Mick Jagger reports a new film celebrating 150 years of the Royal Albert Hall

New short film, Your room will be ready, just released to commemorate the 150th anniversary of London ‘s famous Royal Albert Hall. Narrated by Sir Mick Jagger reading from WH Auden’s poem “For Friends Only,” the film looks back at the Hall’s legendary history and promises much more memorable experiences for future audiences. And following Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s preparations for the country yesterday, those experiences are looking to resume this year in June. Craig Hassall, President, Royal Albert Hall, said: “It is great news that the vaccination program is going so well that the country is taking positive steps towards reopening. We are welcome to have a June 17 deadline to reopen at full capacity. ”

Sir Mick Jagger said: “The Royal Albert Hall is without a doubt one of the best venues in the world so I was delighted to be asked to read a short poem by WH Auden as part of the short film. this brilliant by Tom Harper. I remember playing there with the Clachan in the 1960s. ” Director Tom Harper says the film “not only celebrates achievements in the Hall’s glorious past but also the feeling that we are anticipating some of the things we can be looking forward when we can be together again. ”

Led by BAFTA nominee Tom Harper (The Aeronauts, Wild Rose) with the original score by Academy Award winner Steven Price (Gravity, Fury), the film features more than 40 fragments of archival events, including previously unseen material dating back to 1930.

The film captures legendary moments in music history, along with performances from artists, athletes and activists. There are previously unseen and unpublished photographs of Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as rare items including the Diana Ross Hall debate in 1973, a photo restoration of what is now a 1970 Led Zeppelin look and Peter Whitehead’s film of the 1966 major exhibition The Rolling Stones

Other clips include images from the BBC Archive of Shirley Bassey, George Michael and Luciano Pavarotti, recently discovered material from the 23-year-old Jacqueline du Pré concert for the Czechoslovakia, and Albert Einstein speaking out against the Nazis in 1933. Freddie Mercury featured at the 1985 Fashion Aid appearance, along with an excerpt from Bob Dylan’s 1968 documentary DA Pennebaker Don’t look back.

Recorded at Mark Knopfler’s British Grove Studios, the film’s original score features the Tippett Quartet, celebrating the famous curator Eliza Marshall and the main trumpet of the BBC Symphony Orchestra Philip Cobb. Produced by Tomboy Films and Barnaby Spurrier, the film was shot by cinematographer George Steel (The Sandman [2021], Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror) and edited by Mark Eckersley (The Crown, This Is England ’86) and Sarah Bates (Vanity Festival, Luther).

The film is the first event of the Hall’s 150th anniversary celebrations, which will expand to 2022 and include major commissions from British artists, major exhibitions from musical images, and a series of exhibitions inspiring the next generation of talent. More than 330 auditorium displays were canceled or canceled in the past year, due to the Covid-19 global pandemic and the Hall will remain closed on its own birthday. However, there will be a special birthday party on March 29, 2021 – 150 years to the day since it opened. Award-winning score writer David Arnold Sherlock and five Bond films, led by a team of musicians on a year-long collaboration with hundreds of local schoolchildren, community members and Chelsea Pensioners. The result is Circle of Sound, a multimedia view that reflects the spirit and history of the Hall. The ten-movement work will be performed by a full orchestra, featuring singers from the British National Youth Choir as well as guest stars from the world of stage and screen.