Royal Albert Hall
Hang up the bunting, pour out the Pimms! It's the one day a year when the BBC can officially licence us to whip out the ol' Jolly Roger, and wave it about a bit!
From my house, I drive over to Mount Pleasant park in Liverpool, then walk down to the Liverpool One bus station. I climb aboard the National Express coach when it rolls up, just a few minutes before its 8:30am departure. It's an 'express service,' that has been running over the summer weeks and which bypasses the normal stop in Birmingham. I have made use of the service a couple of times over the last weeks. It's very good value [£15.80 return ticket, which includes all 'fees'], and it's much more reliable than rail has been over the last few years. The only caveat being that this one is an old 'Selwyn's' bus; the charge points don't work and one gets the odd unpleasant waft from the on-board toilet. It's a good run down though, and I am asleep (on and off) all the way to Milton Keynes, so that makes the weight of the journey fly by. Thereafter, I listen to some Mp3s.
Another good thing about the National Express service is that it drops me at Marble Arch, which is at the heart of where I need to be. Once alighted, I make my way over to Daunt Books, where I have a click-and-collect order to pick up. The book in question is 'London: The Hidden Corners for Curious Wanderers', by Jack Chester. Saw it on Instagram the other week, and I buy it for the sole reason that I know it'll look cracker on my coffee table at home. [Never bought a book from Daunt - it's a bit of a mainstream tourist spot (they do as roaring a trade on tote bags which one sees on the tube all across the capital). For book shop ambiance I would, as a rule, gravitate to John Sandoe's in Chelsea. But I can't fault the customer service at Daunt - they even gave me 10% off the book because it has a faint scratch mark on the back cover (which is barely noticeable)].
Then I go across to Scandi Kitchen on Great Titchfield Street, where I intend to pick up a bag of the Norwegian snack, SMASH! [think salty crisps covered in chocolate]. I'm incensed to find out that they now do this in bar form. [and I'm even more incensed at the £5.99 price tag - but what the hell.]
I eat a Waitrose butty and cupcake on a bench on Oxford Street, then I walk over to my room, which is located at a nondescript terrace property on Devonshire Terrace. After I booked it, I happened to spot some of the reviews, and they are unanimously terrible. I'm provided [by email] with a key code for the front door and the bedroom door. To be honest, while it leaves a lot to be desired, the bedsheets are clean, and it's more than adequate for me, for one night. I have certainly stayed at worse establishments in my time. I doze again for an hour or two, and then it is time to make my way to the Royal Albert Hall. I don a white Charles Tyrwhritt 'leisure' shirt, which rarely gets an outing but is ideal for tonight.
My 'usual' stroll across Kensington Gardens, to reach the Albert Hall on the other side, and it is another perfect evening for it! I am offered a free 'Thank EU for the Music' flag outside the hall, which I take happily [hereby revealing my forever-stance on Brexit]. Once inside, I also get two Union Flags [or Union Jacks, if you will] for £1, and a programme for £10, at the official RAH merch. I then take my seat [Rausing Circle Y, Row 5, Seat 238]. I had been a little concerned by the 'restricted view' status, but I submit that I could not have had a better seat! Not only was I overhanging the stage with a full view of the orchestra, but I also had an unrivalled vantage of the audience - which is where a lot of the action is going to play out tonight, let's face it!
The music:
The conductor is Elim Chan, and she is one of the best conductors I have ever seen. She opts not to use a baton, and I like that, personally [not sure what reason is they do or don't]. Her hand movements are fluid and tightly controlled. Even when the entire orchestra is playing and vastly outnumbers her, one feels that she has a full command over every movement, calling for a clear stop and start without ambiguity.
The first half is all fabulous! A lot of pieces I recognise but could never put a title to them until now.
Trumpet soloist Alison Balsom plays her final performances this eveining, and she takes the reign on Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Trumpet Concerto in E flat major. It's a glittering performance which earns her about two-dozen single roses.
I absolutely love Arthur Bejamin's Storm Cloud Cantata, from the film The Man Who Knew Too Much. This is a film I have never seen, but I am aware now that some of it is set in the Royal Albert Hall itself, so I must watch it at my first opportunity. [Think there's a Hitchcock DVD boxset at my Mum and Dad's, somewhere - must dig it out.]. When the organ joins in it takes my breath away - I don't think I've ever been at the hall for a show where the organ has been played.
After the interval we have some of the 'celeb' performances. We are treated to the highly-anticipated orchestral version of Bohemian Rhapsody, joined by Brian May and Roger Taylor on stage.
There's a fab Festive Overture from Shostakovich [glad to hear some of his music after learning more about him on this run].
There's a medley from My Fair Lady - awesome!
Later, comedian Bill Bailey takes control of the typewriter, for a funny Leroy Anderson piece of the same name. Later, he also jumps on the organ for some comedic playing. I actually mentioned Bill Bailey by name in one of my blogs from last week, when I was talking about the sound of the manolin/mandola - little did I know then that it would be he who would inject my needed Bach at the Last Night of the Proms, via Toccata and Fugue!
Finally, we get to the usual Last Night of the Proms routine. It's Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea-Songs. It's Rule Britannia, it's Pomp and Circumstance, it's Jerusalem, it's the National Anthem, and it's Auld Lang Syne. Having never actually watched the Last Night of the Proms on television, I was somewhat surprised to see all the audience rituals, and everyone seemed to know the drill. There was bending at the knees, performative crying and theatrical dabbing of the eyes. For my part, I waved my two Union Jacks and EU flags, all with pride.
[Just before closing, a quick note from me on patriotism. Dr. Samuel Johnson was attributed with saying something like 'patriotism is the last refuse of the scoundrel.' He was spot on, and this holds just as true today as when it was said. Earlier today, there was a march in London by reportedly 100+ thousand 'patriots' - also known as right-wing thugs. These are the people who claim to love our country, whilst simultaneously pissing Carling over it. When I was at school - a state secondary modern - these were the people who were at the top of their game. They were too cool to do homework, and they ruled the the roost. Fast forward twenty years, and now they claim to be victims. Victims of 'the establishment', looking to scapegoat decent and educated people - some of whom may just have another skin colour to themselves. Make no mistake: give them an inch of power, and they will snatch a mile. And the first thing they will come for is our science, and our culture. By contrast, the patriotism exhibited at The Proms is, in my opinion, a benign patriotism - the likes of which was last seen at the 2012 Olympic games. It is patriotism that celebrates inclusivity, and all things that genuinely make Great Britain great. As part of her conductor's speech, Elim Chan declared that this is something we should never take for granted [I can't remember her exact words] - and I absolutely agree with that.]
After the show I get the tube from South Kensingon back to Paddington via the Cirlce Line. I get a Chicken Big Mac and apple-Sprite drink from the McDonalds on Praed Street, and I take this, and all my Proms memorabilia, back to the doss house where I am lodging for the night.
