This was the first time I've been to a concert with a 10.30am kick-off, but then this was the first of its kind. Nor did the inaugural Sport Prom turn out to be merely a game of two halves (although there was half-time, also known as the interval) but more like a party celebrating an adrenalin-load of multifarious sporting achievements. Presented by Gabby Logan, herself formerly a rhythmic gymnast, in conversation with famous names from the sporting world, lots of parallels were drawn between the teamwork of sports stars and that of music-makers, and today's BBC Concert Orchestra and Crouch End Festival Chorus, under the bubbly direction of Rebecca Miller, certainly brought life, soul and heart.
Despite the unorthodox timing, there was a good-sized audience in the stadium, sorry, Hall, including families and, at a guess, many who would be less familiar with the standard classical repertoire than the selection of sports theme tunes which featured – many of which have their roots nonetheless in classical sources. As such, programming this type of event seems an excellent way of attracting a broader audience. Perhaps next time the publicity should encourage patrons to don their team's kit to add to the atmosphere; definitely worth a return leg.
For a show like this, it's impossible to give a blow by bang by pluck account of the wide range of pieces, but here are a few of the highlights that made it such an entertaining experience: the fanfare-like opening salvoes, courtesy of John Williams' Summon the Heroes, with its motivational flavour setting the tone for the morning's words, music and pictures (giant-screen video-themed montages of winning moments, bringing back memories of London 2012, Ashes success, Torvill and Dean, and a host of others, prefaced by personal inspirations from the likes of Barry Davies, Robin Cousins and Anna Watkins); the infectious metallic percussion of the Test Match Special theme Soul Limbo, along with Phil Tufnell's revelation that he once played the cowbell on this very stage; the impressionistic evocation of Ravel's Une barque sur l'ocean, Miller bringing out a shimmering quality perfectly suited to the pictorial souvenir of water sports various, interlaced with the suggestion of working muscles, X-ray skeletons and pumping hearts; and snippets of unexpected information – who knew that Shostakovich was a qualified football referee?
The loudest cheers greeted ex-Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba, who survived a near-death experience on the pitch and is now inspiring young footballers to ensure they have a 'Plan B' by not neglecting their education. The significance of the continuing beat of his heart was not lost on the appreciative crowd, who in turn launched into singing on the terraces, as it were. I'll admit to some goosebumps when we all got stuck into You'll Never Walk Alone – from Rogers and Hammerstein's Carousel, but popularly known as the anthem of Liverpool FC – bolstered by the Crouch End Festival Chorus' beautifully phrased legato singing. A communal rendition of Freddie Mercury's We Are The Champions, the official theme of the 1994 World Cup, set off synchronised arm-waving galore. The workout didn't stop there: the official batting order concluded, Miller whipped up the band into a remarkably energetic swoosh through the Bach-inspired theme to Ski Sunday, which set the choir off in mock skiing action, morphing into a Mexican wave which only subsided after a good half-dozen circuits of a jubilant Royal Albert Hall.
