The Royal Albert Hall is a famous concert hall and arts venue located in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster. It is famous for hosting the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941. The exterior of the building features arched windows and intricate friezes. It is a beautiful, circular building both inside and outside.
The Royal Albert Hall is undoubtedly one of the most well-known landmarks in London. It is one of the most remarkable architectural feats during Queen Victoria's reign. Her husband, Prince Albert, established this venue from the profits made by the successful Great Exhibition in 1851. The Prince couldn't see the completion of the building, and upon his death, Victoria inaugurated the venue in 1871. The original intention was to call it The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, but the Queen changed the name in remembrance of her beloved husband and consort.
The venue encountered problems as soon as it was declared open and its first concert played. The Hall did not have good acoustic, an issue that took until 1969 to solve by setting up diffusing discs called flying saucers or mushrooms to cut down the echo. Before the building installed full electric lighting in 1897, it was lit by gas. From 1996 to 2004, it went through a series of renovations and improvements without disrupting events. A considerable part of the Hall was demolished to enable modern-day events and advances. However, the exterior remains unchanged for the most part.
Since its opening, the Royal Albert Hall has been graced by some of the world's most prominent artists. It consistently puts on a wide variety of performances across genres. As one of the UK's most diverse venues, it stages over 350 performances every year. They include award ceremonies, rock, classical and pop concerts, luxurious banquets, charity performances, tennis, ballet and opera, and community and school events.
The building was a popular variety venue in the 1900s, hosting strange yet remarkable events. Performances included sumo tournaments, the Miss World pageant, mass baptisms, and an array of live music gigs. The Hall has witnessed the likes of Frank Sinatra, Verdi, Jay Z, The Who, Liza Minnelli, Elgar and Rachmaninov, and numerous other artists. Almost every concert here has been highly successful.
More recently, the metal band Bring Me The Horizon performed on 22nd April 2016. The 52-piece Parallax Orchestra and conductor Simon Dobson supported the band. The show had a big success, and the band donated all the proceeds to Teenage Cancer Trust. The world-famous American alternative rock band Alter Bridge performed here in 2017 with the same orchestra. The band performed two sell-out shows on 2nd and 3rd October. With rarely live-performed songs like The End Is Here and Words Darker Than Their Wings, it is one of the most successful concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
