Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza

The Somerset town of Glastonbury may be well known for it's rain soaked music festivals and mystical callings, but on Sunday evening there was no mud wrestling to be seen within the Abbey grounds... and the only mystery was how anyone wouldn't have enjoyed this historical settings Musical Extravaganza.

Although I've had the great pleasure of attending several proms type events over the past few years, including Rochester Castle only a few weeks ago, this was my first visit to both Glastonbury and it's spectacular concert. Somerset is actually quite a long journey from my home "oop north", but the idea of listening to beautiful music performed by some of my favourite performers, all within such a fabulous setting was just too great an opportunity to miss out on! So with high hopes of sunshine and union jack flags safely packed, my family and I embarked on what turned into a very long, tiring drive down the country, arriving rather exhausted, cursing bad drivers and signposting!

Our tensions and frustrations were soon lifted by the glorious sunshine and breath-taking scenery that greeted us on Saturday morning though, as we spent the day exploring the quaint villages and towns nestled below the Mendip Hills. The peace and quiet was somewhat shattered later that evening however, as the two day Musical Extravaganza, organised by Glastonbury Festival's Michael and Emily Eavis, began in earnest, with old rockers Status Quo, supported by ABBA tribute band, Bjorn Again. Thankfully I was staying far enough away from the town to enjoy a peaceful night in preparation for the second part of the weekend's music fest, Sunday evening's classical, prom style concert.

Much to our delight, following a rather chilly, damp experience at Rochester, the hot, sunny weather held firm as we made our way into Glastonbury Abbey. Speaking as someone on crutches, I have to say the organisation could have been a little better for the disabled, as the designated parking was neither clearly visible or accessible, whilst the long trek over undulating ground from the main gate to the viewing area was quite a challenge to say the least! The effort was well worth it though, as we set up our chairs and enjoyed a pre-show picnic, basking in the evening sun and the majestic Abbey ruins.

The concert was started by the evening's host, Welsh singer and presenter Aled Jones, who rather sneaked onto the stage and took us all by surprise with his warm welcome! Before the music began, he introduced a lovely lady who spoke on behalf of St Margaret's Hospice, the charity being supported at the event by the sale of large sunflower shaped badges. Her speech was very touching and moving, as was the amount of people seen wearing their sunflowers with great pride too, with it being announced later that £800 had been raised.

First onto stage for the evening were the Corelli Quartet, an impressive string group who have collaborated with many top artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Seal and Take That. They played several beautiful pieces, including La Vie En Rose, but sadly, as with Raven at Rochester, I was disappointed that they never spoke or interacted with the audience. It would have been nice if they'd introduced themselves and spoken a little about the pieces they were playing, many of which I recognised but couldn't quite remember the names of.

After the Corelli Quartet left the stage there was an awfully long break, which seemed rather strange and left the place feeling a little flat. Thankfully it didn't take long for things to liven back up again once the main part of the evening got underway and by the time the RPO had filed onto stage and begun playing their opening piece, a medley from Bizet's Carmen, the atmosphere was buzzing. The returning Aled welcomed us again and introduced the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Timothy Redmond and spoke a little about the opening piece, which included Prelude, Aragonaise and Les Toreadors. He also took great fun in mentioning that the fire engine sirens that had been an unfortunate accompaniment to part of the medley, weren't an original part of Bizet's famed opera!

Aled went on to explain that the theme for the evening's entertainment was love, before introducing the first of the night's soloists, the beautiful Jo Appleby, a founding member of the opera group, Amici Forever. Entering the stage wearing a gorgeous black, beaded dress, she went on to sing Puccini's haunting O Mio Bambino Caro with immense passion, producing a wonderful combination of power and gentleness at the same time. As Jo left to well deserved applause, she was followed on stage by her husband, Welsh tenor Andrew Rees, who performed another Puccini piece, Addio Fiorito Asil from Madame Butterfly, just as beautifully as his wife had done before him.

The RPO then performed a favourite of mine, Saint Saens' rather quirky and spooky Danse Macabre, which as Aled explained on his return to the stage, cleverly uses the various orchestral sounds to portray death summoning the skeletons to dance around the graveyard! I'm not quite sure how much it had to do with the night's theme of love, but I didn't really care as it was a fabulous rendition which I thoroughly enjoyed.

There was certainly no doubting that we were back on theme with the next piece, as Aled took to the microphone himself to perform a wonderful, haunting version of the song "If", made famous by the group Bread and a firm favourite of my family and I. Accompanied only by a beautifully played, soft guitar, his rich, lyric baritone voice floated effortlessly across the captivated audience, leaving more than a few of us with tears in our eyes. It was the first time I'd heard Aled sing live and I can honestly say I was very impressed indeed.

After thanking us for his well deserved applause and hoping we'd all had a "nice cuddle", Aled went on to re-introduce Andrew Rees to the stage to sing Granada. As usual Andy put his all into his performance, which was fabulously powerful and passionate. Jo then replaced her husband on the stage to enthral us with a truly delightful rendition of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic from Carousel, You'll Never Walk Alone. I have honestly never heard this sung better by any soprano. Throughout the entire song the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, whilst I couldn't stop myself tingling or crying as Jo hit a final top note higher than I thought was even possible. Truly astonishing and awe-inspiring, as this world class soprano somehow just keeps getting better and better each time I see and hear her sing.

Darkness was falling as the first half of the concert was brought to a fitting close, with the RPO playing Tchaikovsky's melodic Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker, followed by a rip-roaring, fun rendition of Verdi's Brindisi, with both Jo and Andy, which had the crowd dancing, flag waving and cheering with great enthusiasm! The interval provided just enough time for a stretch of the legs and a warm drink, before the RPO returned to the stage again to delight us with The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Dukas's fun piece, which famously featured in Disney's Fantasia, was this time accompanied by the stunningly beautiful and very clever Aquatique water fountains, dancing colourfully against the clear night sky.

Aled then talked about Bernstein's adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, which he explained was originally going to be called East Side Story and tell the story of a Jewish girl and Catholic boy's ill-fated love affair. The story was of course moved west, with the warring sides becoming the sharks and jets and the rest as they say is history. He welcomed Jo and Andy back to the stage to perform Tonight from West Side Story, which they sing with typical passion and energy, really bringing the words and emotion alive. As they left to yet more warm applause, Aled commented on how they sing so well together... just like a married couple!

For the second time during the evening, Aled then took to the stage himself to perform a real crowd favourite, You Raise Me Up. The song has of course been performed by many people over the years, but is perhaps most synonymous with Josh Groban these days. However, Aled is one of the very few people who sing it as it was originally written by The Secret Garden, including both verses. It was a real treat to hear him singing it on Sunday, once again putting his own, unmistakably smooth style on a beautiful song and bringing the crowd to their feet.

As the nights entertainment drew to a close, Jo Appleby returned to the stage to produce yet another crisp, soprano performance, this time enthralling us with her energetic rendition of I Could Have Danced All Night, from Lerner and Loewe's classic My Fair Lady. Andy then brought the soloist's section of the concert to a thundering close with Puccini's enigmatic and world renowned Nessun Dorma. Aled thanked us all for coming, before bringing to a close his part of the evening and leaving us in the hands of the RPO conductor for the finale. He received a large, well earned cheer and rapturous applause as he left the stage, as he'd been not only a warm, funny and captivating host, but also provided us with a lovely taster of his great singing talent too. I will certainly remember my first experience of seeing Aled Jones live with warmth, happiness and a great deal of respect. He may only have performed two songs at this event, but I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard and would definitely welcome the opportunity to hear him sing again, some day soon I hope.

Conductor Timothy Redmond continued the concert by taking us into the traditional Proms finale, starting with the Fantasia on Sea Songs. We inevitably got a good workout clapping along with the Hornpipe, as Mr Redmond decided we were just too slow the first time and made us try again. As we waved our flags furiously, Jo & Andy then returned for the final time - it was nice to see Jo wearing the now fixed, beautiful red dress that had been so dramatically torn in an unfortunate "wardrobe malfunction" with Alfie Boe at Rochester! As we all joined together in a rousing Rule Britannia, Jo enthusiastically waved her two union jack flags throughout, whilst Andy stayed true and proud to his roots by bringing out a huge Welsh flag, which got him a cheeky whack on the head from his wife!

The passion, pride and emotion poured out from beneath the beautifully lit Abbey ruins as we all belted out Jerusalem, regardless of what key we were in. It's truly amazing how the moment just over comes you and before you know it, you're singing along with 4000 other people who would probably never normally sing in public either. The sight of us all dancing, cheering, singing and frantically flag waving is a real testament to the power, passion and sheer fun these wonderful Proms events create. As we joined in one final time for Pomp and Circumstance/Land of Hope and Glory, the Dragonfire fireworks that set the deep, black night sky ablaze with colour made the atmosphere even more electric, and I don't think a single person wanted that last note to end.

Our cheers rattled almost as loudly as the fireworks as we showed our immense appreciation for all the performers, the RPO, Jo Appleby, Andrew Rees and Aled Jones, who had all provided us with a magical night of music and entertainment. The RPO responded to our cries of "more", bringing the night to a definite close with an excerpt of Mussorgsky's Pictures From An Exhibition, as the remaining fireworks boomed across the Abbey and people chattered about what a marvellous time they'd had. I think that's a big part of what makes these events so special, people of all ages and from all walks of life coming together to enjoy the sights, sounds and spectacle without any boundaries, barriers or restrictions. I even discovered later that actor Nicholas Cage had been at the event, yet most people wouldn't even have known or noticed. Which leads me to believe once again that for a few wonderful hours, all that really mattered was the music and escaping reality in a way only music allows us to do.

Yet again, I came away from a Proms night feeling enthralled, enlivened and enriched by the talents so generously shared in front of me, which is an experience I can't recommend highly or strongly enough. We may well have had a Hollywood actor in the crowd on Sunday night, but for me at least the real superstars were the fabulous performers we were privileged to see and who made the Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza a real Blockbuster hit!

Added: August 13th 2009
Reviewer: xena
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