CLASSICAL SPECTACULAR TEACHERS PACK 201
The Royal Albert Hall was opened in 1871 and is a testament to the vision of Queen Victoria s husband, Prince Albert. Its design was extremely innovative for the time and included a glass-domed roof, which when built was the largest in the world to stand without internal supports.
It is 41 metres from the top of the dome to the Arena floor In order to improve the acoustics of the Hall 135 disc shaped mushrooms filled with glass fibre wool were hung from the ceiling in 1969.
Built between 1867-1871, the Royal Albert Hall comprises of 6 million bricks, 80,000 terracotta blocks and has 12 doors for the general public.
The Royal Albert Hall Organ is one of the largest in the world with 9,999 pipes! Originally the Hall was supposed to seat 30,000 but the design had to be scaled down and it now seats 5,222.
oyal Albert Hall Education & Outreach delivers a range of stimulating learning opportunities linked to the Hall s calendar of events and the unique characteristics of the building itself. 1 00
We work with children, teachers, young people, families and elderly people and aim to spark imagination, inspire creativity and open doors to new experiences and audiences. These include specially created tours, exhibitions, projects and school matinees.
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utreach work of the Royal Albert Hall, Please contact us: Royal Albert Hall Kensington Gore London SW7 2AP Tel: 020 7959 0500 Email: education@royalalberthall.com Website: www.royalalberthall.com/education
Classical Spectacular Classical Spectacular is one of the UK s most popular classical music shows and has been running for more than 10 years. Since 1996 there have been more than 200 Classical Spectacular concerts across the UK, promoted by Raymond Gubbay Ltd. The concerts are renowned for combining well known pieces of classical repertoire with fantastic laser and light displays. Classical Spectacular has been seen by more than 1 million people.
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was established in 1946 by Sir Thomas Beecham. The RPO not only performs classical concerts, but records CDs, film soundtracks and supports many of the leading artists in the operatic, classical and pop worlds. The RPO has been directed by some of the world s most renowned conductors including Andre Previn, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Leonard Slatkin and Daniele Gatti. The orchestra plays to tens of thousands of people each year through a variety of performances and has recently supported Sting on his European tour. k
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John Rigby John Rigby has conducted many of the West End s best loved musicals, including Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and Starlight Express. Following two sell out Christmas seasons for Raymond Gubbay at the Royal Albert Hall he returns again this year. Recently John has also been Musical Supervisor for the UK Tour of The Producers and Musical Director for the West End production of The Drowsy Chaperone (Novello) starring Elaine Paige www.jamesblackmanagement.com/artists/category/conductors/john-rigby
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Born 6th November 1854 Died 6th March 1932 American composer and bandmaster. Director of the US Marine Band from 1880 1892 when he formed his own highly successful band that toured the globe. Played 8 instruments: voice, violin, piano, flute, cornet, baritone, trombone and alto horn. Wrote more than 130 marches including the official march of the United States The Stars and Stripes Forever (1897). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/john_philip_sousa
L How does the music make you feel? What can you imagine happening as you listen to the music?. Try tapping on your knees to the beat. Now make the first beat louder while counting (silently) in 2 s. Try counting 4 s or 8 s.
R Born 7th March 1875 Died 28th December 1937 Grew up in Paris and studied at the Paris Conservatoire of Music. Ravel served in World War I as a lorry driver. Ravel once described Bolero as a piece for orchestra without music. It is a one movement piece. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/maurice_ravel
Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 Sir Edward Elgar Born 2nd June 1857 Died 23rd February 1934 English composer, born in Lower Broadheath, Worcester. fe groups and choirs. Pomp and Circumstance is one of a set of six marches written by Elgar. L N Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/edward_elgar
Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 Art Activity CRAZY CREATURES (From sound to shape) Listen to a short extract from Pomp & Circumstance Imagine moving to this music l What words best describe the melody? With closed eyes draw a smooth wandering line in time to the music (take the pencil for a walk). Open your eyes and add details to your drawing (eyes, ears, mouth, legs, fins etc.) to create a crazy creature.
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Nessun Dorma Puccini Born 22nd December 1858 Died 29th November 1924 Operatic Composer who studied at the Milan Conservatoire. Nessun Dorma (none shall sleep) is from the finale of his last and unfinished opera Turandot. Tenor aria made famous by Pavarotti. Also well known for its sustained long note at the end which is one of the highest in the tenor range. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/giacomo_puccini
Nessun Dorma Puccini Literacy Activity Listen to Nessun Dorma. What kind of mood does the song portray? Read the translation of the lyrics (next page) and discuss what the song is about. Poetry ideas: Create an acrostic poem from one of the main theme words (love, challenge, night etc). Create your own love poem or a poem about two people in love and what they feel for each other or would do for each other Create a poem about a challenge you have faced and about your determination to overcome that challenge.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Born 7th May 1840 Died 6th November 1893 Wrote music which was distinctly Russian. Prior to being a composer he was a civil servant in the Ministry of Justice for three years. In 1893 Cambridge University awarded Tchaikovsky an honorary Doctor of Music degree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pyotr_ilyich_tchaikovsky
Thank You Royal Albert Hall Education & Outreach would like to thank the following people for their assistance in the development of this Pack: Stuart Rathie, Bousfield Primary School Bronwyn Marshall, St Francis of Assisi Primary School Philip Avierinos, Servite Primary School Angela Hollands, Parkwood Hall School Rebecca Bisco-Haynes, Barlby Primary School Jane Butterfield, St. Thomas Primary School Hugh Lydon, Fox Primary School Imogen Stuart, Park Walk Primary School Sarah Taiwo, Marlborough Primary School Jean Carter, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Paul Munday, Royal Albert Hall Education & Outreach View Creative Agency