St. George's Day Gala

A quintessentially British experience

Tomorrow is St. George's Day: death date of the patron saint of England and the observed birth and death day of William Shakespeare. To celebrate the occasion, I attended the St. George's Day Gala at the Royal Albert Hall.  The program included:

"Crown Imperial" - Walton

"The Holy City" - Adams

"The Lark Ascending" - Vaughan Williams: This was an unexpected delight... one of my favorite pieces (though I didn't know the title). The violin soloist (Thomas Gould) was extraordinary.
Enigma Variations "Nimrod" - Elgar: Another absolute favorite.
"St. Paul's Suite Finale" - Holst
"Zadok the Priest" - Handel: I have a great appreciation for this piece after seeing The Madness of George III.
Messiah "Hallelujah Chorus" - Handel
Judas Maccabaeus "See the conquering hero comes" - Handel
"The Dam Busters March" - Coates

"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square"

"The White Cliffs of Dover"
"Rule, Britannia!"
"Land of Hope and Glory" Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 - Elgar

And, some readings from Shakespeare's Henry V and the poetry of Wordsworth and Betjeman. 

There was a lot of flag waving and singing along; the entire concert was rather light-hearted (audience participation, silliness between the conductor, the presenter and the orchestra, a bit too much talking...), but very full of spirit. I loved being a part of this very British occasion. Plus, the Royal Albert Hall is stunning--inside and out. 

Making my approach toward the hall

Up in the nosebleeds

They have a very impressive organ; I would
love to hear it at full capacity sometime.

Here's the grand finale with orchestra, choir, and audience. Immediately after this, a large quantity of red and white balloons fell from the ceiling. Apparently popping balloons is the thing to do; everyone on the ground floor--even the conductor and a couple of cello players--was stomping and stabbing each and every balloon. Was quite the bombastic ending. 

Happy St. George's Day!

~L