The recently refurbished Hall for Cornwall, in Truro, is today hosting a BBC Proms concert, part of the World’s Greatest Classical Music Festival. Bringing the joy of classical music to as wide an audience as possible is an integral part of the Proms’ mission. This year, for the first time ever, the Proms is taking its successful chamber music series, established in 1996, across the UK, visiting all four nations. In Truro, Alim Beisembayev will perform Scarlatti, Liszt and Chopin.
Since his victory at the 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition, this young piano virtuoso from Kazakhstan, has seen his career lift off, with critics applauding his “high-powered” playing. In this, his Proms debut, he tackles three cornerstones of the keyboard repertoire: the vivacity and wit of Scarlatti’s sonatas, the high-Romantic drama of Chopin’s expansive Third Sonata and – like a sudden volley of fireworks at the heart of the recital – three of Liszt’s spectacular Transcendental Etudes.
The refurbishment and remodelling of the Grade II* listed Hall for Cornwall has increased the theatre’s audience capacity and provides a more intimate atmosphere, with improved sightlines and acoustics, whilst conserving and restoring important heritage elements and bringing them into better use.
The new auditorium, named Cornwall Playhouse, is a beautiful, open space on three tiered-levels enabling the organisation to deliver their artistic vision and providing a new dynamic relationship between performer and audience. Originally a wide, arena-style space (good for rock but hopeless for drama), Burrell Foley Fischer have introduced circle and balcony levels and narrowed the width with new slip seats. Movable shutters allow the acoustic and atmosphere to be varied for drama, classical music, comedy and rock and pop gigs.
The new auditorium is an open space sitting within the granite box of the original marketplace walls with open edges allowing views through and across the space. The back façade of the City Hall and the Back Quay building are visible from within the theatre space. In the daytime, and during set up, these views allow glimpses into the theatre world. For comedy nights and rock and pop gigs the openness and standing positions create a lively atmosphere. For drama and classical music the shutters come down and the auditorium can be absolutely focussed on the performance.
The existing stage house is the only element of the previous theatre that remains, but all the auditorium theatre lighting positions, technical bridges, control room, dimmer rooms, forestage elevator and other technical elements and areas have been replaced as part of the new, multi-tiered auditorium. BFF worked closely with theatre consultants, Charcoalblue and their acoustic consultants to deliver this exciting project.
Variable acoustics have been introduced to enable the internal acoustic of the auditorium to be expanded from a relatively dry acoustic to suit drama, stand-up comedy and amplified music to a fully bloomed acoustic to suit orchestral music and other live acoustic events. This is achieved by adjustable banners, acoustic absorption and drapes discretely accommodated in the upper areas of the auditorium, while giant shutters enable the auditorium to openly connect with the foyer areas or completely isolated to provide a unique presentational format for the venue.
The proms concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 from 1 pm and then subsequently be available on the BBC Sounds app.