal Albert Hall to enjoy the Classical Spectacular. 



Twice a year the Royal Albert Hall is home to an amazing extravaganza of classical music, fireworks and flag waving along with oodles of pomp and ceremony.  The London Philharmonic Orchestra performs a collection of the the best classics,  all of which are easily recognisable and often you find yourself clapping long to the tunes or waving your flags. 




This year the show included some of the all time greats, such as:

BIZET Flower Song Carmen
MOZART Lacrimosa Requiem
RODRIGO Adagio Concierto de Aranjuez played by guitar sensation CRAIG OGDEN



TCHAIKOVSKY Sleeping Beauty Waltz
MASCAGNI Easter Hymn Cavalleria Rusticana
WAGNER Prelude to Lohengrin Act III



SUPPE Light Calvary Overture
HANDEL Zadok the Priest



VERDI Questa o quella
SOUSA Stars and Stripes Forever
VERDI Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves



HORNPIPE
NESSUN DORMA
RULE, BRITANNIA!




LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY
1812 OVERTURE






Below is a video clip from the "Last Night Of The BBC Proms".  Which is a very similar event held once a year.  This video clip  is a great way of seeing the Royal Albert Hall in all of it's splendour, and also a great way of capturing the atmosphere of the finale, which is always "Land Of Hope And Glory".  I confess to getting rather emotional and teary eyed when singing this in such an amazing location.  I am very very English, and some things simply reach deep inside and tug upon those patriotic heart strings of mine.



Those of you who know me, know that I only do things like this properly.  So I booked tickets for the best seats of the house.  Two seats in a box at the centre of the "Grand Tier".  When you sit in this location, you get to see the whole auditorium and capture the electric atmosphere and sound from every direction. 
It will come as no surprise to you that I did take my little faithful camera and captured a few pics from the evening.  They do not really capture the mood and the magic of the moment, but give a tiny little flavour of elegance, the colours and the lights and lasers.












I hope this has wetted your appetite.  The only thing left to do, is for you to jump over to the Royal Albert Hall website and check the "What's On" section, and book yourself some tickets to one of the amazing shows!


Until next time!!!

Graham x

6 comments:

Cocaine Princess said...

Absolutely brilliant! What amazing photos.

It would be an understatement for me to say I love
"TCHAIKOVSKY's Sleeping Beauty Waltz."

Every~time I visit your blog I miss London.....Harrods in particular.

Graham Ettridge said...

Thanks CP!

Harrods is just around the corner from the Royal Albert Hall. I love Harrods too, but didn't make it there this weekend. However, I did spend a while shopping in Fortnum & Masons and gazing into the shop windows of Burlington Arcade.

Michelle said...

Sounds and looks utterly fascinating. Looks like lots of fun.Thanks for sharing the photos.

Anonymous said...

The last time i went to the Royal Albert Hall was to see Norma (the opera). There's something amazing about that venue. It's magical!

Nina Fenner said...

Hi, just found your blog via 'steak and ale pie', looks really interesting, love the 40 before 40 idea, got to rush off now, I'll be back to read more later, Nina

Graham Ettridge said...

Hey Michelle, thanks for your kind comment. Glad you liked the pics!

Hello Elise!!! Welcome back. The Royal Albert Hall is the most amazing venue for seeing concerts and shows. Kinda makes you feel proud to be British when you are there.

Well, hello there Nina! I am so glad you found my blog and I hope you enjoyed the steak & ale pie recipe. Keep in touch :o)

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