29 March 2021 - Royal Albert Hall prepares for 150th birthday
The Royal Albert Hall at 150: 'It's the Holy Grail for musicians'
Michael Segalov (The Guardian, 29/03/2021)
The Royal Albert Hall is 150 years old today (and the Guardian was there to see it opened by Queen Victoria). With a design based on a Roman amphitheatre, stacked balconies pack the audience close to the action – and at a capacity touching 6,000, the number of visitors entertained at the London venue runs to many millions. But what is it like to play as a performer? We asked artists and sportspeople for their memories of being centre stage at the iconic venue.
Royal Albert Hall 150th anniversary celebrated by launch of unique £5 coin
Brett Gibbons (WalesOnline, 25/03/2021)
The Royal Mint has released a new commemorative £5 coin celebrating the 150 th anniversary of the Royal Albert Hall.
It is the UK's first domed commemorative coin to highlight the architectural beauty of the London venue.
Not just the Proms: An unexpected history of the Royal Albert Hall
Tim Stokes (BBC, 29/03/2021)
Perhaps best known for classical music and the Last Night of the Proms, the Royal Albert Hall has a far from stuffy past. Rule Britannia has had its place - but so have Bovril, balls, Blackshirts and a bombastic celebration of the Bard.
On the 150th anniversary of its opening, its archive manager Liz Harper insists "the idea of it being an elitist venue is just not true," describing it as the "nation's village hall" because of its eclectic events and occupants.
So, from the flushed faces of middle England bobbing beneath their Union Jacks to the flushed lavatories reinforced for Sumo competitors, here are some of the Royal Albert Hall's highs and lows over the past century and a half.
15 iconic classical music moments in 150 years of the Royal Albert Hall
Rosie Pentreath (ClassicFM, 26/03/2021)
As the legendary London venue turns 150, we celebrate with a look back at the classical music moments that lit up its domed ceiling the brightest.
The iconic Royal Albert Hall turns 150 this year (2021).
The Hall has hosted some of the most incredible musicians, from the Rolling Stones to Yo-Yo Ma, the most powerful thinkers, including Emmeline Pankhurst and Albert Einstein, and stunning moments, like 3 December 1974 when Boxing legend and former world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali fought his greatest rival, Joe Bugner.