Royal Albert Hall - Love it? Loathe it?

[Beef Oven]

Er, The Gothic anyone? I can't really imagine that anywhere OTHER than at the RAH!

The Marquee?

[Flosshilde]

Ugly Victorian architecture and decoration.

Leaving aside the disadvantages mentioned I think its architecture & decoration is remarkably restrained. Being part of the audience (especially in the arena during the Proms) is incredibly atmospheric - one feels part of the event, not just a spectator at it, and of course other, more conventional, concert halls wouldn't hold nearly so many people, especially prommers.

[RobertLeDiable]

I've got very mixed feelings about the RAH. People talk about the wonderful atmosphere it provides for the Proms, but that only applies when it's at least three quarters full. Quite a lot of Proms (those that have less popular programmes) are perhaps half full or less, and then those acres of empty seats in the stalls can kill the atmosphere. It's best for big choral repertoire, but a Beethoven or Brahms symphony can seem distant and underpowered unless you're sitting close. On hot nights it's still unbearably stifling, in spite of the 'air-cooling'. But the main problem is the horrible acoustic which is so patchy it's a complete lottery whether you get a half decent sound or a nasty echo that seems to come from behind you.

It's such a great pity that the Queen's Hall, where the Proms were originally staged, was destroyed. By all accounts it had a great acoustic, and was also pretty big - over 3000 I think - though smaller than the RAH. If it had been in Germany they probably would have rebuilt it after the war. London still doesn't have a concert hall truly worthy of the city. But the Queen's Hall wasn't the only fine British hall lost to bombs or fire. The old Colston Hall in Bristol is also supposed to have been very good, bombed in WWII. Ditto the old Free Trade Hall in Manchester, though that was rebuilt, but not very well. The original Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, burnt down in the 1930s, was apparently one of the best in Europe, and Glasgow's St Andrews Hall, gutted by fire in 1962, was said to be one of the best in the world.

[MrGongGong]

London still doesn't have a concert hall truly worthy of the city.

????? really ?

[Petrushka]

I'm firmly in the "love it" camp. Unique atmosphere in a stunning setting. I agree with The Telegraph writer about the tacky things the BBC does in with the decor though.

(I've never seen queues for toilets - perhaps it's just for the ladies. Queues to have your ticket zapped when getting fresh air in the interval are my main complaint.)

I, too, am firmly in the 'love it' camp. This is my 36th season and during the summer the RAH is a second home. There is no atmosphere like it and one can't imagine the Proms anywhere else.

The greater tragedy is that the Queen's Hall wasn't completely rebuilt after it's wartime destruction and London hasn't had a world class concert hall since.

Nevertheless, for all its faults, I love the RAH. Completely agree about the tacky lighting at the back of the stage. It's wholly unnecessary and is a distraction in the hall. Anyone remember the night when a faulty bulb in those lights threatened to start a fire at an LSO/Gergiev concert? One would have thought that that would have been enough for the BBC to scrap them. Another complaint I must lodge is that the hall seems to have a large number of squeaky seats!

The gents toilets are hopelessly inadequate and I ensure I go elsewhere before the concert. Despite new loos for the ladies the queues are still ridiculous.

[Petrushka]

????? really ?

Yes really. I was interrupted in doing my post and didn't see RobertLeDiable's before posting my own, but London needs a truly great concert hall to rival Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

[Flosshilde]

It's such a great pity that the Queen's Hall, where the Proms were originally staged, was destroyed. By all accounts it had a great acoustic,

Indeed it is a pity, but it was, & there's not a great deal that can be done about it. Even if it hadn't been who's to say that it wouldn't have been any less uncomfortable than the RAH - it presumably had no air conditioning & it would probably have been as difficult to install now. The Coliseum has air cooling as the RAH has, & on my last visit was pretty uncomfortable. If the Queen's HAll had been rebuilt there's no guarantee that the acoustics would have been as good as they had been.

and was also pretty big - over 3000 I think -

2,500 according to Wikipedia.

[RobertLeDiable]

Indeed it is a pity, but it was, & there's not a great deal that can be done about it. Even if it hadn't been who's to say that it wouldn't have been any less uncomfortable than the RAH - it presumably had no air conditioning & it would probably have been as difficult to install now. The Coliseum has air cooling as the RAH has, & on my last visit was pretty uncomfortable. If the Queen's HAll had been rebuilt there's no guarantee that the acoustics would have been as good as they had been.

No guarantee, but in Germany plenty of concert halls and opera houses were rebuilt pretty much as they had been. Chances are that the Queen's Hall (given that it was a conventional oblong rather than an oval hall as the RAH is) would have been as comfortable to sit in as any hall. The problem with the RAH is that it's the wrong shape for so much music. Great for really big events and things like Gurrelieder, but for much of the more conventional repertoire the sound is too diffuse and the perspective too distant to make it really thrilling from many parts of the auditorium.

London is arguably the world's greatest cultural centre. It should have a hall with fantastic acoustics. The RFH and Barbican wouldn't be on anybody's list of the world's acoustic top twenty. The RAH wouldn't make the top 100.



]

[MrGongGong]

Yes really. I was interrupted in doing my post and didn't see RobertLeDiable's before posting my own, but London needs a truly great concert hall to rival Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

So you aren't keen on the RFH then ?
I like the new acoustic very much indeed

[Nick Armstrong]

So you aren't keen on the RFH then ?
I like the new acoustic very much indeed

It always sounds AMAZING when going there early in September after summer visits to the RAH!

[Beef Oven]

Yes really. London needs a truly great concert hall to rival Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

Not sure why people rate City Hall - at 120 miles away it's poorly sited.

[Hornspieler]

No guarantee, but in Germany plenty of concert halls and opera houses were rebuilt pretty much as they had been. Chances are that the Queen's Hall (given that it was a conventional oblong rather than an oval hall as the RAH is) would have been as comfortable to sit in as any hall. The problem with the RAH is that it's the wrong shape for so much music. Great for really big events and things like Gurrelieder, but for much of the more conventional repertoire the sound is too diffuse and the perspective too distant to make it really thrilling from many parts of the auditorium.

London is arguably the world's greatest cultural centre. It should have a hall with fantastic acoustics. The RFH and Barbican wouldn't be on anybody's list of the world's acoustic top twenty. The RAH wouldn't make the top 100.



]

Well, the Americans chose to pour money into the rebuilding of their enemy, Germany, and offered nothing to their allies, Great Britain, who protected the USA for more than 2 years and are still repaying the loans afforded to us by Roosevelt and his pacifist cronies.

Regarding the World's greatest cultural centre, I think Vienna is entitled to claim that accolade over the past 200 years.

From my own experience, I would say that Dum Umelcu (The Hall of the Artists) in Prague has the best acoustics of any that I have encountered.

HS

[PhilipT]

Well, the Americans chose to pour money into the rebuilding of their enemy, Germany, and offered nothing to their allies, Great Britain, who protected the USA for more than 2 years and are still repaying the loans afforded to us by Roosevelt and his pacifist cronies.

Are you sure about that? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4757181.stm

[Hornspieler]

Are you sure about that? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4757181.stm

Thanks for that link, Philip.

Very interesting, but it does not alter the fact that USA demanded repayment from us (on whatever generous terms) and, paranoid about the threat from communist Russia, asked for nothing from Germany (now the only country in the EU without monetary problems)

HS

[Nick Armstrong]

Not sure why people rate City Hall - at 120 miles away it's poorly sited.