Martin
Global Moderator
HWI Management Team
Posts: 3,335
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Post by Martin on Sept 20, 2008 9:38:33 GMT
Hayley wore her new red dress in the first half and then changed into her new black and gold dress for the second set to sing "Nobody Does it Better" (which is absolutely true! ). I was half hoping that she might be wearing a black leather suit to get into the role but alas not. We had abandoned our premium ticket status as it turned out that this seating area was at the back of the lawn facing the stage and opted to sit much closer to the stage. Even so, we were a good thirty metres from the front of the stage so unfortunately no photos were possible from me. James has some though. There was no opportunity to meet with Hayley either before or after, in fact it was quite likely that she left soon after her last song which was mid-second half. I neither saw any sign of road manager or bedlam representative. A pity as I had hoped to wish Hayley a good trip to Ghana next week. On the way in as you would expect security was tight (car boot search, sniffer dogs etc) but once inside it was very relaxed and the academy and surrounding grounds were vast and impressive. The stage was at least four times the size of that at Broadlands but it had to be as it needed to hold over a 100 strong orchestra and a large choir. I do not think I have ever heard Hayley sing with such a large group of musicians. A great sound. Strangely, I would guess that owing to the layout of the venue two thirds of the audience could not see the front of the stage. In fact I would say that most of them had come for the overall visual experience of fireworks, pyrotechnics and a bit of music thrown in! This was reflected in the very muted applause all evening. It was great that Hayley was supporting such a good cause as the evening was very poignant at times. Martin
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Post by Libby on Sept 20, 2008 23:02:13 GMT
Thanks for your report and scan of the programme!
It would be very nice if you could post this on the official forum, too. So far, there's no thread on this event there. I could always copy and paste your report, and maybe find an article about it, but it won't work for me to get the programme in there.
Thank you!
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Post by Mark on Sept 23, 2008 16:27:56 GMT
Hi Martin Thanks very much for your report. It sounds as though it was a much larger event than I had realised. I guess I am not surprised at the tight security, given the venue. It is very unusual indeed for Hayley not to have a little audiance interaction, the whole affair sounds very formal, although it fitted the occasion no doubt. I must say, apart from Hayley,s numbers, I liked the choice of music including the Dads Army theme and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a great sound with such a full orchestra I'll bet I think you had already assumed that it may be impossible to see Hayley after the show with such large numbers etc. However, yet again, something different Just waiting for james and his photo's now Best regards Mark
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Post by James on Sept 23, 2008 20:51:18 GMT
Just waiting for james and his photo's now You shouldn't have got people's hopes up Martin. I tried to take a few pictures but my zoom capacity was insufficient for the distance we were from stage. Here are a couple of scene shots to give an idea of the scale and colour of the event: As Martin already mentioned, because of the layout of the venue, the vast majority of the audience would not have been able to see the stage or the performers but would have seen the fireworks and projections instead. Even from the distance we were sitting, the amplification required made it sound to me as if the orchestra could have almost been a pre-recorded sound rather than a live orchestra and the usual immediacy of a smaller venue or concert hall orchestra was lost (let me make it clear they were playing live in case anyone doubts it). Additionally, the idea of premium seats was a bit misleading as the view and sound we had where we chose to sit (after abandoning our "premium" seats) was actually better than it would have been. On a positive note, Hayley sang 3 individual numbers and a duet and 3 of the 4 songs were ones I had not heard her sing live before. "Amigos" was a great duet and Hayley hit the high note at the end spot on. It was also interesting to hear her sing "Nobody Does It Better" (in the new black and gold dress). Aside from Hayley as the obvious high point of the evening, Jonathan gave what I thought was a great performance and I very much enjoyed and was impressed by his version of Queen's slightly haunting "Who Wants To Live Forever". Other than Hayley and Jonathan, there were a couple of other singers on the Blues Brothers songs and a couple of Bond themes but frankly these sounded more like karaoke singers to my ears. Still, it was all in a good cause. It was a bit odd to have Jonathan and Hayley playing only a supporting role in a very formal script with no audience rapport. Hayley spoke only 2 words, to say "thank you" at the end of the Carly Simon song, and I couldn't help but feel a trick was missed by not having either of the solo stars back for the "proms" section at the end. Finally, here is the best I could manage of Hayley performing "Amigos Para Siempre" with Jonathan. As you can see, they were dwarfed by the orchestra and occupied only the front right (as we looked at it) of the stage:
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Post by Stephany on Sept 23, 2008 21:14:01 GMT
Hi James Many thanks for your great pictures - it looks as though it was pretty crowded on stage! It's a great pity that the interaction with the audience was kept to a minimum though. Stephany
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Post by grant on Sept 23, 2008 23:26:37 GMT
Hi James
Many thanks for your report and pictures which, by the way, were well worth waiting for! The first one, particularly, gives an excellent sense of the occasion.
Best wishes Grant
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Post by Karsten on Sept 24, 2008 13:18:30 GMT
Hi James,
That was indeed a completely different concert compared to Lincoln. Many thanks for your report and the pictures.
All the best,
Karsten
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Post by Richard on Sept 24, 2008 15:59:51 GMT
This post has been moved from the News Discussions board. Hi All,
The following news article appeared today (Wednesday 24th September 2008) within 'getsurrey.co.uk' at the following link here
Music and fireworks support veterans' fund
'Get Surrey' (S&B Media) 24/9/2008
"https://i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gifAZZLING displays of fireworks and beautiful renditions of some of Britain’s most well-known songs enthralled audiences of more than 2,000 at Sandhurst’s Music on Fire event, which raised money for the Army Benevolent Fund.
An awe-inspiring parachute drop by The Red Devils and The Black Knights wowed listeners as they watched the concert, and a fabulous backdrop of glittering fireworks lit up the sky as the 100-piece band performed works by Beethoven and Schumann.
Opening with the James Bond theme tune, they also performed classics including Carmina Burana, as well as the apt Dad’s Army theme.
Classical songstress Hayley Westenra, 21, and G4 star Jonathan Ansell impressed with their smooth blend of classical pop music.
Other celebrity guests included actress Penelope Keith and musical group Teatro.
Military bands including the Band of the Irish Guards, the Band and Orchestra of the Royal Artillery, the Band of the Prince of Wales’s Division and the Band of the Coldstream Guards also performed.
And audience members were in the presence of royalty on the first night last Thursday, when the Earl and Countess of Wessex attended.
Event organiser Giles Cooper said it had been a “super” show.
“Audience members weren’t expecting the combination of music and fireworks throughout,” he said.
“It really was a modern day spectacular.”
Kate Mackay, from the Army Benevolent Fund, said: “It’s been awesome.
“It’s the major event in our calendar and we’re delighted to have been able to put it on for the third time.
“The James Bond theme is fantastic, and it’s worked really well. What’s been especially fantastic is the way the fireworks have continued throughout the performance."
See this week's Camberley Mail for reaction from the crowd."
A link to a gallery of 22 fantastic photographs is also included!
Andrew
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Post by Andrew on Sept 24, 2008 16:02:31 GMT
Hi Richard, Thank you for relocating this post... I was SO excited to share it that I posted it in the wrong place... OOPS!!! Andrew
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Post by Mark on Sept 24, 2008 19:46:11 GMT
Hi James Thanks very much for your report and considering everything, your photo's were excellent and do give a great sense of what it was like to be there. Ewll worth waiting for I would say See you soon no doubt. Best wishes Mark
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Post by Mark on Sept 24, 2008 19:49:02 GMT
Hi Andrew Thanks so much for posting the article (all be it in the wrong place first time around i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif ) It certainly confirms that the organisers thought it was a great success. Regards Mark
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Joe
Administrator
Supporting Hayley since 2003!
Posts: 6,703
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Post by Joe on Sept 24, 2008 23:20:51 GMT
Thanks for the article, Andrew! And well done, James and Martin, for the photos and reports!
I must say this was a very proud event for the British people. Glad that Hayley was able to add her own sparkle.
Joe
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Post by fusilier23 on Sept 24, 2008 23:21:40 GMT
Hayley wore her new red dress in the first half and then changed into her new black and gold dress for the second set to sing "Nobody Does it Better" (which is absolutely true! I was half hoping that she might be wearing a black leather suit to get into the role but alas not. Hmmm, biker chick Hayley?
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Post by larryhauck on Sept 25, 2008 1:14:48 GMT
Martin,
Was that the Carly Simon " Nobody does it better"?
Larry
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Post by Richard on Sept 25, 2008 7:21:23 GMT
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