If you've ever visited the Royal Albert Hall you'll know it has no connection to Ibiza. Set in the heart of London, it plays host to The Proms annually — eight weeks of classical music concerts in a historic venue. Ibiza and the Royal Albert Hall are polar opposites, but on Wednesday night they merged together to pay homage to house music. The BBC convinced the Heritage Orchestra to play some Ibiza classics and the result is a stunning Ibiza Prom.
Classic '90s tracks set to violins
Concertos were replaced with classic dance anthems and a laser show. British DJ Pete Tong kicked off proceedings with Fatboy Slim's Right Here, Right Now, a dance classic with a whole lot of violins. Other tracks include ATB's 9pm (Till I Come), The Shapeshifters' Lola's Theme, and a host of other ‘90s and '00s classics. If you're an Ibiza regular or you remember the days when your legs worked properly and you could down a pint in seconds rather than hours then this particular Proms will provide goosebumps, neck tingles, and perhaps even a tear or two.
"Our arm muscles were burning... but we didn't care," says violinist Kerenza Peacock in an interview BBC's Newsbeat. That was during the epic rendition of Insomnia by Faithless, one of the most iconic dance tracks to ever grace Ibiza's shores. You can catch the highlights in the video above, or if you're in the UK the full performance is available here. Even if you're not a house music fan, this type of event is a great reminder of why Britons pay around £12 ($18) a month to hold a television license and be able to watch any type of TV. It's a source of intense debate in Britain, especially with a conservative government more than happy to rip the BBC apart. Britain should be proud of the institution the BBC has built. You'll miss it once it's gone.