London (dpa) – There are probably not many names in which artists and visitors alike, the anticipation runs down their spines like a shiver in advance. Carnegie Hall in New York, Musikverein Vienna – and the Royal Albert Hall.
The hall in London, which opened in 1871, stands out once again because the range of concerts and events is second to none. “There is no other place on earth that welcomes Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Emmeline Pankhurst as much as the Beatles, Ella Fitzgerald and Adele,” says the venue manager, Craig Hassall. This Monday (March 29th) the Royal Albert Hall celebrates its 150th birthday.
The huge dome and the elaborate mosaic frieze on the facade tell of great art in central London. With more than 5000 seats, the hall is not only particularly large. The arrangement, which is reminiscent of a Roman amphitheater, also allows the feeling of being very close to the artists from almost all seats. That makes an impression – even with those who have already performed there. Singer Ian Bostridge calls the hall a “strange, tremendous place”. “Singing in the Royal Albert Hall is the summit for every singer,” says Bostridge of the German press agency.
The inspiration for the building came from Prince Albert von Sachsen-Coburg Gotha, Queen Victoria’s German husband. Opened ten years after his death in 1861, the building was named in his honor. It is now internationally known primarily because of the Proms summer concert series. The Royal Albert Hall has been more than a concert hall since the beginning. “In the past 150 years it has hosted countless large cultural and social movements – from the women’s rights movement to LGBT rights,” says hall boss Hassall of the dpa. “On stage you can experience the great transformation of modern music history.”
How diverse the history of the hall is is shown by three different events that Hassall lists. The famous solo appearance by Janis Joplin in 1969, a concert in honor of Nelson Mandela’s state visit in 1996 and a sumo tournament in 1991, the first of the sport outside of Japan. It is hard to imagine that the tatters would fly in the honorable ambience, for example when the Rolling Stones performed. One or two times it got “a little wild”, says frontman Mick Jagger in the anniversary campaign. Because fans stormed the stage, an abrupt end threatened. “But we kept going and had a great time.” The Beatles even mentioned the venue in their song “A Day in the Life”.
But like so many cultural sites around the world, the famous hall, which does not receive any public funding, has been hit hard by the pandemic; the anniversary will initially only take place on the Internet. Since the pandemic began, more than 350 shows have been canceled or postponed, Hassall says. Tickets worth more than £ 9.5 million have been reimbursed and more than £ 35 million of revenue has been lost, with the majority of the 525 employees on short-time work. The British government’s easing roadmap stipulates that venues can reopen from May 17th – but only with low occupancy.
The Royal Albert Hall will probably wait until all restrictions are lifted. It doesn’t pay off to open with a reduced capacity, says Hassall. “We won’t be able to return to financial stability until we can reopen at full capacity.” The hall is already preparing for this case. “Your Room Will Be Ready” is how the house attracts visitors after the pandemic. “Culture and real get-togethers are so important to people,” says Hassall. “People are social beings, and live music helps us deal with our emotions or escape everyday life.”
How long it will really take before viewers can enjoy the Royal Albert Hall again is unclear. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently said that putting the art venues into operation will require “a lot of time, preparation and costs.” First, there must be clarity and the virus must be contained. Risks in productions or appearances should not be taken, said the head of government.
Given the rapid progress in the vaccination program – more than half of the country’s adults have already received a first dose – the cultural scene is also becoming more confident again. The Reading and Leeds Festival with artists such as ex-Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and rapper Stormzy will take place in August.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210327-99-993265 / 3
– .
