Last Night of the Proms: Royal Philharmonic – Review – Hull City Hall
By Karl Hornsey, September 2025
Less than a week on from the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Philharmonic brought their very own version of the spectacular to a packed Hull City Hall. As one would expect from such an occasion, there was an eclectic range of music on offer, from operatic pieces through traditional folk songs to the expected finale of some real flag-waving crowdpleasers, with no less than 15 pieces in total.
The orchestra played under the baton of the acclaimed conductor Nicolò Umberto Foron, marked out as one of the ’30 Under 30’ talents to look out for in the classical world, and his lithe movements on stage and infectious joy in his work was a key feature in making this an evening to remember.
First up, was Richard Strauss’s Don Juan, possibly the longest piece of the night and a wonderful rollercoaster of emotions telling part of the life story of the infamous lothario, The conclusion of which brought to the stage world-renowned Elizabeth Watts, herself fresh from appearing a couple of weeks ago in the BBC Proms in London, and her frequent appearances were another highlight of the programme.
Watts warmed up with arias from Puccini operas Gianni Schicchi and La bohème, which were followed by probably my highlight of the programme, Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance No 8. Dvořák’s dances really are rollicking fun and entertainment, starting in dramatic fashion, with occasional respite, but the overriding feeling is of being slapped round the face and soundly awoken by the magnificent drama of their work.
“Frentic crescendo”
A duo of Benjamin Britten’s folk songs, sung by the returning Watts, and Johann Strauus II’s overture from Die Fledermaus rounded off a varied first half of the concert, and the variety certainly didn’t end there.
As is to be expected at the LNOTP, the concluding half moved very much from a European focus in its choice of compositions to an almost exclusively British perspective, with one exception coming from American composers Lerner and Loewe, and a rendition of ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ from My Fair Lady. Pieces by Walton, Ethel Smyth and Lehár added to the mix, before the audience sensed their moment had arrived to get involved.
Following the now tried, trusted and very set in stone finale to the actual LNOTP, the final four pieces needed little or no introduction to those in attendance. Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs has been a staple of the Proms since the start of the 20th century and remains impossible to sit still through, climaxing as it does with a bobbing and weaving frenetic crescendo that gets the feet tapping try as you might not to.
That then leads into the first chance for the audience to demonstrate their own vocal talents with ‘Rule, Britannia!’, followed by ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ and the now seemingly ubiquitous ‘Jerusalem’. Sitting there and enjoying the spectacle, it’s worth just thinking of the provenance of these pieces, performed by a globally recognized orchestra under the baton of a German-Italian conductor on an evening that all just seems so terribly British. A remarkable keeping alive of tradition, and long may that continue.
Karl’s love of writing was piqued at the age of eight, when he won a Blue Peter badge in an essay-writing competition. The location of said badge might be a mystery now, but the memory never fades. Hours spent writing about sport as a teenager, in pre-internet years when you had to make your entertainment, honed his skills, and Karl has worked in TV and radio listings at PA Media for 28 years, and the age of hybrid working means 50% of that can be at home listening to Classic FM and thinking about his next visit to his beloved Yorkshire Dales.
@KarlHornsey, hornskar
