107-755: The Royal Choral Society ( RCS ) is an amateur choir, based in London. Formed soon after the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871, the choir gave its first performance as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society on 8 May 1872 – the choir's first conductor Charles Gounod included the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah in the inaugural concert. On 9 July 1891, the Royal Choral Society performed in
214-477: 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
321-544: A $ 13.5 million guarantee to fight Tyson to settle the lawsuit, but turned it down. This would have been Lewis's highest fight purse to date. Lewis accepted $ 4 million from Don King to step aside and allow Tyson to fight Bruce Seldon instead, with a guarantee that if Tyson defeated Seldon, he would fight Lewis next. After winning the WBA title from Seldon, Tyson relinquished the WBC title to fight Evander Holyfield instead. The WBC title
428-676: A 'Grand Concert for the Visit of Their Imperial Majesties, The German Emperor and Empress', also attended by the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. From the beginning, performing premieres of new choral works has been a feature of the choir's repertoire. Both Giuseppe Verdi and Antonín Dvořák conducted the choir in premières of their own works, as have Edward Roxborough , Ariel Ramírez , Raymond Premru and Geoffrey Burgon in more recent years. The choir continued to be conducted by
535-604: A Briton for convenience." In 2015 Lewis explained "When I turned pro, I had to go to the United Kingdom in order to pursue my career. The infrastructure to develop boxers wasn't in Canada then." Lewis signed with boxing promoter Frank Maloney and his early professional career was filled with knockouts of journeymen , as well as fighters such as Osvaldo Ocasio . After he signed with American promoter Main Events, he won
642-539: 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
749-468: A boxing analyst for HBO on Boxing After Dark from 2006 until 2010. Lewis was a classic upright boxer, who beat opponents from the outside with his dominant 213 cm (84 inch) reach. His jab, which was often a pawing shot early in his career, became a formidable weapon under the tutelage of Emmanuel Steward , which Lewis used to set up his signature punch, the straight right hand . Under Steward, Lewis became less reliant on his right hand and displayed
856-459: A brawl similar to the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in front of Howard Cosell on Wide World of Sports . Lewis regained the title on 17 November by outclassing and then knocking out Hasim Rahman in the fourth round of their rematch. On 8 June 2002, Lewis defended his title against Mike Tyson . Ticket sales were slow because they were priced as high as US$ 2,400, but a crowd of 15,327 turned up to see boxing's then biggest event at
963-417: A career high 116 kg (256 1 ⁄ 2 pounds). Lewis was dominated in the early rounds and was wobbled in round two by solid Klitschko punches. Lewis opened a cut above Klitschko's eye with a right cross in the third round and gave a better showing from the fourth round onwards. With both fighters looking tired before the start of round seven, the doctor advised that the fight should be stopped because of
1070-411: A controversial draw) saw Lewis become undisputed heavyweight champion by unifying his WBC title with Holyfield's World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles. He also won the vacant International Boxing Organization (IBO) title. In 2000, the WBA stripped Lewis of his title when he chose to face Michael Grant instead of mandatory challenger John Ruiz . Similarly,
1177-453: A daze. Referee Jose Guadalupe Garcia felt Lewis was unable to continue and ended the fight, giving McCall the title by technical knockout. Lewis and others argued the stoppage was premature and that a champion should be given the benefit of the doubt. In spite of the Lewis camp protests, Boxing Monthly editor Glynn Leach pointed out that Lewis "only seemed to recover his senses once the fight
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#17327723863961284-659: A definite shift in his tactics from the first fight, when he focused more on the jab. This time the three judges scored the fight unanimously (115–113, 116–112 and 117–111) in favour of Lewis, who became undisputed heavyweight champion of the World . The British public voted Lewis the 1999 BBC Sports Personality of the Year . Lewis did not view either bout with Evander Holyfield as among his most difficult, but conceded Holyfield tested his limits more than any other boxer. "People seem to be genuinely surprised when I tell them Holyfield
1391-424: 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
1498-406: A hard puncher. Lewis was the seventh Olympic gold medallist to become world heavyweight champion after Floyd Patterson , Muhammad Ali , Joe Frazier , George Foreman , Leon Spinks , and Michael Spinks . He holds the distinction of being the first professional heavyweight champion to win a gold medal in the super-heavyweight category, which was not created until the 1984 Summer Olympics . He
1605-488: 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
1712-497: 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
1819-593: A lot of people thought the Cubans were unbeatable. I didn't think so at all. I just wanted to go out there and prove it by knocking him out. I guess that was a bit too much. I should have stuck to my natural talent and boxed." —Lennox Lewis on his two fights versus Jorge Luis González in August 1987 Lewis chose not to turn professional after the Olympics, and instead fought four more years as an amateur, hoping for
1926-833: A mandatory rematch with Lewis. Lewis announced his retirement shortly thereafter in February 2004, to pursue other interests, including sports management and music promotion, and vacated the title. Lewis said he would not return to the ring. At his retirement, Lewis's record was 41 wins, two losses and one draw, with 32 wins by knockout. In 2008 when asked about a potential bout after being antagonised by Riddick Bowe , Lewis quipped "He waits until I am in retirement to call out my name, I will come out of retirement to beat up that guy. I'll beat him up for free." In 2011, Bowe again confronted Lewis, this time over Twitter, demanding he "put [his] gold medal on and let's fight for that!!", where Lewis remarked "I thought we already did." Lewis worked as
2033-609: 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
2140-457: A more complete skill-set. Criticised at times for being too patient and for his lack of in-fighting skills, Lewis was at his most effective when boxing from range. Known for his physical strength, Lewis was able to manoeuvre opponents into punching range and was especially effective against taller opponents. Lewis eventually developed into one of the more complete heavyweights, able to box at range or fight aggressively when necessary, as well as being
2247-457: 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
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#17327723863962354-574: 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
2461-562: A professional contract with a Toronto-based promotion group. "I feel like a basketball player being scouted by scouts down in the States. I don't want anyone controlling me. These (offers) coming to me after the Olympics are mainly because I won the gold." Having achieved his goal, Lewis declared himself a professional and moved back to his native England. He claimed he had always considered himself British, but one article reported that many British fans regarded him as "a Canadian at heart and
2568-401: A rematch with the new champion; Rahman, however, now being promoted by Don King, tried to secure another opponent for his inaugural title defence. Lewis took Rahman to court to honour the rematch clause in their contract. Rahman was ordered to honour the clause and give Lewis a rematch in his first title defence. While promoting the rematch with Rahman on ESPN 's Up Close , the fighters got into
2675-557: A rematch. The WBC agreed, and kept the Ukrainian as its No. 1 contender. Lewis initially was in favour of a rematch: I want the rematch, I enjoyed that fight. It was just a fight. We went at it. You have to play dollars and cents but I'm opting more for the rematch. Negotiations for the rematch followed but Lewis changed his mind. Instead, Klitschko fought and defeated Kirk Johnson on 6 December in WBC Eliminator, setting up
2782-487: A rubbish bin, relinquishing it to avoid a mandatory defence against Lewis. On 14 December 1992, the WBC declared Lewis its champion, making him the first world heavyweight titleholder from Britain in the 20th century. Lewis defended the belt three times, defeating Tony Tucker , whom he knocked down for the first time in Tucker's career, and Frank Bruno and Phil Jackson by knockout. The Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno fight
2889-640: 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 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
2996-523: A second chance to win a gold medal. At the 1986 World Championships , he lost in the preliminary round to Petar Stoimenov of Bulgaria. Later that year, Lewis won gold at the Commonwealth Games . He had a close fight against Cuban Jorge Luis González at the 1987 Pan American Games super-heavyweight finals: the American judge scored the bout in favour of Lewis 60–57, while the judges from
3103-680: 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
3210-453: A second-round referee stopped contest (RSC). Lewis became the first super-heavyweight gold medallist to become world heavyweight champion as a professional. In the Games' closing ceremony, Lewis was Canada's flag bearer . Lewis became the first Canadian to win boxing gold in 56 years. Lewis, upon turning professional, had registered an amateur record of 85–9. HBO Boxing credited him with
3317-448: 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
Royal Choral Society - Misplaced Pages Continue
3424-560: A severe cut above Klitschko's left eye, awarding Lewis victory by TKO. Klitschko was leading 58–56 on all three judges' scorecards when the fight was stopped. Lewis was guaranteed US$ 7 million and Klitschko US$ 1.4 million. The gate was US$ 2,523,384 from an attendance of 15,939 at the Staples Center in California. The fight aired live on HBO's World Championship Boxing with approximately 7 million viewers. Interviewed about
3531-590: A shorter amateur record of 75 wins (58 by knockout) and 7 losses. Of all losses on the record, Valeriy Abadzhyan of the Soviet Union was the only opponent to stop Lewis in amateurs, in October 1986. After winning the Olympic gold, Lewis was approached immediately by big-time American boxing promoters , including Bob Arum . However, he was not overly impressed by their contract offers and thought about signing
3638-433: A tactical fight, keeping Holyfield off balance with a long jab and peppering him with combinations almost at will. Although most observers believed Lewis had clearly won the fight, the bout was declared a draw, to much controversy. The raw statistics of the fight suggested the bout belonged to Lewis, who landed 348 punches compared to Holyfield's 130. Lewis also out-jabbed Holyfield 137 to 52. Judge Eugenia Williams, who scored
3745-580: 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
3852-411: Is a boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and held the undisputed championship . Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship, Lewis represented Canada as an amateur at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics ; in the latter, he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division. Lewis
3959-706: Is also the only boxer to represent Canada at the Summer Olympics and subsequently win a professional world title. Lewis was the first boxer to hold the British heavyweight title and subsequently win a world title. Although three fighters have since repeated this feat ( Herbie Hide , Tyson Fury , and Anthony Joshua ), only Lewis also won the Lonsdale belt outright. While struggling to achieve popularity and respect earlier in his professional career, Lewis's standing has increased since his retirement in 2003, and he
4066-462: Is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and one of the greatest British fighters of all time. In his first three years as a professional, Lewis won several regional heavyweight championships, including the European , British , and Commonwealth titles. After winning his first 21 fights, he defeated Donovan Ruddock in 1992 to take over the number one position in
4173-651: 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
4280-687: 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 the Prince Consort; the decorative part is the Albert Memorial directly to the north in Kensington Gardens , now separated from
4387-584: The Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee . Tyson also had to pay Lewis $ 335,000 out of his purse for biting him at the news conference announcing the fight, which was originally scheduled for 6 April 2002 in Las Vegas. Las Vegas, however, rejected the fight because of Tyson's licensing problems and several other states refused Tyson a licence before Memphis finally bid US$ 12 million to land it. By
Royal Choral Society - Misplaced Pages Continue
4494-594: 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
4601-596: The World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings. He was declared WBC heavyweight champion later that year after Riddick Bowe gave up the title refusing to defend it against Lewis. He defended the title three times before an upset knockout loss to Oliver McCall in 1994. Lewis avenged the loss in a 1997 rematch to regain the vacant WBC title. In 1995, he won the minor IBC heavyweight title when he defeated Tommy Morrison by technical knockout (TKO). Two fights against Evander Holyfield in 1999 (the first ending in
4708-521: The card of a Lewis title defence. Lewis scheduled a fight with Kirk Johnson for June, but when Johnson suffered an injury in training, Lewis fought Vitali Klitschko , the WBC's No. 1 contender and former WBO champion. Lewis had planned to fight him in December, but since Klitschko had been on the undercard of the Johnson fight anyway, they agreed to square off on 21 June. Lewis entered the ring at
4815-597: 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
4922-608: The 203 cm (6 foot 7 inch) American Michael Grant, whom he considered the best contender available. He successfully defended his WBC, IBO and IBF titles against Grant with a second-round knockout victory in Madison Square Garden in April 2000. Later that same year, Lewis knocked out South African Francois Botha in two rounds in London, before winning a 12-round decision against New Zealander and IBF mandatory opponent, David Tua in Las Vegas. On 21 April 2001, Lewis
5029-536: The Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Uruguay scored the bout 59–58 for González. He avenged the loss shortly thereafter, boxing for the North American amateur title eight days later. After winning several more amateur titles in the following years, he travelled to Seoul , South Korea, for the 1988 Summer Olympics and achieved his goal. In the gold medal final, Lewis defeated Riddick Bowe with
5136-797: The European heavyweight title in 1990 against Frenchman Jean Maurice Chanet. In his next fight in March 1991, Lewis won the British title against undefeated, world-ranked Gary Mason , and in April 1992 won the Commonwealth title against Derek Williams . Lewis was a top-five world heavyweight, and during this period he also defeated former WBA heavyweight champion Mike Weaver , 1984 Olympic Gold medalist Tyrell Biggs , former world cruiserweight title holders Glenn McCrory and trial horses Levi Billups and Mike Dixon. On 31 October 1992, Lewis knocked out Canadian Donovan "Razor" Ruddock in two rounds for
5243-648: 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
5350-614: 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 was slow to act, and in 1861 Prince Albert died without having seen his ideas come to fruition. However,
5457-430: 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
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#17327723863965564-542: 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
5671-499: 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
5778-473: 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
5885-570: 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
5992-515: 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,
6099-442: 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
6206-427: 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
6313-407: 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
6420-447: 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
6527-461: The IBF stripped Lewis of their title in 2002 when he chose not to face their mandatory challenger Chris Byrd . Lewis was knocked out by Hasim Rahman in an upset in 2001, but this defeat was avenged later in the year, with Lewis regaining the WBC, IBF, and IBO heavyweight titles. In 2002, Lewis defeated Mike Tyson in one of the most highly anticipated fights in boxing history. Prior to the event, Lewis
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#17327723863966634-546: 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
6741-482: 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
6848-631: The RCS celebrated the 131st anniversary performance of its Messiah on Good Friday concerts at the Royal Albert Hall; the annual Summer Concert in that year was a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff 's All Night Vigil (Vespers) at St Bartholomew's Church in Brighton on 4 July. The RCS continued its annual residency at Southwark Cathedral , performing Pergolesi and Mozart 's Requiem on Remembrance Day , Wednesday 11 November 2009. The RCS
6955-451: The US, until it was surpassed by De La Hoya-Mayweather in 2007. Both fighters were guaranteed US$ 17.5 million. Lewis was forced to vacate the IBF title in 2002 after refusing to face mandatory challenger Chris Byrd . In May 2003, Lewis sued boxing promoter Don King for US$ 385 million, claiming that King used threats and bribery to have Tyson pull out of a rematch with Lewis and a fight on
7062-409: The US, who went on to win the gold medal. Despite being 6'5" tall, and having a very strong punch, his coaches admitted they had to pressure him to convert size and raw talent into aggression. His amateur boxing coaches were Arnie Boehm and Adrian Teodorescu, who guided Lewis to the Olympic title in 1988. "I think in the first fight I was just trying to knock him out, trying to prove my stuff because
7169-508: The WBC rankings when he knocked out Australian Justin Fortune, then defeated former WBO Champion Tommy Morrison in October 1995, winning the minor IBC title. This was followed by a close majority decision win over Olympic gold medallist and former WBO champion Ray Mercer in May 1996. Lewis successfully sued to force Tyson to make a mandatory defence of the WBC title against him. Lewis was offered
7276-428: 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
7383-444: The basis of a clause in the Lewis-Holyfield rematch contract that said Lewis's first bout as undisputed champion would be against the WBA's number one contender. Lewis was therefore to be stripped of his WBA belt if he fought Grant first. It was because of this that the WBA instated its "Super Champion" title, giving unified titleholders who also hold a WBA belt more time to defend against mandatory challengers. Lewis proceeded to fight
7490-404: 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
7597-443: 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
7704-514: 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
7811-425: The end of the seventh round Tyson was tired and sluggish, his face swollen and his eyes cut. He was knocked out in the eighth by a right cross. After the fight, George Foreman declared, "He [Lewis] is, no doubt, the best heavyweight of all time. What he's done clearly puts him on top of the heap." This was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history, generating US$ 106.9 million from 1.95 million buys in
7918-433: The fight by HBO, doctor Paul Wallace explained his decision: When he raised his head up, his upper eyelid covered his field of vision. At that point I had no other option but to stop the fight. If he had to move his head to see me, there was no way he could defend his way against a punch. Klitschko's face required sixty stitches. Because Klitschko had fought so bravely against Lewis, boxing fans soon began calling for
8025-560: The fight in Holyfield's favour, said she saw Lewis land fewer punches than Holyfield. The sanctioning bodies ordered a rematch. Eight months later in Las Vegas (13 November 1999), the two men fought again in a more open and entertaining contest than the original fight, with the two boxers having some heavy exchanges from rounds six to nine. The punch stats however still clearly favoured Lewis, who landed 195 punches to Holyfield's 137, although Lewis landed 119 power shots and 76 jabs, showing
8132-483: The fight with McCall, Steward had seen much potential in Lewis and immediately expressed a desire to work with him. He corrected several of Lewis's technical flaws, which included maintaining a more balanced stance , less reliance on his cross, and a focus on using a strong, authoritative jab ; the latter of which would become a hallmark of Lewis's style throughout the rest of his career. Their partnership lasted until Lewis's retirement. In his first comeback fight, Lewis
8239-528: 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
8346-476: 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
8453-582: 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,
8560-708: 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,
8667-550: 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
8774-468: The lineal title in five rounds, and beat formerly undefeated European champion Željko Mavrović from Croatia in a 12-round unanimous decision. Lewis stated in 2006 that his fight with Mavrovic was the most awkward win of his career. On 13 March 1999, Lewis faced WBA and IBF title holder Evander Holyfield in New York City in what was supposed to be a heavyweight unification bout. Lewis fought
8881-413: The most eminent musicians of the day, most notably Sir Malcolm Sargent , whose association with the choir spanned forty years. Towards the end of his life Sargent appointed Charles Proctor as chorusmaster, and Proctor often deputised for him when he was too ill. The present Music Director, Richard Cooke , took over the baton in 1995. Today, the choir enjoys maintaining a balance between its heritage and
8988-429: 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 the venue such as Eric Clapton and Shirley Bassey . The hall was originally to have been called
9095-466: The number one contender's position in the WBC rankings. It was Lewis's most impressive win to date and established him as one of the world's best heavyweights. Sportscaster Larry Merchant declared, "We have a great new heavyweight." The win over Ruddock made Lewis the mandatory challenger for Riddick Bowe 's heavyweight championship. Bowe held a press conference during which he threw his WBC title belt in
9202-613: The opportunities on offer performing for today's music lovers. In addition to its traditional repertoire, singers have had a chance to take part in new and unusual events, from open-air concerts in Hampton Court and Glastonbury , to singing at the launch of the Queen Mary 2, participating in the 25th anniversary ceremony for the Falklands, to performing at performances for the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall . In 2009,
9309-526: 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 . Lennox Lewis Lennox Claudius Lewis CM CBE (born 2 September 1965)
9416-528: 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
9523-672: 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
9630-595: 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
9737-433: 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 ,
9844-409: The title in 1997 against fellow Briton and former WBO world champion Henry Akinwande , who was disqualified after five rounds for excessive clinching. Lewis then met Poland's Andrew Golota , whom he knocked out in the first round. Lewis retained the WBC world title in 1998 when he knocked out lineal champion Shannon Briggs , who had recently outpointed George Foreman in a controversial fight to win
9951-504: 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
10058-472: Was also invited twice to perform at Slovakia 's equivalent to Glastonbury – Pohoda , (which means Wellbeing) where the choir closed the opening day of the festival with a candlelit midnight concert of Rachmaninoff's Vespers, followed by a performance in Bratislava . Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington , London , England. It has
10165-571: Was awarded the Ring magazine heavyweight title, which had been discontinued in the late 1980s. In what would be his final fight, Lewis defeated Vitali Klitschko by TKO in 2003. He vacated his remaining titles and retired from boxing in 2004. Lewis was born on 2 September 1965 in West Ham , London, to Jamaican parents and according to his mother, he would often fight with other children growing up. At birth he weighed 4.8 kg (10 lb 10 oz), and
10272-594: Was boxing. He took up boxing circa 1978. He became a dominant amateur boxer and won the gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1983. At age 18, Lewis represented Canada in the super-heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. By that time he was ranked #6 in the world by the AIBA . He advanced to the quarter-finals, where he lost by decision to Tyrell Biggs of
10379-597: 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
10486-506: Was declared vacant. This set up a rematch between Lewis and McCall, who met on 7 February 1997 in Las Vegas for the WBC title. In one of the strangest fights in boxing history, McCall, who had lost the first three rounds, refused to box in the fourth and fifth rounds. He then began crying in the ring, forcing the referee to stop the fight and award Lewis the victory and the title. As newly recrowned WBC champion, Lewis successfully defended
10593-485: 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
10700-415: Was given a chance to fight for the mandatory challenger position within the WBC and won it by knocking out American contender Lionel Butler . However, at the behest of promoter Don King, the WBC bypassed him and gave Mike Tyson the first chance at the title recently won by Briton Frank Bruno from Oliver McCall. Bruno had previously lost to both Lewis and Tyson. Lewis had the number 1 contender's slot in
10807-576: Was given the name Lennox by the doctor, who said "he looked like a Lennox." Lewis moved to Kitchener, Ontario , Canada with his mother in 1977 at the age of 12. He attended Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute for high school, where he excelled in Canadian football , soccer , and basketball. In the 1982–83 school year, he helped the school's AAA basketball team win the Ontario provincial championship. Lewis eventually decided that his favourite sport
10914-557: Was knocked out by 20-to-1 underdog Hasim Rahman in a bout at Carnival City Casino in South Africa. The main event actually took place on Sunday 22 April 2001 at 05:00 local time in order to accommodate HBOs significant United States–based audience at a reasonable hour on the Saturday night. Before the bout, Lewis had a role in the film Ocean's Eleven in which he "boxed" against Wladimir Klitschko . Lewis immediately sought
11021-586: Was my toughest opponent, not to be confused with my toughest fight, which was Ray Mercer , but when you really dive into why that is, it actually makes a lot of sense." After Lewis defeated Holyfield the WBA ordered Lewis to defend the title against John Ruiz of Chelsea, Massachusetts, who was then an obscure Don King fighter who had been made the WBA's number one-ranked contender. The WBA gave permission for Lewis to fight his WBC mandatory Michael Grant first if he would fight Ruiz next, to which Lewis agreed. Opposed to this, King challenged this decision in court on
11128-465: 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
11235-469: 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
11342-470: Was the first time two British-born boxers fought for a version of the world heavyweight title in the modern era. Lewis lost his WBC title to Oliver McCall on 24 September 1994 in a huge upset at the Wembley Arena in London. In the second round, McCall landed a powerful right cross , putting Lewis on his back. Lewis returned to his feet at the count of six, but stumbled forward into the referee in
11449-409: Was waved off", and that "in the opinions of everyone I spoke to at ringside, the decision was correct." After the fight, Lewis decided he needed a new trainer to replace Pepe Correa , who had become increasingly difficult to work with. Correa denounced Lewis in public after being fired. Renowned trainer Emanuel Steward , who had been McCall's trainer during their fight, was Lewis's choice. Even before
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