Musical Magic

A shaft of blue light shone across the stage through hazy smoke and the sound of horns echoed in the empty auditorium as we walked onto the stage at the Royal Albert Hall.

Stood next to the conductor's podium we posed for photographs as our musical friend Conductor John Rigby, who we know from the Leeds Castle Classical Concerts, gave us a private pre-show tour.

Classical Spectacular is a fantastic fanfare of musical entertainment complete with light show, thundering cannons and indoor fireworks for a grand finale.

It struck me how much smaller the auditorium seemed when empty. John told us that one of the appeals of performing in the Albert Hall is the proximity to the 2,000 or so people in the audience allowing him to strike up a great rapport, quite a contrast to the stage at Leeds Castle Classical Concert with over 11,000 people sat on the grass.

Classical favourites such as Elgar's Nimrod, Ravel's Bolero and Nessun Dorma were performed by the amazing Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Our friend John transformed into a majestic Maestro on his podium creating atmosphere, excitement and some tongue-in-cheek humour.

Patriotic flag waving and singing from the audience to 'Rule Britannia!' synchronised with the Conductor's podium rising 12 foot above the orchestra to reveal the Union Jack. Red, white and blue balloons dropped from the ceiling making for a party atmosphere.

It's always a privilege to see behind the scenes at any event and the concert was all the more engaging for us knowing the Maestro had a few tricks up his sleeve to captivate the crowd.

Knowing when to get everyone going and when to calm them down to set the mood is key he told us. Planning ahead is a constant juggle, thinking about the next speaking part while conducting, then thinking about the next musical piece while speaking.

John's description of his conductor role reminded me of commentating at air shows when sometimes it's hard to enjoy the moment as you always have to anticipate the next move, gauge the audience mood and sound like you're really enjoying yourself. And enjoy ourselves we truly did!

The next Classical Spectacular is in March and we will most certainly be booking our tickets for a return visit! What a great night, thank you Maestro Rigby.