Berlioz in London
Exeter Hall
This hall was built between 1829 and 1831 on the site of the gardens of the former residence of the Earls of Exeter. It opened on 29 March 1831. Although designed for meetings of religious and charitable institutions, the Sacred Harmonic Society gave concerts in 1834 in the smaller of its two halls. Following the establishment of singing classes in 1841 in the hall, the decade 1840-50 saw a series of popular Wednesday concerts, whose programmes included symphonies by Haydn and Mozart. The New Philharmonic Society, founded in 1852, gave its first concerts there.
The engraving below shows this large Hall, which could hold over 3000 people. The inscription at the top should read Philadelpheion (in Greek letters), though the text is incorrectly given on the engraving. The word means literally ‘Place of brotherly love’.
Berlioz conducted a number of concerts in this hall during his visits to London, in particular six concerts in 1852 when he conducted the New Philharmonic Society Orchestra (on 24 March, 14 April, 28 April, 12 May, 28 May, and 9 June). A number of his own works were included: excerpts from Romeo and Juliet at the 1st and 3rd concerts, his Francs-Juges overture and orchestration of Weber’s Invitation to the Dance at the 5th, and excerpts from the Damnation of Faust at the 6th.
Among other composers represented were those for whom he had special admiration going back to the 1820s. Excerpts from Gluck’s Iphigenia in Tauris figured at the 1st and 2nd concerts, and at the 3rd excerpts from Armide. At the 3rd concert Berlioz insisted on including the finale of Spontini’s La Vestale, which he conducted in the presence of the composer’s widow; she had presented him for the occasion with the baton once used by Spontini himself (Spontini had died the previous year, in 1851). Weber was also represented, with his overture Oberon (1st concert), his Concert Piece [Konzertstück] for piano and orchestra (3rd concert; the soloist was Madame Camille Pleyel, née Moke, to whom Berlioz was briefly engaged in the early 1830s), the overture to Der Freischütz (4th concert, but not conducted by Berlioz), Berlioz’s orchestration of the Invitation to the Dance (5th concert), and the Jubel overture (6th concert). Beethoven was represented in all 6 concerts: the triple concerto (1st concert), 5th Symphony (2nd concert), Egmont overture (3rd concert), 9th Symphony (4th & 6th concerts), and overture Leonora no. 2 (5th concert).
Berlioz’s letters give a number of reports about these concerts. For example, the day after the first concert on 25 March he wrote to his friend Joseph d’Ortigue (Correspondance générale no. 1461, hereafter abbreviated to CG):
I am writing to you a few lines to let you known that I scored a colossal success. I don’t know how often I was called back, and I was acclaimed both as composer and as conductor. This morning I read in the Times, the Morning Post, the Morning Herald, the Advertiser and others, eulogies such as have never been written about me.
And a few days later to Liszt (CG no. 1462, 29 March):
I have just had a huge success at Exeter Hall, at the very moment when you were conducting in Weimar the second performance of Benvenuto. The New Philharmonic Society has a vast and magnificent orchestra: 20 first violins, 18 seconds, etc... and all this works like a good quartet.
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was the main feature of the fourth concert on 12 May. The electrifying performance was a revelation to audience and critics alike, who regarded the occasion as historic and sang Berlioz’s praises. For James Davison of The Times "it was the greatest triumph so far achieved by the New Philharmonic Society"; for the Irish composer Howard Glover, writing in the Morning Post, it was "the best orchestral performance ever heard in this country" (cited in Ganz, Berlioz in London, p. 143).
Berlioz writing on 22 May to d’Ortigue described the performance thus (CG no. 1488):
The Choral Symphony, which so far had never come off here, had a miraculous impact, and as a conductor I had a triumph. I was called back after the first part of the concert. It was such a great event, that many people doubted we would ever emerge with credit from this awesome and wonderful work.
The sixth and last of these concerts was held on 9 June. He wrote to d’Ortigue about it a few days before leaving for Paris (CG no. 1495, 12 June):
I am writing to you just a few lines to say that our last concert took place last Wednesday with extravagant success, a huge crowd and large takings. I was called back four or five times. Two pieces of Faust were encored amidst shouts and stamping, and the English papers say that a musical success of such violence is unexampled in London. In short this is phenomenal. After the Chorus of Sylphs a crown was thrown to me; this success therefore has its laurels, as warriors say, and wreaths of oak and all St John’s herbs.
In his 1855 visit, Berlioz gave two further concerts with the New Philharmonic Society Orchestra at Exeter Hall. This visit was his last to London.
In 1882 the building, which had ceased to be financially profitable as a concert hall, was sold to the Young Men’s Christian Association and in 1907 it was demolished.; the Strand Palace Hotel was built on the site and still stands there, as shown in the last two photos on this page.
The modern photos reproduced on this page were taken by
Michel Austin; other pictures have been scanned from engravings, postcards and
books in our own collection. © Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin.
All rights of reproduction reserved.
Exeter Hall in 1830
This engraving is reproduced on a 1905 postcard.
Exeter Hall in the 19th century
Interior of Exeter Hall in 1840
The building now on the site of Exeter Hall (Strand Palace Hotel)
The same building from the opposite angle
© 2002-2008 Michel Austin and Monir Tayeb for all the pictures and information on this page.
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