ROYAL ALBERT HALL, SOUTH KENSINGTON
The Royal Albert Hall was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, and dedicated to her late husband, Prince Albert. The Hall is opposite the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens. It is in the shape of a huge amphitheatre, with audience seating from floor to the roof. The central section of the hall in front of the stage can accommodate a number of people standing. Although the BBC concerts are termed Promenade concerts, there is not much space for people to promenade in this central space. The hall seats (and stands) over five thousand people, and some singers find singing in the hall rather challenging.
It was designed by Captain Francis Fowke and Major-General Henry Y.D. Scott of the Royal Engineers and built by Lucas Brothers and boasts a grand organ, originally built by the great organ builder, Father Henry Willis, although it has been rebuilt several times, most recently by Mander organs. It is the second largest pipe organ in the British Isles.
Webster Booth sang in many serious performances at the Albert Hall, including several BBC Promenade Concerts, and in a number of concerts of Coleridge-Taylor’s Hiawatha. He sang his first Good Friday Messiah there on 10 April 1936 with the Royal Choral Society under the direction of Malcolm Sargent.
COMFORT YE/EV'RY VALLEY - HANDEL
From 7 – 19 June 1937 a huge production in full costume of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast was presented there, also conducted by Malcolm Sargent, with the Royal Choral Society, a chorus of 800 and ballet of 200. The leading singers of the day took part in this production, with Webster singing the role of the Monk on 7 and 10 June, and Chihiabos on 18 June.
ONAWAY, AWAKE, BELOVED - COLERIDGE-TAYLOR
COMFORT YE/EV'RY VALLEY - HANDEL
From 7 – 19 June 1937 a huge production in full costume of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast was presented there, also conducted by Malcolm Sargent, with the Royal Choral Society, a chorus of 800 and ballet of 200. The leading singers of the day took part in this production, with Webster singing the role of the Monk on 7 and 10 June, and Chihiabos on 18 June.
ONAWAY, AWAKE, BELOVED - COLERIDGE-TAYLOR
Webster Booth in Hiawatha's Wedding Feast.
But it was not only as a serious singer that Webster sang at the Albert Hall. He and Anne Ziegler appeared in many lighter concerts there also. In May 1944 they had sung at the Palladium in variety, but on 20 May 1944 Harold Fielding presented them in a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, along with Albert Sandler (violin) and Rawicz and Landauer (duo on two pianos). Ticket prices for this concert ranged from 3/6 to 12/-. I am afraid I do not like many classical cross-over performers today, and, although all the performers at this concert were good musicians, I suppose they could all be described as cross-over performers of the nineteen-forties!
LOVE'S GARDEN OF ROSES: HAYDN WOOD
Webster’s last performance at the Albert Hall was on 13 August 1955 when he sang in a performance of Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, and also sang the song cycle by Roger Quilter (arranged by Sir Malcolm Sargent) To Julia.
Jeannie C 
March 2011 ©
