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PROMISING PROMENADE: PROMS PROMISE THE BEST No.18/7.08
- victorshramko
- Aug 7
- 4 min read
Summer has long been the time for walks. Of course, unless the temperature starts to resemble a red-hot blast furnace. For a long time, walking has also been pleasantly combined with music. The royal walks were made more enjoyable by court musicians. A prime example is the story of the famous Water Music by G.F. Handel. In turn, in the rare free moments, village amateurs played for the servants on the riverbank. Later, there was a fashion for musicians to play for strollers in parks, and at marketplaces for the crowds.
Musical democracy? Music democratizes?
Over time, promenade music has become immensely democratized. Now each of us can individually program the time and repertoire of our walk. But listening to music together has a different taste and social dimension. Today, in the city where I spend the summer, there are four open-air concert stages. And across Europe this summer, there are 3,000 music festivals and countless thousands of concerts. Nothing but listen.
Let's start: Once Upon a Time...
So far, I have mentioned a few of them. Now it's time for the oldest and biggest. That's where the name 'promenade concert' was born. In London's pleasure gardens. Since the year 1838. At the end of that century, in 1894, the impresario Robert Newman wrote to the young conductor Henry Wood:
I am going to run nightly concerts and train the public by easy stages. Popular at first, gradually raising the standard until I have created a public for classical and modern music.
Newman wished to generate a wider audience for concerts by offering low ticket prices and an informal atmosphere, where eating, drinking, and even smoking were permitted for Promenaders.
My respect for social and educational thinking. Not just business. For understanding the role of one's actions and the vision of how to achieve it. After all, he was an entrepreneur, not a thinker or social activist.
Deserved Laurels
The costs were financed by private sponsors. Henry Wood (1869-1944) conducted the orchestra and composed concert programs from 1884 until his death. He is known already as Sir Henry Wood, who made a breakthrough in the musical life of his era. He received a knighthood in 1911.
To this day, his bronze bust adorned with a laurel chaplet is brought from the Royal Academy to the Albert Hall for the Proms time. And a representative of the Promenaders often wipes an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead or makes some similar gentle, visual joke.
Per Aspera Ad Astra. Through Difficulties to the Stars
Sir Henry was largely responsible for the repertoire. He began with many popular works, gradually incorporating more demanding and contemporary British & international composers. From the very beginning, efforts were made to attract the most famous artists. Thus, already in 1877, R. Wagner conducted a concert of his own works. That is, he conducted his first overture and listened to the subsequent works on the stage in a huge armchair as a king.
Later, it would be really difficult to find in the chronicles any of the greatest composers, orchestras, and performers who did not perform at the Proms.
Especially since the WWII time, the BBC took over the patronage and management of the Proms. Its permanent venue became the famous Albert Hall.
Mushrooms on Flying Saucers
Following the success of the Great Exhibition in 1851, Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, proposed the creation of permanent facilities for the public benefit. The Prince died in 1861, but his loving wife opened the Royal Albert Hall in 1871. Opposite the magnificent building stands a golden statue of the Prince (53m).
However, at first, the auditorium had a problem with the strong echo effect. Some critics even joked that it is 'the only place where a British composer could be sure of hearing his work twice'. The problem was solved gradually until 1969, when large fiberglass acoustic diffusing discs were installed below the ceiling. They are called 'mushrooms' or 'flying saucers'.
The Albert Hall was lit by thousands of gas jets. When electricity was installed in 1888, one of the patrons wrote in The Times that it is 'a very ghostly and unpleasant innovation'.
The English Are Masters of Paradoxes
The Promenaders don't walk. They rather stand quite closely to each other. It is a paradox, isn't it? (There are also seats in tiered boxes surrounding the venue. More expensive.) People don't eat, drink, and certainly don't smoke either (as promised 130 years ago). But they don't protest! The capacity of the Hall is 5,272 people.
Only prices of tickets are still just 8 pounds. Much lower than for concerts elsewhere. They are highly sought after. Many consider these to be the best tickets due to the atmosphere of standing in the hall for up to 3 hours; albeit with a twenty-five-minute interval. To pre-book a seat, an initial selection is released to winners of a ballot open to those who have booked five or more Prom concerts before. A full season pass is also available.
Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily concerts. The Last Night concert celebrates British tradition and music in an unimaginable way. The season is a significant event in British and international culture. Czech conductor, Jiri Belohlavek, who led the BBC Symphony (1995-2000) said: Proms is the largest and most democratic musical festival. He was right.
Enough words.
Let us play: Sir Edward Elgar - Pomp & Circumstance, March No 1
BBC Proms 2014: Sakari Oramo conducts BBC Symphony Orchestra
Written by
Cezary Owerkowicz
Co-founder of Kuwait Music Academy and
Director of Treasure of Talents Festival in Kuwait
