Main Performers | Madame Albani, Madame Patey, Edward Lloyd, Mr Santley - vocals, Dr Stainer - organ |
Choirs | Royal Albert Hall Choral Society (Royal Choral Society) |
Royal Presence | HM Queen Victoria, HRH The Prince Henry of Battenberg, HRH The Princess Henry of Battenberg, HRH The Princess Louise (Marchioness of Lorne), HRH The Prince of Leiningen, HRH The Princess of Leiningen, HRH The Princess Christian HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh, HRH The Duke of Connaught, HRH The Duchess of Connaught |
Performance Notes | Special extra performance.
There were some attempts to enable the conductor Gounod to be present but he was unable to enter the country because of an outstanding legal dispute with Georgina Weldon, an amateur singer.
'Yesterday the Queen visited London to attend a representation of Mr Gounod's Oratrio 'Mors et Vita', at the Royal Albert Hall. In the expectation of the Queen's arrival, a large number of persons gathered soon after 2 o'clock in the roadway opposite the hall, lining the railings of Hyde Park and the steps of the Albert Memorial, and the day being fine, the crowd rapidly increased. An unusually large police force was employed to preserve the line of communication between the hall and the park and to marshal the carriages: while a large number of mounted police patrolled the roads in the vicinity. The royal carriage was a closed landau, with postillions. An outrider preceded it, and two of the Queen's personal servants, in Highland costume, sat on the box behind.' (The Times, 27 February 1886)
'Since its erection the Albert Hall has not seen a more numerous and more brilliant audience than that which filled every part of the building from floor to gallery yesterday afternoon'. The Times, 27 February 1886) |
Related Archival Material | Handbill (RAHE/6/1885/1), Illustrations from London Illustrated News |