From Katharine Emory, mezzo-sopranoJust back from the dress rehearsal in the hall. And what a hall it is!!! Royal Albert Hall is the quintessential old world European concert hall - red velvet trim, box seats, columns, and archways all around. A dream to sing in! Today we could all hear each other clearly and the acoustic was very friendly to the singers in particular. The BBC had cameras everywhere in preparation for filming the concert tonight. Their staff was incredibly friendly and treated us with respect and humor.
I think this is the best hall I've ever sung in - it seats an incredible 5000, yet feels more intimate by far than Symphony Hall in Boston. In fact, the feel is more like Jordan Hall. Apparently, there will be people standing as well as sitting for the concert tonight, as the cheap seats are actually standing room! The BBC rep told us that the standing room areas are actually the best places to experience the concert acoustically, too.
So now, we're on break until the bus leaves the hotel at 5.30 this evening. Time to find some food and then relax before the concert!
3 comments:
Hey Kit!
Glad to see you made it there safely and that you're having a wonderful time. Just tried to log on to the BBC website to tune in live to the performance, and the site is experiencing a major crash; I don't think anyone can listen in right now. Major bummer, but I'll keep trying to log on. Stay safe, have fun, and I'll see you when you get back! xoxoxoxo Lisa
We're having problems here at the Handel and Haydn offices, but you can get through with some effort. The stream just tends to give out every once and a while. BBC is supposed to archive the concert for a week, though, so watch for a link for that once its up.
When I saw the picture of the Royal Albert Hall, I had to see more.. and I have to say: What an amazing venue to enjoy a concert! I now remember seeing the outside of the Royal Albert Hall when I went on vacation to London. Although I have never seen the inside, I was able to find plenty of pictures on google. For those folks like me who will probably listen to the podcast, if you're interested in seeing more pictures of the venue itself, there are a lot of pictures on the internet.
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