In the past, a highlight of the Classic(al) Brit Awards evening at the Royal Albert Hall was the Red-Carpet arrivals. Fans would gather around an enclosed area outside the hall, to see the celebrities arrive in their limousines (or alternative modes of transport) with much attention from press photographers and the like. Many of the artists would take the opportunity to walk around and chat to the fans, maybe signing autographs and posing for photos.
The last time the event was held was in October 2013. The anticipated announcement of the date of the Awards ceremony for the following year never came, and it seemed like the event had died a death. So it was with huge surprise and great delight that I heard the news in March that the Classic Brit Awards were returning this June. I purchased my ticket at the first opportunity and awaited the date with much anticipation.
Arriving at the Royal Albert Hall on 13th June about 2½ hours before the show was due to start, I found a fleet of outside broadcast vehicles parked in the space where the celebrities used to arrive, and just a few people milling around near the door – none of whom I recognized.
A quick circumnavigation of the hall to see if an alternative space had been designated, revealed nothing beyond a handful of scary looking autograph hunters gathered a little way off from the Stage Door. I thought that it was too late to wait there – most of the actual performers would have arrived much earlier. So I took myself off to the steps of the Albert Memorial, overlooking the Royal Albert Hall across the road. There I sat to await developments and munch on some sandwiches that I had brought with me.
A while later (no developments) I wandered back over the road. I saw that the Classic Brit photo wall had been set up inside the foyer. Occasionally people would come up to have photos taken, but any chance of getting a sneaky shot from outside was frustrated either by people choosing that moment to turn up at the door to have their tickets checked, or by the security man moving round to get a better look, thus placing his body firmly between me and the celebrities. There was absolutely no way to engage with the artists from outside the door, but I did have a very welcome reunion with Becky Jane (now Riva) Taylor who also turned up to see what was going on.
Slowly, the clock ticked around to the time that general ticket holders were allowed to enter the auditorium. There were the familiar tables set out in the arena with guests eating and drinking, and I was pleased to see that the stage had been built out towards the center of the arena, bringing the action closer to the audience. The orchestra were located behind the stage.
I noticed that Hannah and Naomi (Classical Reflection) and Katie Marshall were sitting in the block next to mine, so before the seating filled up too much I went over to say hello. They had been nominated in the ‘Sound of Classical Poll’ and so were invited to the ceremony. Whilst chatting with the twins, I noticed two of the girls from Ida in the next row, who seemed delighted to see me.
Apparently it was their first time ever in the Royal Albert Hall (Wow! The RAH has been my most visited concert hall throughout my life since childhood. I have probably been there getting on for 100 times) and they were quite awestruck by the scale of the place.
On to the show…
Just before 8 o’clock, a troupe of dancers (male and female) assembled on the stage and I wondered how they would open the show. The orchestra started playing and the next thing I knew, I heard a male voice singing close to me. I turned and saw Michael Ball in the aisle nearest to me. Michael was answered by a voice from the opposite side of the arena – sure enough, it was Alfie Boe. As they drew closer together, the opening lines led into the familiar theme of ‘Tonight’ from West Side Story and the dancers began doing their stuff. Michael and Alfie are both brilliant soloists in their own right, but their voices and styles are so different (Michael’s light musical theatre style contrasting with Alfie’s booming classical voice) that it is difficult to imagine how the combination can work. Yet work it does, and their collaboration has brought them great success.
The show was introduced by Myleene Klass and Alexander Armstrong, and soon we were on to the first award of the night – Male Artist of the Year, presented by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. The five nominees were shown on overhead screens, then Dame Kiri read out the name of the winner – young cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason who came up to receive his award.
Next up was the Sound of Classical Poll, for which a number of our favorite young classical crossover artists had been nominated. Following the same format, the five shortlisted names were shown and the award went to saxophonist Jess Gillam, presented by Danielle de Niese.
There was a pause in proceedings while a platform containing an assortment of drums and keyboards was rolled out to centre stage, then Tokio Myers came up dressed in a flamboyant military style jacket and white trousers to give a sparkling performance – booming drumbeats interspersed with tender piano playing, with much athleticism as he leapt between and over the instruments.
Best Soundtrack was the next award, presented by Lesley Joseph to The Greatest Showman… cue for Katherine Jenkins (in a gorgeous white dress) to come on stage for a lovely rendition of ‘Never Enough’ with a backdrop of two acrobats performing overhead.
Best Group Award went to Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, with great banter between the two of them in their acceptance speech. This award was presented by Martin Kemp.
Amanda Holden presented the Breakthrough Artist Award to Tokio Myers – still in his military jacket, but having changed into black trousers.
The next performance was a beautiful piece played by Italian pianist Beatrice Rana.
Female Artist of the Year was American soprano Renée Fleming, with Beverly Knight and Milos to present the award. Renée was not present to accept her award but had recorded a short thank-you video which was shown on the overhead screens.
The final award for the first half was ‘Classic Brit Icon’. There were two presenters for this award – classical crossover icon Sarah Brightman, together with another (possibly equally famous) Sarah – Fergie, Duchess of York. The audience rose to their feet to applaud the recipient, Andrea Bocelli, as he was ushered on to the stage. Much frenetic positioning of speakers and microphones ensued, in preparation for Andrea’s moving solo ‘If Only’ from his new album.
The second standing ovation was not the end though, as Bryn Terfel came on stage to join Andrea in a duet. Now lover of female voices that I am, sometimes male voices in harmony can move me just as much – a particular favorite of mine is the duet from Bizet’s ‘The Pearl Fishers’. This powerful performance of ‘Au fond du temple saint’ from Bryn and Andrea was simply spine-tingling. The audience were as one in rising once more to applaud these two great singers, and we were left in anticipation of what might follow in the second half of the show.
The interval gave me a chance to speak to Classical Reflection again, and I came across Marina Lieberman and Emily Estelle in one of the bars. I had to wait to return to my seat towards the end of the interval, as the front row was occupied by an army of ladies with their phones out filming Michael and Alfie in the arena just at that spot.
Bryn Terfel returned to open the second half with a fantastic performance of ‘If I Were a Rich Man’ from Fiddler on the Roof.
The Critics’ Choice Award was presented by Nile Rodgers to Sheku Kanneh-Mason – his second award of the evening.
A very special award for Lifetime Achievement went to Dame Vera Lynn, Forces Sweetheart during WW2, with a career spanning nine decades. We were treated to a video showing highlights of her career, including some of Dame Vera speaking recently. Understandably Dame Vera (now aged 101) was not able to attend in person and the award, presented by Aled Jones, was accepted on her behalf by Vera’s daughter, Virginia Lewis-Jones. As Virginia read out a note prepared by her mother, I was struck by how similar her voice was to her mother’s – the same accent and tone, just not quite as wobbly (but at the age of 101, I think it is allowed to have a bit of a wobble to one’s voice).
The next performance was from pianist Alexis Ffrench, joined by South African soprano Pretty Yende, accompanied by a lovely balletic dancer.
Album of the Year (the only award decided by a public vote) went to Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, presented by Charlotte Hawkins. This resulted in more banter between the two of them as although they said they could now have one trophy each, they were both quite determined to get their hands on this one.
The final award of the evening was presented by Dame Shirley Bassey. This ‘Special Recognition Award’ went to Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. Andrew gave an impassioned acceptance speech, the nub of which was how vital it is to maintain public funding for music education in schools.
The finale was (predictably) a medley of Andrew Lloyd Webber music played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (who had accompanied the whole evening) culminating in a beautiful performance of ‘Love Never Dies’ by Megan Picerno. Red petals fell from the roof as the music drew to a close, reminiscent of the poppy petals in the annual Festival of Remembrance at the same venue.
All in all, it was a wonderful show and great to see the Classic Brit Awards return after a gap of five years. It was only slightly marred by the lack of the Red Carpet arrivals event, but in fairness, there are major building works going on around the hall and consequently, space is limited. I hope that the event will continue uninterrupted for the foreseeable future and that they will find a way to reinstate the Red Carpet, which provides such a valuable connection between artists and fans.