RPO Blog

Prom 68: ‘Wagner Night’ was the RPO’s offering in the 2019 BBC Proms series. One of a number of proms commemorating 150 years since the birth of the founder/conductor of the proms, Sir Henry Wood. The programme was a collection of music that Sir Henry would have typically chosen for his concerts: the first half of two overtures and some incidental music, followed by the main event in the second half – highlights from Wagner’s colossal concluding opera from the Ring Cycle, Götterdammerung.

By Jennifer Christie (RPO Second Violinist)

It’s British Summertime and the stars certainly aligned on this project! As a Leo, I recently celebrated a milestone birthday, went on a blow-out holiday, then came straight back to work on some recording sessions before delving into this exciting RPO Resound project working alongside young people with vision impairments (VI) from the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), hosted by the Science Museum. There’s never a dull moment as a musician in the RPO!

By Ben Wolstenholme (RPO Double Bassist)

On the bank of the river just down from the Thames Barrier, there is a workshop. Inside, on a shelf, there’s a tin containing nearly 200 small pieces of ebony with names written on one side. These are the names of double bass players going back generations. It’s a miniature history of the double bass in the palm of your hand.

What on earth has this got to do with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra?