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Explosive Summer Proms!
Every summer thousands of concert-goers pack up a picnic, stock up on fizz and join the party in the stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace for the Battle Proms Concert, to be held this year on Saturday 17 July. Picture a balmy summer evening amongst friends, sublime music, bold horsemen, breathtaking Spitfire display, and explosive cannon fire and fireworks; it’s an exceptional evening that you will never forget!
Did you know? The first ‘Prom’ style concert was held in 1895, with the aim of heightening the popularity of classical music by staging concerts with an informal atmosphere where the audience could walk around (hence the ‘promenade’), and eat and drink. This relaxed
way of enjoying live orchestral music has remained to this day a truly unique experience.
The Battle Proms, now in its 13th year, is the most distinctive event of this kind. The ‘Battle’ in the concert name refers to an entirely unique performance of Beethoven’s ‘Battle
Symphony’ – a powerful piece of music which was composed to include 193
live firing cannons as part of the score. This is the
only concert series in the world to perform Beethoven’s most ambitious piece with its full complement of thunderous percussion, and it’s not hard to see why: the meticulous
preparations for this spectacle include three and a half miles of wire laid out between the firing desk on the stage and the actual guns, which alone is enough work to keep four skilled professionals busy for two whole days!
In the afternoon, to warm up the crowd there is a lively
jazz band and you can also watch the Napoleonic re-enactors performing skill-at-arms displays
on horseback. Then, as the orchestral programme begins, the music is accompanied by the historic roar of the Spitfire engine as a carefully choreographed air display is performed in the skies above the concert. New
for 2010 is the big screen, displaying all the action from the cavalry, cannons, and stage so you never have to leave your seat!
The music at the Battle Proms is chosen with the audience as a priority, delivering beautiful, soul-stirring classics fitting to the incredible concert setting, including such favourites as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and a virtuoso performance from young flautist Annie Lydford who reached the category semi-finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year. Your host is popular
BBC broadcaster and presenter Tommy Pearson who, as well as being an expert on the music being performed, directs the chemistry between the audience and the orchestra that is so unique to this style of event.
Of course, to round off a perfect evening’s entertainment, the finale contains all of the proms
favourites, lead by Channel 4’s winning soprano: the superb
Denise Leigh. She brings the crowd to their feet with Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and more. The party atmosphere is electric; “Every year I can’t wait for the next one – a fabulous evening every time!” is what one fan commented at the 2009 event. As you sing along with the thousands of other promenaders and wave your flag to the spectacular
firework finale lighting up the sky, you know this is a night you will never forget!
The Battle Proms are proud to support the charity Combat
Stress: the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society, which specialises in helping veterans of the Armed Forces and Merchant Navy with psychological injuries caused through service to their country. Over the past five years a tremendous £57,000 has been raised for Combat Stress at the Battle Proms Concerts, both through audience donation and a contribution of the concerts’ profits.
For more information and to book tickets visit www.battleproms.com or call on 01432 355 416.
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