While a prom is a formal high school dance in America, in Britain, it means something else. ‘The Proms’ is a summer series of classical music concerts that hold a special place in the hearts of Britons.
Proms, short for promenade concerts, historically featured classical music played in outdoor gardens in an informal atmosphere where the audience could stroll, eat and smoke. They were created in an effort to bring classical music to a mass audience. Eventually moved indoors, the first series of concerts began in London at Queen’s Hall in 1895. Queen’s Hall was sadly destroyed during WWII and the concerts were moved to Royal Albert Hall where they continue to this day.
The series culminates in a finale called ‘Last Night of the Proms’. In contrast to the rest of the series, it features lighter, more popular music in the first interval, and celebrates patriotic British music in the second. In addition to Royal Albert Hall, concerts are held at venues around the UK, the largest in Hyde Park. The venues link up via big screens at the end for the most revered songs, including Pomp and Circumstance, Rule, Britannia!, Jerusalem and God Save the Queen.
The event has evolved into a celebration of British pride and I was excited to attend, but admittedly, didn’t know what to expect. As we exited the Hyde Park tube stop, the whole of humanity seemed to be in London that day. People were dressed in a myriad of attire ranging from tuxedos to superhero costumes to Union Jack flags.
That's where that tattoo came from...
What astounded me the most was the amount of stuff being dragged into Hyde Park- tables, chairs, balloons and coolers filled with food and drink meant that we slowly shuffled our way into the venue. With 40,000+ attendees, it took a long time to reach the gates.
Once inside, we hurried to get as close to the stage as possible. It was quite a spectacle as everyone scrambled for space. I watched as people staked off borders with blankets, chairs and even bottles of wine! For an event that celebrated nationalism, this was a curious case of ‘every man for himself!'
I was gobsmacked at the effort people put into their displays- tablecloths, settings and cake stands that would put Martha Stewart to shame. Then, there was the food! Platters filled with oversized gourmet delights, including huge wheels of cheese, enormous pork pies and tubs filled with strawberries. In contrast with the normally reserved, self-controlled Brits, this felt like their version of a Thanksgiving pig-out.
Pork pie and Stilton? Don't mind if I do.
What was not surprising was the spirit of the people. This is technically a 'summer event', however, British summer is famously fickle. On this particular day, the weather taunted the crowd, flirting with 70 degrees F (20 degrees C). When the sun was out, the crowd flung off jackets and scarves, holding cold drinks above their heads triumphantly. When the clouds passed through, teeth chattered while sipping Pimm’s and white wine with steely defiance.
Cheers!
In the end, the collective will of the concert-goers sent the clouds packing and we enjoyed an afternoon of sun, music, drinking and people watching.
The people watching was entertainment in and of itself. This event defies a direct American reference, but I’ll try. It’s part music festival (more Coachella than Woodstock), part ComicCon (more Doctor Who than Star Wars), part tailgate party, (just more civilized, no beer bongs). There were people of all ages and they stood together in summer solidarity.
A chill descends but the crowd rises.
The music was grooving. Early on, there were some rocking bagpipes, courtesy of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. No, that’s not a typo. This was followed up by an appearance by the legendary Bryan Ferry. For my American friends, Bryan Ferry was the lead singer of Roxy Music, and he’s a music icon in Britain. Rounding things out were a violin virtuoso and Dame Edna Everage, who led a sing-along.
As the sun waned, the effects of alcohol began to take hold. Our group happened to be on the edge of a walkway that was crossed by a raised plastic cord protector. With the live music, people would be watching the stage and not their feet, resulting in many trips and stumbles.
You might be thinking, ‘How dangerous!’ and you would be right. I don’t think we WANTED to see someone get hurt. But since most of these people were half-drunk, the repeated lurches, wobbles and spilling of beer became a sight gag we could not resist. It started with a few giggles, but with every successive stumble, the laughter of our collective area grew louder and louder until we clutched our bellies and howled with tears streaming.
Just a few hours earlier, we looked upon our neighbors with suspicion as we staked out our areas. We shot each other looks of ‘Don’t even think about laying a blanket near me’. Yet, here we were, mere hours later, singing together arms across shoulders... and laughing at people falling down. The borders we carefully crafted disappeared.
Finally, the finale was upon us!
The big screen shared the scene from inside Royal Albert Hall. The first thing I thought was ‘Damn, it looks toasty warm over there.’ After the sunset, the damp cold was starting to creep in.
Everyone stood for this part. The conductor is always a big revelation and I was surprised to see she was an American. Marin Alsop, while not the first American conductor to be handed the job, was the first female to lead this epic night of music.
I mentioned the line-up of nationalistic tunes earlier. I was puzzled by how I hadn't heard them since being in the country for over two years. In America, we hear the Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America at every sporting event. As I surveyed the crowd, I noticed people were attentive and singing loudly. I thought about how they don’t sing the National Anthem at sporting events in this country. Additionally, opposing fans sit in sections with carefully tended borders. Interestingly, this was one of the few events that united people simply as Britons.
Also, there were a lot of them. While America has just a couple of ‘key’ patriotic tunes (Ok, I forgot about America the Beautiful), Britain has a laundry list that seem to vie for runner up in the National Anthem beauty contest.
Rule, Britannia! started things off. A famous mezzo-soprano led the singing, which resulted in everyone reaching for a higher pitch than normal. A bit screechy, but a good show.
Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 was next. For Americans, this is better known as the Graduation March or Randy 'Macho Man' Savage's intro song. However, take note, this was written by one of Britain's most beloved composers, Edward Elgar. This famous song is also set to lyrics and is better known as Land of Hope and Glory in the UK. It was slightly more subdued than Rule, Britannia!
Jerusalem continued the loyalty interlude. I must admit, while this song is pretty famous internationally (featured in movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral), I didn’t know it until I lived here. Good audience participation.
It has an interesting back story. According to Wikipedia, it began as a poem by William Blake, which was inspired by a mythical story of how Jesus travelled to what is now England and visited Glastonbury during his ‘unknown years’. The poem implies there may have been a divine visit and that there was briefly heaven in England. It was set to music by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916 and has been used as a hymn at times. For example, it was sung at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding at Westminster Abbey.
Finally, the National Anthem ended a superb event. If you’ve ever watched the Olympics, then you know God Save the Queen. After all of the loud, over-the-top music, this song was jarringly quiet. No accompaniment, only the voices of the people.
As we gathered up our things, my fingers and toes felt numb from the cold, but overall, I was warmed from this special night. I pondered our modern notions of borders, countries and nationalities- seemingly universal truths that separate us.
Curiously though, after sharing an evening of British-based allegiance, our national identities had pretty much disappeared. We were laughing and carrying on as we tried to find our way out of Hyde Park in the dark.
No borders. No countries. Just friends.
**Thanks to Karen, Roger and Sue for a memorable night!**