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64-484: The Georgian National Ballet has performed at the Albert Hall , The Colosseum , The Metropolitan Opera and Madison Square Garden , among others. In 1967, the dance company performed at La Scala , reportedly the first and the only time a folklore group was given a chance to perform on its stage. The costumes were designed by Simon (Soliko) Virsaladze from 1908–1989. Currently, the founders' son Tengiz Sukhishvili

128-477: A colour bar in place at the Hall, preventing black boxers from fighting there, between 1923 and 1932. Greats of British boxing such as Frank Bruno , Prince Naseem Hamed , Henry Cooper and Lennox Lewis have all appeared at the venue. The hall's storied boxing history was halted in 1999 when it lost its licence to hold boxing and wrestling matches after complaints from residents about noise levels. In 2011, after

192-539: A border that follows the oval curve of the building. Between 2002 and 2004, there was a major rebuilding of the great organ (known as the Voice of Jupiter), built by "Father" Henry Willis in 1871 and rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 1924 and 1933. The rebuilding was performed by Mander Organs , and it is now the second-largest pipe organ in the British Isles with 9,997 pipes in 147 stops. The largest

256-592: A drought occurred, and he assisted in establishing a waterworks in the Luton Valley. On 19 May 1863, Scott was promoted to brevet major and on 5 December of the same year to be regimental lieutenant-colonel . On 14 December 1865, he was seconded in his corps and employed under the commission of the Great Exhibition of 1851 at South Kensington in the place of Captain Francis Fowke . On

320-424: A four-week period in 2000 using steel supports allowing more space underneath for two new bars; 1,534 unique pivoting seats were laid – with an addition of 180 prime seats. The Choirs were rebuilt at the same time. The whole building was redecorated in a style that reinforces its Victorian identity. 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m ) of new carpets were laid in the rooms, stairs, and corridors – specially woven with

384-488: A landmark. In 1949, the canvas awning was removed and replaced with fluted aluminium panels below the glass roof, in a new attempt to cure the echo; but the acoustics were not properly tackled until 1969 when large fibreglass acoustic diffusing discs (commonly referred to as "mushrooms" or "flying saucers") were installed below the ceiling. In 1968, the Hall hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 1968 which

448-497: A legal battle, the licence to host boxing and wrestling events was restored and boxing events resumed in 2012, taking place regularly until 2021. In 2019 Nicola Adams won the WBO Flyweight title which was the first fight for a world title at the venue since Marco Antonio Barrera took on Paul Lloyd in 1999. One notable event was a Pink Floyd concert held on 26 June 1969, the night they were banned from ever playing at

512-457: A new Café Bar on the ground floor, a new Box Office with shop counters and additional toilets. The design and construction were carried out by contractor 8Build. Upon opening it was renamed 'The Zvi and Ofra Meitar Porch and Foyer.' owing to a large donation from the couple. In Autumn 2013, work began on replacing the Victorian steam heating system over three years and improving cooling across

576-574: A new south porch, named The Meitar Foyer after a significant donation from Mr & Mrs Meitar. The porch was built on a similar scale and style to the three pre-existing porches at Door 3, 6 and 9: these works were undertaken by Taylor Woodrow Construction. On 4 June 2004, the project received the Europa Nostra Award for remarkable achievement. The East (Door 3) and West (Door 9) porches were glazed and new bars opened along with ramps to improve disabled access. The Stalls were rebuilt in

640-643: A school, which provides dance lessons to children and adolescents. In 2020, the School of the Georgian National Ballet began offering online lessons in response to the COVID-19 pandemic . A performance by the Georgian National Ballet's dancers in which the female dancers, wearing long skirts, appeared to glide across the floor was an inspiration for writer Terry Nation in creating the Daleks for

704-680: A second period, finally reopening to full capacity in July 2021. On 11 November 2023, before the Festival of Remembrance , King Charles III and Queen Camilla unveiled two bronze statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , as part of the Hall's 150th anniversary. The Hall, a Grade I listed building , is an ellipse in plan, with its external major and minor axes of 272 and 236 feet (83 and 72 meters), and its internal minor and major axis of 185 and 219 feet (56 and 67 m). The great glass and wrought-iron dome roofing

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768-512: A series of events at other venues across the United Kingdom. In 2009, the total number of concerts reached 100 for the first time. Jiří Bělohlávek described The Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival" of all such events in the world of classical music festivals. Proms (short for promenade concerts ) is a term which arose from the original practice of the audience promenading, or strolling, in some areas during

832-557: A tour in Spain . He returned to England in 1848 and was appointed assistant instructor in fieldwork at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich . He was promoted to second captain on November 11, 1851, and married in the same year. In 1851, he was appointed senior instructor in fieldwork at the Royal Military Academy . On 1 April 1855, Scott was promoted to first captain and was appointed instructor in surveying at

896-525: A venue he dubbed a 'helluva hall'), and Eric Clapton (who has played the venue over 200 times), among others, who were viewed as "key players" in the building's history. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , restrictions meant the Hall was closed in March 2020 for the first time since the Second World War. During winter 2020 it reopened for three socially distanced performances but was then closed for

960-638: Is host to more than 390 shows in the main auditorium annually, including classical, rock and pop concerts, ballet, opera, film screenings with live orchestral accompaniment, sports, awards ceremonies, school and community events, and charity performances and banquets. A further 400 events are held each year in the non-auditorium spaces. Over its 153-year history, the hall has hosted people from various fields, including meetings held by suffragettes , speeches from Winston Churchill , Charles de Gaulle , and Albert Einstein , fights by Lennox Lewis , exhibition bouts by Muhammad Ali , and concerts from regular performers at

1024-651: Is the Grand Organ in Liverpool Cathedral which has 10,268 pipes. During the first half of 2011, changes were made to the backstage areas to relocate and increase the size of crew catering areas under the South Steps away from the stage and create additional dressing rooms nearer to the stage. From January to May 2013, the Box Office area at Door 12 underwent further modernisation to include

1088-435: Is the artistic director and general manager of the Georgian National Ballet. His spouse, Inga Tevzadze, is also a former dancer, now a ballet master. Iliko Sukhishvili Jr. is a chief choreographer of the Georgian National Ballet today. Nino Sukhishvili (the granddaughter of Iliko and Nino) is a deputy-manager and costume designer. The Georgian National Ballet has seventy dancers and a small orchestra. The dance company also owns

1152-687: The Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott . Scott obtained a commission as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on December 18, 1840. After training at Chatham , he was stationed at Woolwich and Plymouth and was promoted to first lieutenant on 19 December 1843. He went to Gibraltar in January 1844, where he was acting adjutant of his corps . While in Gibraltar he accompanied Arthur Penrhyn Stanley and his two sisters on

1216-796: The Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867, the annual London International Exhibition of fine arts, industries and inventions, the Dutch Exhibition of 1877 and the Paris International Exhibition of 1878. In 1880 he received a silver medal from the Society of Arts for a paper entitled 'Suggestions for dealing with the Sewerage of London ,’ and the Telford premium for a paper he contributed to

1280-594: The Queen's Hall in an air raid , the Hall was chosen as the new venue for the Proms. In 1944 with increased danger to the Hall, part of the Proms season was held in the Bedford Corn Exchange . Following the end of World War II the Proms continued being held in the Hall and have done so annually every summer since. The event was founded in 1895, and now each season consists of over 70 concerts, in addition to

1344-509: The Royal Engineer establishment at Brompton , Chatham. He became a close adviser of the commandant , Colonel Henry Drury Harness , in the reorganization of this army school. He charged the chemical laboratory. He revised the selenitic lime and his system of representing ground by horizontal hachures and a scale of shade at Chatham and adopted it for the army as the basis of military sketching. During his residence at Brompton, Kent ,

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1408-597: The 'Einstein Meeting' at the hall for the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics, a British charity. In 1936, the Hall was the scene of a giant rally celebrating the British Empire on the occasion of the centenary of Joseph Chamberlain 's birth. In October 1942, the Hall suffered minor damage during World War II bombing, but in general was left mostly untouched as German pilots used the distinctive structure as

1472-648: The Hall again after shooting cannons, nailing things to the stage, and having a man in a gorilla suit roam the audience. At one point, Rick Wright went to the pipe organ and began to play "The End of the Beginning", the final part of "Saucerful of Secrets", joined by the brass section of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (led by the conductor, Norman Smith) and the ladies of the Ealing Central Amateur Choir. A portion of

1536-430: The Hall contained a special system by which thousands of gas jets were lit within ten seconds. Though it was demonstrated as early as 1873 in the Hall, full electric lighting was not installed until 1888. During an early trial when a partial installation was made, one disgruntled patron wrote to The Times , declaring it to be "a very ghastly and unpleasant innovation". In May 1877, Richard Wagner himself conducted

1600-542: The Hall hosted the 100th-anniversary performance of the Royal Variety Performance , attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , with boy-band One Direction among the performers. The Royal Variety Performance has since returned to the Hall in 2015 and every year since 2021. In 2017 the Hall hosted the 70th British Academy Film Awards , often referred to as the BAFTAs , for

1664-499: The Hall hosted the annual National Television Awards all of which were hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald , and the Classic Brit Awards were hosted annually at the Hall from 2000 to 2013, and again in 2018. The Institute of Directors ' Annual Convention was synonymous with the Hall for over 50 years, taking place most years between 1961 and 2016. The Royal Choral Society is the longest-running regular performance at

1728-473: The Hall is 135 ft (41 m) high. The Hall was originally designed with a capacity for 8,000 people and has accommodated as many as 12,000 (although present-day safety restrictions mean the maximum permitted capacity is now 5,272 including standing in the Gallery). Around the outside of the building is 800-foot–long terracotta mosaic frieze, depicting "The Triumph of Arts and Sciences", in reference to

1792-570: The Hall on 4 August 1874, after large quantities of cask wine were found in the cellars. A series of lunches were held to publicise the wines, and General Henry Scott proposed a co-operative company to buy and sell wines. In 1906, Elsie Fogerty founded the Central School of Speech and Drama at the Hall, using its West Theatre, now the Elgar Room, as the school's theatre. The school moved to Swiss Cottage in north London in 1957. Whilst

1856-515: The Hall staged the 25th-anniversary performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber 's The Phantom of the Opera , which was broadcast live to cinemas across the world and filmed for DVD . Lloyd Webber, the original London cast including Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford , and four previous actors of the titular character, among others, were in attendance – Brightman and the previous Phantoms (aside from Crawford) performed an encore. On 19 November 2012,

1920-496: The Hall was that it reminded her of the British constitution ". The composer, organist, and choir conductor William Carter founded and directed a choir specifically for the opening of Royal Albert Hall. In the concert that followed, the Hall's acoustic problems immediately became apparent. Engineers first tried to remove the strong echo by suspending a canvas awning below the dome. This helped and also sheltered concert-goers from

1984-427: The Hall's dedication. Proceeding counter-clockwise from the north side the sixteen subjects of the frieze are: Above the frieze is an inscription in 12-inch-high (30 cm) terracotta letters that combine historical fact and Biblical quotations: This hall was erected for the advancement of the arts and sciences and works of industry of all nations in fulfilment of the intention of Albert Prince Consort. The site

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2048-495: The Hall, having given its first performance as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society on 8 May 1872. From 1876, it established the annual Good Friday performance of Handel's Messiah . The BBC Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts, known as " The Proms ", is a popular annual eight-week summer season of daily classical music concerts and other events at the Hall. In 1941, following the destruction of

2112-447: The Hall, whilst since the early 1970s promoter Raymond Gubbay has brought a range of events to the Hall including opera, ballet and classical music. Some events include classical and rock concerts, conferences, banquets, ballroom dancing, poetry recitals, educational talks, motor shows, ballet, opera, film screenings and circus shows. It has hosted many sporting events, including boxing, squash, table tennis, basketball, wrestling including

2176-770: The Prince Consort; the decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens , now separated from the Hall by Kensington Gore . In 1851 the Great Exhibition , organised by Prince Albert, the Prince Consort , was held in Hyde Park , London. The Exhibition was a success and led Prince Albert to propose the creation of a group of permanent facilities for the public benefit, which came to be known as Albertopolis . The Exhibition's Royal Commission bought Gore House , but it

2240-599: The Queen visited a few weeks beforehand to inspect. The official opening ceremony of the Hall was on 29 March 1871. This had originally been scheduled for 1 May, the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the Great Exhibition, but was brought forward at the request of Queen Victoria. A welcoming speech was given by Edward, the Prince of Wales because the Queen was too overcome to speak; "her only recorded comment on

2304-482: The RAH: Saltimbanco (1996, 1997 and 2003), Alegría (1998, 1999, 2006 and 2007), Dralion (2004 and 2005), Varekai (2008 and 2010), Quidam (2009 and 2014), Totem (2011, 2012 and 2019), Koozå (2013 and 2015), Amaluna (2016 and 2017), OVO (2018), Luzia (2020 and 2022), Kurios (2023), Alegría: In a New Light (2024) and Corteo (2025). Alegria's 2024 return was a revamped and updated version of

2368-481: The architecture and engineering firm BDP without disrupting events. These projects included improved ventilation to the auditorium, more bars and restaurants, improved seating, better technical facilities, and improved backstage areas. Internally, the Circle seating was rebuilt during June 1996 to provide more legroom, better access, and improved sightlines. The largest project of the ongoing renovation and development

2432-468: The building. This work followed the summer Proms season during which temperatures were unusually high. Further heatwaves led to a rebuild of the Rausing Circle level in 2021 with air-cooling ventilation installed, significantly decreasing heat there during hot weather. In 2017 work began on a two-story 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m ) basement extension for use as backstage and archival space to

2496-443: The concert. Proms concert-goers, particularly those who stand, are sometimes described as "Promenaders", but are most commonly referred to as "Prommers". Cirque du Soleil has performed annually, with a show being staged at the start of most years since 1996. Cirque has had to adapt many of their touring shows to perform at the venue, modifying the set, usually built for arenas or big top tents instead. The following shows have played

2560-514: The earth is Thine. The wise and their works are in the hand of God. Glory be to God on high and on earth peace. Below the Arena floor there is room for two 4,000 gallon water tanks, which are used for shows that flood the arena like Madame Butterfly . The Hall has been affectionately titled "The Nation's Village Hall". The first concert was Arthur Sullivan 's cantata On Shore and Sea , performed on 1 May 1871. Many events are promoted by

2624-581: The first sumo wrestling tournament to be held in London as well as UFC 38 (the first UFC event to be held in the UK), tennis, and even a marathon. Tennis was first played at the Hall in March 1970, and the ATP Champions Tour Masters was played annually from 1997 to 2021. The hall first hosted boxing in 1918, when it hosted a tournament between British and American servicemen. There was

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2688-476: The first half of each of the eight concerts which made up the Grand Wagner Festival. After his turn with the baton, he handed it over to conductor Hans Richter and sat in a large armchair on the corner of the stage for the rest of each concert. Wagner's wife Cosima , the daughter of Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer Franz Liszt , was among the audience. The Wine Society was founded at

2752-582: The first music DVD to surpass sales of one million in the USA since Eagles ' Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne in 2005 ( Garth Brooks ' The Ultimate Hits sold one million copies in 2007, but was a CD/DVD combination). The live version of " Set Fire to the Rain " taken from her performance won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards in 2013. On 2 October 2011,

2816-708: The first time in 20 years, replacing the Royal Opera House at which the event had been held since 2008. The BAFTAs were held regularly at the venue until moving to the Royal Festival Hall in 2023. The Olivier Awards also moved to the Albert Hall in 2017 and remain there as of 2024. Former regular events include Classical Spectacular , a Raymond Gubbay production, which performed at the Hall from 1989 to 2022. It combined popular classical music, lights and special effects. Between 1996 and 2008,

2880-550: The ideas of Gottfried Semper while he was working at the South Kensington Museum . The recently opened Cirque d'Hiver in Paris was seen in the contemporary press as the design to outdo. The Hall was constructed mainly of Fareham Red brick, with terra cotta block decoration made by Gibbs and Canning of Tamworth . The dome (designed by Rowland Mason Ordish ) was made of wrought iron and glazed. There

2944-549: The introduction of a " velarium " below the true roof. On 20 May 1871, Scott was made a Companion of the Bath (civil division). On 7 June 1871 he was promoted to be brevet colonel and on 19 August of the same year, he retired from the army as an honorary major-general but continued in his civil appointment at South Kensington . On 3 February 1874, he became an associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers . On 3 June 1875, he

3008-673: The opening. Scott is credited with the foundation of the International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited , which is more commonly referred to as The Wine Society. The Wine Society was established in 1874 initially to sell excess wine stocks unsold during the Great Exhibition and subsequently, on the basis of Scott's proposal, to set up "a co-operative company" to buy wines to sell to members. He served as The Wine Society's first treasurer until his death in 1883. Scott married on 19 June 1851, at Woolwich to Ellen Selina,

3072-556: The original, titled Alegria: In a New Light . Classic FM hold a popular concert twice a year with a regularly changing lineup. The concert in September 2013 had to be cancelled due to a fire alert in the Hall's basement leading to an evacuation of the building The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance is held annually the day before Remembrance Sunday . Henry Young Darracott Scott Major-General Henry Young Darracott Scott (2 January 1822 – 16 April 1883)

3136-528: The pipe organ recording is included on Pink Floyd's album The Endless River . In 1983, Siouxsie and the Banshees performed two sold out concerts at the hall at the time their line up featured the Cure 's guitarist Robert Smith . The shows were recorded and filmed for the live album and DVD Nocturne . On 22 September 2011, Adele performed a one-night-only concert as part of her tour . The concert

3200-487: The retirement of Sir Henry Cole , he was appointed secretary to the commission. In 1866, Scott and Fowke entrusted the design and execution of the Royal Albert Hall at Kensington . When the removal of the scaffolding that supported the roof was presented in 1870 Scott sent everyone out of the building and knocked the final support himself. At first, there was an echo with wind instruments , which dealt with

3264-608: The same year, in conjunction with G. R. Redgrave, to the Institution of Civil Engineers on the 'Manufacture and Testing of Portland Cement.' He had prepared plans for the completion of the South Kensington Museum when, in 1882, the Treasury, as an economy, abolished his appointment as secretary of the Great Exhibition commissioners. He designed the buildings for the Fisheries Exhibition, but he did not attend

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3328-740: The school was based at the Royal Albert Hall, students who graduated from its classes included Judi Dench , Vanessa Redgrave , Lynn Redgrave , Harold Pinter , Laurence Olivier and Peggy Ashcroft . In 1911, Russian pianist and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff performed as a part of the London Ballad Concert. The recital included his ' Prelude in C-sharp minor ' and 'Elegie in E-flat minor' (both from Morceaux de Fantaisie ). In 1933, German physicist Albert Einstein led

3392-595: The south-west quadrant of the building. The project is nicknamed the "Great Excavation", in reference to the Great Exhibition of 1851. A new archive space opened in the extension on 12 October 2023. In 2018 a Walk of Fame was unveiled at the Hall, with the first eleven recipients of a star including the Suffragettes (who held meetings at the Hall), Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein (both of whom delivered speeches here), Muhammad Ali (who had exhibition events at

3456-433: The sun, but the problem was not solved: it used to be jokingly said the Hall was "the only place where a British composer could be sure of hearing his work twice". In July 1871, French organist Camille Saint-Saëns performed Church Scene from Faust by Charles Gounod ; The Orchestra described his performance as "an exceptional and distinguished performer ... the effect was most marvellous." Initially lit by gas ,

3520-506: The television series Doctor Who . Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington , London , England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres have appeared on its stage. It is the venue for the BBC Proms concerts, which have been held there every summer since 1941. It

3584-464: The venue such as Eric Clapton and Shirley Bassey . The hall was originally to have been called the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences , but the name was changed to the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences by Queen Victoria upon laying the Hall's foundation stone in 1867, in memory of her husband, Prince Albert , who had died six years earlier. It forms the practical part of a memorial to

3648-564: Was a British Army officer in the Corps of Royal Engineers . He was best known as the joint designer and builder of the Royal Albert Hall in London . Henry Young Darracott Scott was born on 2 January 1822 in Plymouth , Devon . The fourth son of Edward Scott. He was educated privately at the Royal Military Academy , Woolwich . He was the first cousin of the brewer John Edward Scott, father of

3712-504: Was a trial assembly of the dome's iron framework in Manchester ; then it was taken apart again and transported to London by horse and cart. When the time came for the supporting structure to be removed from the dome after reassembly in situ , only volunteers remained on site in case the structure collapsed. It did drop – but only by five-sixteenths of an inch (7.9 mm). The Hall was scheduled to be completed by Christmas Day 1870, and

3776-467: Was broadcast on television live in colour for the first time, and from 1969 to 1988 the Miss World contest was staged in the venue. From 1996 until 2004, the Hall underwent a programme of renovation and development supported by a £20 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and £20m from Arts Council England to enable it to meet the demands of the next century of events and performances. Thirty "discreet projects" were designed and supervised by

3840-420: Was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society . In the same year, he became a member of a select Russian scientific society and was presented by the Czar with a snuff box set with diamonds . Scott was for some years an examiner in military topography under the military education department. He was awarded medals for service rendered to the Great Exhibition of London in 1862, the Prussian Exhibition of 1865,

3904-422: Was filmed for DVD and screened at cinemas in 26 cities around the world. Her performance debuted at number one in the United States with 96,000 copies sold, the highest one-week tally for a music DVD in four years. After one week, it became the best-selling music DVD of 2011. As of 28 November 2012, it had surpassed sales of one million copies in the United States and sales of three million copies worldwide and makes

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3968-404: Was purchased with the proceeds of the Great Exhibition of the year MDCCCLI . The first stone of the Hall was laid by Her Majesty Queen Victoria on the twentieth day of May MDCCCLXVII and it was opened by Her Majesty the Twenty Ninth of March in the year MDCCCLXXI . Thine O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in

4032-528: Was slow to act, and in 1861 Prince Albert died without having seen his ideas come to fruition. However, a memorial was proposed for Hyde Park, with a Great Hall opposite. The proposal was approved, and the site was purchased with some of the profits from the Exhibition. The Hall was designed by civil engineers Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y. D. Scott of the Royal Engineers and built by Lucas Brothers . The designers were heavily influenced by ancient amphitheatres but had also been exposed to

4096-469: Was the building of a new south porch – door 12, accommodating a first-floor restaurant, new ground floor box office and subterranean loading bay. Although the exterior of the building was largely unchanged, the south steps leading down to Prince Consort Road were demolished to allow construction of underground vehicle access and a loading bay with accommodation for three HGVs carrying all the equipment brought by shows. The steps were then reconstructed around

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