Leading musicians are expected to perform at Wigmore Hall as part of the BBC’s “empty hall” series, a concert set that sees leading musicians return to a London stage for the first time since lockdown commenced.
The series, which marks the very first live music broadcast on Radio 3 since mid-March, will comprise of twenty different hour-long concerts. They will be broadcast at one o’clock in the afternoon on each June weekday, as part of the BBC’s Culture in Quarantine project.
When the musicians do return to the hall, they will perform without an audience and with the most minor technical set-up possible. The artistic director of the venue, John Gilhooly, says that: “When we shut the hall on 16 March we made sure to leave the piano on the stage, and the camera and audio equipment – all of which can be operated remotely – in place.
“With only one or two performers on stage it’s very possible to make this work within government guidelines observing social distancing.
“There’ll be one producer backstage for Wigmore Hall, one producer for Radio 3, we need someone to tune and then anti-viral the piano, the artists will come on stage from separate entrances, the presenter will sit in the middle of the hall, I will sit in the balcony and we’ll communicate via radio, email and texts.”
When choosing the musicians to perform, Ghilhooly assures that they will continue to observe the government issued guidelines, with the majority promising to travel to the venue by either bike or walking.
Controller of the BBC Radio 3, Alan Davey, has praised the initiative, saying that: “Live music is in the DNA of Radio 3. Its loss is felt by all, not just at home but also in the music industry. It is a great joy to restore this service to the nation while also ensuring maximum health and safety.”
