As Good As It Gets!
It was campy, it was crazy, and it was delightfully funny. All in all, a very enjoyable and amazing Sunday evening. For many years, I could only imagine how marvellous the Last Night at the Proms might be. I think I got as close to the real thing as I could today, with an opportunity to stand up, to wave the Union Jack, merrily singing anthems such as Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory.
The evening had found me back at South Kensington again. A quick dinner first with with some friends from hall at Carluccio's on Old Brompton Road. Thereafter, deprived of even a quick cappuccino, we were off to the Royal Albert Hall for a 'Classical Spectacular' concert by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied this time by the London Philharmonic Chorus and the Band of the Welsh Guards. Our vantage point from Goodenough College's regular box was perfect.
And what was on the menu? A slate of some of the all-time most popular classical works out there. There were operatic hits, including arias from Verdi and Puccini, performed by a competent tenor, John Hudson, and a statuesque soprano, Natasha Marsh. Hmmmm. There were also rousing works, such as Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, Ravel’s Bolero, Fucik’s Entry of the Gladiators, and Sibelius’ Finlandia.
No prizes for guessing which piece rounded off the evening. Yes, Tchaikovsky’s ever popular 1812 Overture, complete with musket and cannon fire, lasers, fireworks, and bells. How can these mere words even begin to convey the stirring, the exhilarating atmosphere that prevailed within the Albert Hall when it all came crashing in?
I saw the event more as a choreographed production, rather than as a serious musical performance. The audio had been amplified, resulting in a rather loud, rich and even oily sound. The tempo for individual pieces was rather fast, and I had never heard Pachelbel’s Canon being performed by a full orchestra, and not with much subtlety at that.
But who cares! The point was not to judge the performance artistically. Rather, it was to hang out with friends and to indulge in a night of unashamedly populist partying, partaking in music that moved the heart. It was really inspiring to see the entire arena erupt in unison, flags in the air, when pieces like Jerusalem were played.
Yes, this is a piece about a country not mine, but William Blake’s haunting words have stirred me ever since I first read it years ago. When set to Hubert Parry’s hymnal music, it’s absolutely magical:
The evening had found me back at South Kensington again. A quick dinner first with with some friends from hall at Carluccio's on Old Brompton Road. Thereafter, deprived of even a quick cappuccino, we were off to the Royal Albert Hall for a 'Classical Spectacular' concert by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied this time by the London Philharmonic Chorus and the Band of the Welsh Guards. Our vantage point from Goodenough College's regular box was perfect.
And what was on the menu? A slate of some of the all-time most popular classical works out there. There were operatic hits, including arias from Verdi and Puccini, performed by a competent tenor, John Hudson, and a statuesque soprano, Natasha Marsh. Hmmmm. There were also rousing works, such as Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, Ravel’s Bolero, Fucik’s Entry of the Gladiators, and Sibelius’ Finlandia.
No prizes for guessing which piece rounded off the evening. Yes, Tchaikovsky’s ever popular 1812 Overture, complete with musket and cannon fire, lasers, fireworks, and bells. How can these mere words even begin to convey the stirring, the exhilarating atmosphere that prevailed within the Albert Hall when it all came crashing in?
I saw the event more as a choreographed production, rather than as a serious musical performance. The audio had been amplified, resulting in a rather loud, rich and even oily sound. The tempo for individual pieces was rather fast, and I had never heard Pachelbel’s Canon being performed by a full orchestra, and not with much subtlety at that.
But who cares! The point was not to judge the performance artistically. Rather, it was to hang out with friends and to indulge in a night of unashamedly populist partying, partaking in music that moved the heart. It was really inspiring to see the entire arena erupt in unison, flags in the air, when pieces like Jerusalem were played.
Yes, this is a piece about a country not mine, but William Blake’s haunting words have stirred me ever since I first read it years ago. When set to Hubert Parry’s hymnal music, it’s absolutely magical:
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England’s mountains green
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England’s pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark satanic mills?Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariots of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.
We left the Albert Hall and walked into the dark autumn evening, merry in spirit, whistling, joking, sashaying, with a feeling of bliss. These are the memories, the moments in time that I shall recall fondly, when I look back one day to my one year here in London.
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