QUEENS HALL, LANGHAM PLACE
The
Queen’s Hall had seventeen entrances in Langham Place, Riding House
Street and Great Portland Street and originally seated 3000 people,
although, after alterations in 1919, housed only 2,400. It was
considered to have excellent acoustics. There was also the Queen’s Small
Hall, seating 500 people. This hall opened in November 1893.
While
Webster Booth always considered this hall to be his favourite as a
singer, he was associated with it as early as 1935 when the unusual film
written and composed by Friedrich Feher in which he appeared as a
troubadour, was first shown in the Queen’s Hall. The film was called The Robber Symphony.
Not only was Webster required to pull a piano through the snow in the
Alps during the making of this film, but he also sang several songs
written by Mr Feher, one in creditable Italian.
Webster Booth in The Robber Symphony.
Webster sang many oratorio performances in the Queen’s Hall, including a Messiah,
conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham on 17 December 1938. It was at this
performance that Australian, Joan Hammond sang the soprano solos in one
of her first engagements in England. At that time Joan Hammond had a
beautiful lyrical soprano voice, but after further training Webster was
surprised to discover that her voice had become very much heavier when
he recorded the duet from Madame Butterfly with her in 1943. In
order to balance the duet, Miss Hammond had to stand quite a distance
behind Webster during the recording, conducted by the (then) Dr Malcolm
Sargent.
By
the time this recording was made, the Queen’s Hall had been destroyed
by an incendiary bomb. On the afternoon of 10 May 1941 Webster had sung
the part of the Soul in Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius at the Queen’s
Hall. The other soloists were contralto, Muriel Brunskill (the Angel)
and baritone, Ronald Stear (The Priest and Angel of Agony). The
soloists, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society
were conducted by Malcolm Sargent.
Interior of Queen's Hall
I
have always regretted that no recording was ever made of Webster
singing Gerontius, as he was notable in this role. When he immigrated to
South Africa he sang in the first South African performance of The Dream of Gerontius
in 1957, conducted by a very young Keith Jewell, who became the Cape
Town City Organist. Keith Jewell accompanied Anne and Webster in (what
was meant to be) their farewell concert in Somerset West, Cape Province
in 1975..
The day in 1941 had been pleasant and sunny, but only a few hours after this performance of The Dream of Gerontius,
the Queen’s Hall was destroyed by a German incendiary bomb. Webster
Booth always considered the hall to be the finest concert hall in the
world for a singer. The Promenade Concerts had been held there, but
after the destruction of this beautiful hall they transferred to the
Royal Albert Hall. Webster Booth said in his joint autobiography with
Anne Ziegler, Duet (1951), that many singers were terrified to
sing in the Albert Hall after the warm acoustic of the Queen’s Hall, but
although he adored the Albert Hall, the Queen’s Hall would always
remain his favourite London Concert Hall.
Jeannie C
March 2011 ©
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