The Planets and Star Wars

The Planets and Star Wars
Royal Albert Hall

It's Saturday morning and I'm sitting on the National Express coach, en route to the capital. Promming tickets go on sale at 9:30am, and with some trepidation I give it a go on my phone, hoping the signal will hold. I'm in the queue for about 15 minutes, and when I finally do get through I'm disappointed to see that promming tickets for the day have sold out. I therefore have two choices: purchase a return or something at inflated price, or go promming, in the true sense of the word, on the 'relaxed' version of this show on Sunday morning. I opt for the latter, and it was absolutely the right choice for me.

First, I rid myself of all the stress of scrambling for a ticket tonight, snatching a £8 ticket with relative ease. And I get a free afternoon/evening in London, which I utilise to full effect. A perfect pint of unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell at the Duck and Rice on Berwick Street, a browse of IKEA on Oxford St where I pick up the bluetooth speaker I've been after, and I even pick up one of the viral Strawberry and Creme sandwiches; reduced in the Oxford St M&S to a very reasonable £1.64.

So... it is Sunday morning that I find myself taking the stroll from Sussex Gardens, through Kensington Gardens, toward my ultimate destination of the Royal Albert Hall. Beautiful morning for it!

As the opening bars of Star Wars commence, I'm immediately ignited. In actual fact, this ain't my first rodeo with Star Wars at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2018, I attended the ill-fated Evening with John Williams, where he was not able to attend due to ill health and hospitalisation [Side note: The LSO did him very proud that night, and it was one I'll always remember].

Caroline Shaw's The Observaory fills the Star Wars-Planets gap fittingly. It's a piece I enjoy very much, and I will endeavor to take time to listen to this in full, at a later date.

Then, of course, we have Gustav Holst's The Planets. Arguably the piece of music for the Proms - Jupiter could almost be the Proms theme tune [you know the bit... "I vow to thee my country"]. Yes, it is sublime. If his intention was to launch us into space, he achieved it.

While the strobe lighting and dry ice may have been absent form this show, there was noting amiss from the musicianship on the stage, and I had chance to properly observe the orchestra proper. The National Youth orchestra was inspiring: I really enjoyed listening to the short interviews from selected members of the group.

Arguably, this is one prom that has been missed by Radio 3, who are claiming to be broadcasting 'every note.' Not quite so. As a completist, I am glad to have witnessed this morning's relaxed prom. As for Saturday evening's version, I look forward to watching it back when it is broadcast on TV, and I will update this blog post when I have done so!...............................