Amazon Prime Live Events with Katie Melua at the Cadogan Hall
Earlier this week we had the opportunity to see Katie Melua as part of the recent Amazon Prime series of concerts at the Cadogan Hall a 950-seated venue located in the heart of Chelsea.
Marking her return to London this year Katie Melua held a series of two very intimate and unique appearances as part of the Amazon Prime Live Event series. Admittedly I was not familiar with her extensive catalogue of songs but by the end of the evening I had learnt that Katie is not only one of Britain’s most successful recording artists, selling more than 11 million albums, one million concert tickets and receiving 56 platinum awards; she is originally from Georgia and along with her mastery of the guitar (6 guitars and 11 changes during the set) her voice was truly mesmerising and fitting for the venue. A lot of credit for these events has to go to Amazon Prime for creating these exclusive live events allowing both the performer and the audience to share an unique and intimate experience. I look forward to the next series.
Known for its acoustics and low gallery Cadogan Hall provides an intimate audience experience with a very real feeling of being part of the performance. Unsurprisingly these characteristics make it a preferred choice of venue for orchestra’s including the Hall’s resident orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic and is the chosen venue for the world-famous BBC Proms Chamber Music Series. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is acknowledged as one of the UK’s most prestigious international orchestras.
Cadogen Hall was initially opened in 1907 as a New Christian Science Church designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm and adorned by stained glass designed by a Danish nobleman, Baron Arild Rosenkrantz, had learnt the art of stained glass whilst working with Tiffany in New York. By 1996 the congregation had diminished and the property had been sold and soon fell into disuse for several years.
In 2000 the building was acquired, restored and open in June 2004 as the new home of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. A significant part of the restoration involved managing the acoustics of the building and specifically what’s referred to as, “sound break-out” from the building as well as the performance acoustic from within the auditorium. The ceiling and the roof have been re-detailed to provide acoustic insulation and tuned resonator tubes have been installed on the main ceiling and the walls under the gallery and the undersides of the tip-up seats in the stalls also have a pattern of absorption holes to retain the Hall’s acoustic character.
