THE Battle Proms!!!!
Upon arriving to the UK in July 2007 we encountered a great many odd things, including a curious advertisement for something entitled "The Battle Proms". Initially we assumed that "Battle Proms" must include two high school beauty queens in pink taffeta dresses fighting a bloody battle to the death for the honor of being crowned "Prom Queen". Seemed a little extreme to be advertising it with fireworks and cannons - but at this point we had already surmised that pretty much anything odd is possible in England... After a few inquires we eventually learned that "The Battle Proms" are a series of outdoor concert events combining orchestral performances of classical music with cannons, cavalry displays and fireworks that are geared towards rousing the patriotic spirit of the the British people. Curious to see what all the hoopla was about, we packed up a picnic and took the senior Raccio team off to our first "Prom" held on the beautiful grounds of Blenheim Palace. The evening started off with a Napoleonic Cavalry and Infantry Display followed by an evening gun salute: 
Although the concert was held in mid-July it really wasn't your typical outdoor-summer-picnic-day. We were a bit skeptical that the weather would hold and it was bloody cold! Fortunately the skies cleared a bit, just in time for the opening Spitfire display choreographed to "Jupiter" from The Planets by Gustav Holst: 
The orchestra did a great job covering a varied repertoire -- from Verdi Operas to Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance (did you know that had words?!?!) -- despite the occasional piece of sheet music flying away: 
It's hard to exactly describe the audience of the Battle Proms... Clearly everyone was there to have a good time, and picnics ranged from little camper baskets on blanket (go us!) to huge gazebos with candelabras. Audience dress varied from jeans and jumpers (a prize goes out to the first non-British person to post a response explaining what a "jumper" is) to tuxedos and ballroom gowns. Despite the variety, as we said before, UK National Pride oozed out of the pore of everyone there: 
And being an American certainly didn't stop us from getting in on the action (although we did have a little trouble singing the correct words to "God Save the Queen" - how'd they mange to usurp that tune from us?!?) especially with a little help from our new favorite British summer drink, Pimms: 
(Why Kim felt she needed an entire pitcher of that beverage, we'll never know...) And, as promised, there were the cannons - all 193 of them to be exact. They played a key role in the 1812 Overture and The Battle of Vittoria, The Battle Symphony (Op. 91 Beethoven): 
Overall, a good time to be had by all - a great time to be British!
Although the concert was held in mid-July it really wasn't your typical outdoor-summer-picnic-day. We were a bit skeptical that the weather would hold and it was bloody cold! Fortunately the skies cleared a bit, just in time for the opening Spitfire display choreographed to "Jupiter" from The Planets by Gustav Holst: 
The orchestra did a great job covering a varied repertoire -- from Verdi Operas to Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance (did you know that had words?!?!) -- despite the occasional piece of sheet music flying away: 
It's hard to exactly describe the audience of the Battle Proms... Clearly everyone was there to have a good time, and picnics ranged from little camper baskets on blanket (go us!) to huge gazebos with candelabras. Audience dress varied from jeans and jumpers (a prize goes out to the first non-British person to post a response explaining what a "jumper" is) to tuxedos and ballroom gowns. Despite the variety, as we said before, UK National Pride oozed out of the pore of everyone there: 
And being an American certainly didn't stop us from getting in on the action (although we did have a little trouble singing the correct words to "God Save the Queen" - how'd they mange to usurp that tune from us?!?) especially with a little help from our new favorite British summer drink, Pimms: 
(Why Kim felt she needed an entire pitcher of that beverage, we'll never know...) And, as promised, there were the cannons - all 193 of them to be exact. They played a key role in the 1812 Overture and The Battle of Vittoria, The Battle Symphony (Op. 91 Beethoven): 
Overall, a good time to be had by all - a great time to be British!
3 comments:
Isn't a "jumper" just a sweater? (This under the category of Things I learned from Bridget Jones' Diary.)
You got it! Along with "pants" and "thongs", "jumpers" have caused much fashion distress to our American families here at Kingham - but we think we're finally sorting it out!
Just read up on Pimm's...sound interesting. You'll have to bring me a bottle.
BTW, if you come across "Innis & Gunn" give it a try. A quite tasty oak aged ale.
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