How early to Prom?

[FLo711]

Hi Everyone - thanks for all your responses!

Unfortunately for me 3:30pm is much too early without organising some leave (which I now may think about doing)

Instead I might see if I can grab some unsold tickets to another prom, any suggestions on what is best (and still unsold?) I can go to most porm weekdays after the 30th of august.

Thanks!
F

[Chris Newman]

Thankyou, PhilipT. I was unaware of the Door 12 toilet.

Usually, I find that there is plenty to natter about with neighbours in the queue so time passes quickly. Also I find the Pre-Prom talks and concerts at the Royal College of Music help to pass an hour. Your "raffle ticket" keeps your place in the queue. These are free, variable in quality but often entertaining or informative or both. The Pre-Prom talk before Prom 61 looks promising as Graham Fitkin will discuss his Cello Concerto (played by Yo-Yo Ma in the first half of the concert) with Tom Service and there will be musicians on hand to play examples of his works.

I would regard the prices charged by the caterers in the Albert Hall as some of the most extortionate in London. I do not think they will last long as customers are avoiding them. See the thread on Albert Hall Catering.

[cavatina]

Instead I might see if I can grab some unsold tickets to another prom, any suggestions on what is best (and still unsold?) I can go to most prom weekdays after the 30th of august.

Thanks!
F

Phoning the box office is your best bet...it's a bit unpredictable, really. What kind of music are you most interested in? "Something for everybody," as the saying goes.

[PhilipT]

.. any suggestions on what is best (and still unsold?) ..

It's impossible to advise on what is still unsold, because (as discussed elsewhere on these boards) over 1000 seats at the RAH are owned by leaseholders who may or may not choose to return their tickets to the Box Office for re-sale. A Prom that is "sold out" today may not be tomorrow, so if there's one particular concert you're keen on it can be worth keeping trying.

[cavatina]

These are free, variable in quality but often entertaining or informative or both.

Speaking as someone who's been to all the pre-Prom talks, I must say they're extremely variable in quality and pitched at different audiences. The best talk I've heard so far was Andrew McGregor's interview with Pascal Dusapin. He basically sat back and let him give a fascinating account of the thought process behind his music--very informative and worth hearing again! Louise Fryer is a consistently excellent host as well.

When it comes to what I don't like, I can't really think of a way to put it nicely, so think I'll give it a pass. But I will say that unless you have kids, you might want to avoid talks pitched at families.

[french frank]

FF: for the full Promming experience, I highly recommend queuing for the Arena early and trying to get center rail next to the season prommers. I'm sure it would be fascinating to see how you adapt to the environment...definitely worth bringing the binoculars for that one.

I've prommed in the Arena, but never in the Gallery. Mind you, the added attractions mentioned by Philip T of fidgeting 5-year-olds and my own coffin ready waiting ...

Do they have a few coffins stored already in the Gallery? Easy enough to lower one down, but heaving it up first would be trickier

FLo711 - It depends what your circumstances are and how many concerts you can go to. It might be best to get a ticket or two from what's currently available and take pot luck on the day for the others. If the queue looks impossible, they may still have some tickets at the box office. And, as was said, it's worth checking regularly for the ones you really want to see if any tickets have become available.

[Chris Newman]

I used to go to the centre rail but soon discovered that you get the full blast from the nearest first violins, cellos or second violins depending on the conductor's desired layout but you hardly hear the woodwind. About ten rows back is perfect when the stage is full for large orchestras: my friends and I reckoned on that being half way between the fountain and the conductor. No fountain now so you have to count heads: mind you these days the stage is much bigger: as a result half the concerts have a wide empty forestage and vast gap for the TV cameramen where the best sound might be merely five rows back.

[ferryman]

Hi Everyone - thanks for all your responses!

Unfortunately for me 3:30pm is much too early without organising some leave (which I now may think about doing)

Instead I might see if I can grab some unsold tickets to another prom, any suggestions on what is best (and still unsold?) I can go to most porm weekdays after the 30th of august.

Thanks!
F

I've been lucky enough to pick up tickets by just keeping an eye on the RAH site every day. I've planned a week in London starting on Sept 2nd, and have managed to get stalls and front of GT box tickets through 7 nights. Some of these were of concerts previously sold out. Guess I've been lucky, but this method also works as long as you keep at it!

[FLo711]

I've been lucky enough to pick up tickets by just keeping an eye on the RAH site every day. I've planned a week in London starting on Sept 2nd, and have managed to get stalls and front of GT box tickets through 7 nights. Some of these were of concerts previously sold out. Guess I've been lucky, but this method also works as long as you keep at it!

Thanks for advice everyone! I didn't know there were returns - sounds like that's my best bet. I'm on the internet all day at work so shouldn't be hard to keep an eye on it

Finger crossed!

See you at the concerts :cool2:

[cavatina]

About ten rows back is perfect when the stage is full for large orchestras: my friends and I reckoned on that being half way between the fountain and the conductor. No fountain now so you have to count heads: mind you these days the stage is much bigger: as a result half the concerts have a wide empty forestage and vast gap for the TV cameramen where the best sound might be merely five rows back.

Tonight the audience was so close to the stage, the "front row left" spot could reach out and put her hand on the corner of the stage. (Not that I know anyone who would do a thing like that...) Tomorrow they're probably going miles away again for the camera, which is a pity. TV days make me so nervous: poker face, mind your manners, watch out for the Dalek-on-a-stick cams in the orchestra waiting for you to scratch your nose.

With all due respect, I hate five rows back, much less ten. On the front row, what you lose in balance, you gain in immediacy. I don't mind getting an unbalanced sound as if I were in the first violin section. Considering how much I miss the feeling of playing in a student orchestra, ideally I'd be sitting with the violas.

Do they have a few coffins stored already in the Gallery? Easy enough to lower one down, but heaving it up first would be trickier

I don't know--but if they do, I definitely need to go sneak into the storage room, dust off the cobwebs, and take a picture in it.

Which reminds me--somebody fainted in the Arena tonight! None of this halfway-blacking-out stuff, it was all the way down: I heard the "klunk" but didn't see anything except a bunch of people moving around...never found out what happened. Glad it wasn't me, though I did get lightheaded and stumble a little on the steps of door 11 during the intermission, and again later as I was leaving. Good grief, I really ought to get my blood pressure checked. Either that or start taking the elevator.

[prokkyshosty]

Which reminds me--somebody fainted in the Arena tonight! None of this halfway-blacking-out stuff, it was all the way down: I heard the "klunk" but didn't see anything except a bunch of people moving around...never found out what happened. Glad it wasn't me, though I did get lightheaded and stumble a little on the steps of door 11 during the intermission, and again later as I was leaving. Good grief, I really ought to get my blood pressure checked. Either that or start taking the elevator.

As a general rule, I should think if a day prommer faints, its due to the heat; if it's a diehard who's there night in and night out such as yourself, cavatina, it's more likely to be Stendhal syndrome.

By the way, speaking of where the best sound is/best place to stand is: on one of the lighter nights this week I snuck up into the Gallery to see how the other half lives. I met a fellow up there who proudly bragged of spending his last night in the Arena in 1978, and has never looked back. However, he went on to tell me about the two focal points in the ovoid dome of the RAH, and how that means that the best sound in the Arena is slightly back of midpoint.

It didn't occur to me until afterwards that his advice probably predates the installation of the sound reflectors. But it's funny how everyone has their own ideas. Me, I don't mind being farther back in the Arena, though Sunday night I will be as close as possible to the singers (I love the Spring Symphony!).

[vinteuil]

As a general rule, I should think if a day prommer faints, its due to the heat; if it's a diehard who's there night in and night out such as yourself, cavatina, it's more likely to be Stendhal syndrome.

we also need to factor in number of units of château d' yquem / tokay 7 aszu consumed - which can work both ways -too few an' you collapse from inadequate blood-sugar; too many an' you collapse from too much C2H5OH - me, I can't stand up straight for a full evening prom (bruckner, mahler, or similar) unless i've had at least one bott romanée-conti 1985 inside me...

[cavatina]

As a general rule, I should think if a day prommer faints, its due to the heat; if it's a diehard who's there night in and night out such as yourself, cavatina, it's more likely to be Stendhal syndrome.

Ha! For a split second after I read "Stendhal syndrome" I thought you were referring to this, but then I remembered what you were talking about. Maybe so...chalk it up to being hopped up on adrenaline and strung out on dopamine, I guess. Did you know that research shows music can spike dopamine levels in the brain almost as high as cocaine?

"Favourite music evokes same feelings as good food or drugs"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jan/09/why-we-love-music-research

EXCERPT: "One person experienced a 21% increase. That demonstrates that, for some people, it can be really intensely pleasurable," she said. In previous studies with psychoactive drugs such as cocaine, Salimpoor said relative dopamine increases in the brain had been above 22%, while a relative increase of up to 6% was experienced when eating pleasurable meals.

Somebody really ought to hook me up as a guinea pig; I'm sure I'd be off the charts. And only a 6% increase for savoring a fine meal? Bah! What an amateur...I know I'd beat that one too. I suppose that also explains why lately I've been so keen to smuggle in good wine and OTT desserts to enjoy in the interval. People are weird, go figure!

Me, I don't mind being farther back in the Arena, though Sunday night I will be as close as possible to the singers (I love the Spring Symphony!).

Me too...see you then!

[prokkyshosty]

we also need to factor in number of units of château d' yquem / tokay 7 aszu consumed - which can work both ways -too few an' you collapse from inadequate blood-sugar; too many an' you collapse from too much C2H5OH - me, I can't stand up straight for a full evening prom (bruckner, mahler, or similar) unless i've had at least one bott romanée-conti 1985 inside me...

I suppose that also explain why lately I've been so keen to smuggle in good wine and OTT desserts to enjoy in the interval.

I approve of these advanced Promming techniques!

[cavatina]

I approve of these advanced Promming techniques!

Well, if I have anything good with me on the nights you're there, you're welcome to stop over for a taste.

Tonight I brought amontillado sherry trifle, but was so distraught at the thought of having it confiscated at a bag check (or languishing in the coatroom for hours), I surreptitiously ate it beforehand. Bonus fun: I forgot my spoon so used my first two fingers as a scoop. Well out of sight of everyone else, that is. Er, at least I hope so... if any of you saw that and were grossed out, I apologise, and hope you were one of the people who got some of the Turkish delight I passed around by way of compensation.

It turns out there wasn't a bag check at all, so it was all for naught. Sigh.