Alexandra Palace as viewed from the air in 2009.

Alexandra Palace from the west, showing the outside of the Palm Court.

Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green. It was built in 1873 as a public centre of recreation, education and entertainment and as North London's counterpart to the Crystal Palace in South London.

Designed to be "The People’s Palace" and later nicknamed "Ally Pally" (allegedly by Gracie Fields^[1]), in 1936 it became the headquarters of the world's first regular public "high-definition"^[2] television service, operated by the BBC. The Alexandra Palace television station was located on the site and its iconic radio tower is still in use. The original Studios A and B still survive in the south-east wing with their producers' galleries and are currently used for exhibiting original historical television equipment. Occasional demonstrations on the original 405-line VHF standard may also be transmitted from the tower in future.^{[citation needed]} The original Victorian theatre with its stage machinery also survives. The theatre and stage structure is on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk register. The palace became a Grade II listed building in 1996^[3], at the instigation of Hornsey Historical Society (against the opposition of trustee Haringey London Borough Council); an application was made in 2007 by the Society^[4] and the BBC to upgrade its listing from its current Grade II.

A planned commercial development of the building into a mixed leisure complex including hotel, replacement ice rink, cinema, bowling alley and exhibition centre encountered opposition from public groups and was blocked in the High Court in October 2007. As of 2010, the Great Hall and West Hall are mostly used as an exhibition centre, music venue and conference centre operated by the trading arm of the charitable trust that owns the building and park on behalf of the public. There is also an ice-skating rink and palm court open to the public.

History[link]

The Great Northern Palace Company had been established by 1860 but was initially unable to raise financing. Alexandra Park was opened to the public on 23 July 1863. Originally the new building was to be named "The Palace of the People"; it was then decided the park and Palace should commemorate the new Princess of Wales, Alexandra of Denmark, who had married Prince Albert Edward, The Prince of Wales, four months earlier. However the building retained "Palace of the People" or "People's Palace" as an alternative name. In September 1865 construction of the palace commenced, but to a design different from the glass structure initially proposed by architect Owen Jones.

The palace covers some 7.5 acres (30,000 m²). In 1871 work started on a railway line to connect the site to Highgate Station. Work on both the railway and the palace was completed in 1873 and, on 24 May of that year Alexandra Palace and Park was opened. The palace was built by Lucas Brothers, who also built the Royal Albert Hall at around the same time.^[5] Sims Reeves sang on the opening day before an audience of 102,000.^[6] However, only sixteen days later a fire destroyed the palace, killing three members of staff. Only the outer walls survived. In this fire a loan Exhibition of a Collection of English Pottery and Porcelain, comprising some 4,700 items of historic and intrinsic value, was destroyed.^[7]

With typical Victorian vigour, the palace was quickly rebuilt and it reopened on 1 May 1875. The new palace contained a concert hall, art galleries, a museum, a lecture hall, a library, a banqueting room and a theatre. An open-air swimming pool was constructed at the base of the hill in the surrounding park; the pool is now long closed and little trace remains except some reeds. The grounds included a racecourse with grandstand (Alexandra Park, which closed in 1970), a Japanese village, a switchback ride, a boating lake and a nine-hole pitch-and-putt golf course. Alexandra Park Cricket and Football Club have also played within the grounds (in the middle of the old racecourse) since 1888. The Willis organ (installed in 1875, vandalised in 1918, restored and reopened in 1929) is still working, but its restoration is ongoing. In its 1929 restored form, Father Willis's masterpiece was declared by Marcel Dupré to be the finest concert-organ in Europe.^[8]

The rose window on the south-east front.

In 1900 the owners of the Palace and Park were threatening to sell them for redevelopment, but a consortium of local authorities led by Hornsey Urban District Council managed to raise enough money to purchase them just in time. By the Alexandra Park and Palace (Public Purposes) Act 1900, a charitable trust was set up; representatives of the purchasing local authorities became the trustees with the duty to keep both palace and park "available for the free use and recreation of the public forever". It is this duty that the present trustee, Haringey Council, is currently trying to overturn, protesters fear,^[9] by selling the whole palace to a commercial developer.^[10] The palace passed into the hands of the Greater London Council in 1967, with the proviso that it should be used entirely for charitable purposes, and their trusteeship was transferred to Haringey Council in 1980.

During the First World War the park was closed and the palace and grounds were used as an internment camp for German and Austrian civilians.^[11][12] The camp commandant was Lt. Colonel Robert Sandilands Frowd Walker until his death in May 1917.^[13]

The roof construction of the Alexandra Palace.

Alexandra Palace, as viewed from the south on 21 January 2007.

In 1935 the trustees leased part of the palace to the BBC for use as the production and transmission centre for their new BBC Television Service. The antenna was designed by Charles Samuel Franklin of the Marconi company. The UK's^{[citation needed]} first public broadcasts of high-definition television were made from this site in 1936. Two competing systems, Marconi-EMI's 405-line system and Baird's 240-line system, were installed, each with its own broadcast studio, and were transmitted on alternate weeks until the 405-line system was chosen in 1937. The palace continued as the BBC's main TV transmitting centre for London until 1956, interrupted only by World War II, when the transmitter found an alternative use jamming German bombers' navigation systems (it is said that only 25% of London raids were effective because of these transmissions).^{[citation needed]} In 1944 a German doodlebug exploded just outside the organ end of the Great Hall and blew in the Rose Window, leaving the organ exposed to the elements.^[14] Between 1947 and 1948 the Ministry of Works employed a team which included architect E.T. Spashett to facilitate repairs to the building, including replacing the rose window.^[15]

In the early 1960s an outside broadcast was made from the very top of the tower, in which the first passage of a satellite across the London sky was watched and described. It continued to be used for news broadcasts until 1969, and for the Open University until the early 1980s. The antenna mast still stands, and is still used for local terrestrial television transmission, local commercial radio and DAB broadcasts. The main London television transmitter is at Crystal Palace in South London.

Early in 1980 Haringey Council took over the trusteeship of Alexandra Palace from the GLC and decided to refurbish the building. But just six months later, on 10 July during Capital Radio's Jazz Festival, a second disastrous fire started under the organ and quickly spread. It destroyed half the building. Again the outer walls survived and the eastern parts, including the theatre and the BBC TV studios and aerial mast, were saved. In this fire parts of the famous organ were destroyed, though fortunately it had been dismantled for repairs so some parts (including nearly all the pipework) were away from the building in store. Some of the damage to the palace was repaired immediately but Haringey Council overspent on the restoration, creating a £30 million deficit. It was then reopened to the public in 1988 under a new management team headed by Louis Bizat. Later the Council was severely criticised for this overspend in a report by Project Management International.^[16] This was followed by the decision of the Attorney General in 1991 that the overspending by the Council as trustee was unlawful and so could not be charged to the charity. The Council for some years did not accept this politically embarrassing finding, and instead maintained that the charity "owed" the Council £30m, charged compound interest on what it termed a "debt" (which eventually rose to a claim of some £60m), and to recoup it tried to offer the whole palace for sale - a policy their successors are still trying to carry out despite being stalled in the High Court in 2007. As of June 2008, it is still unclear whether the Council in either of its guises has agreed to write off its overspend.

The former Alexandra Palace railway station, dwarfed by the Palace itself. It is now a community centre.

An ice rink was installed in 1990. Primarily intended for public skating, it has also housed ice hockey teams including Haringey Racers, Haringey Greyhounds and briefly London Racers.^[17] During the 1960s the palace housed a public roller-skating rink.

The theatre was greatly altered in the early 1920s, with the General Manager, W. J. MacQueen-Pope, spending the war reparation money on refurbishing the auditorium. He abandoned the understage machinery that produced the effects necessary in Victorian melodrama; some of the machinery is preserved, and there is a project to restore some of it to working order. After these changes, the theatre was leased by Archie Pitt, then husband of Gracie Fields, who appeared in the theatre. Fields also drew an audience of five thousand people to the Hall for a charity event. However after the BBC leased the eastern part of the palace the theatre was only used for props storage space.

In June 2004 the first performances for about seventy years took place in the theatre, first in its foyer then on 2 July in the theatre itself. Although conditions were far from ideal, the audience was able to see the potential of this very large space – originally seating 3000, it cannot currently be licensed for more than a couple of hundred. It is intended that the theatre will one day reopen, but much costly restoration will be required first. It will never again reach a seating capacity of 3000 (not least because one balcony was removed in the early part of the 20th century as a fire precaution, when films started to be shown there), but it does seem likely that a capacity of more than 1000 may one day be achieved. A major season of the theatre company Complicite was planned for 2005 but the project, which would have included some repair and access work, was cancelled due to higher-than-anticipated costs.^[18]

Plans by the current trustees, Haringey Council, to replace all the charitable uses by commercial ones by a commercial lease of the entire building, including a casino, have encountered considerable public and legal opposition,[2] and on 5 October 2007, in the High Court, Mr Justice Sullivan granted an application by Jacob O'Callaghan, a London resident, to quash the Charity Commission's Order authorising a 125-year lease of the entire building to Firoka Ltd.^[19]

A close up panorama of London from Alexandra Palace on 10 August 2007

A close up panorama of London from Alexandra Palace on 10 August 2007

Racecourse[link]

Horse racing took place in the park from 1868 to 1970^[20] in London's only racecourse which was nicknamed "The Frying Pan" from its distinctive layout. As recently as 1999 plans were being put forward for its re-opening.

Notable events[link]

A plaque commemorating the birthplace of generally receivable television.

In November every year, a large free fireworks display is usually held as part of London's Bonfire Night celebrations, although there was no 2010 or 2011 show as part of budget constraints.

1960s[link]

The Observer Wildlife Exhibition held here in 1963 was an important early event in highlighting awareness of worldwide endangered species, and gained a very large attendance (46,000).^[21]

On 28 April 1967, a benefit event took place at the palace. "The 14 Hour Technicolour Dream", organised by the "International Times", demonstrated the importance of the quickly developing UK Underground scene. Although "underground" venues such as the UFO Club were hosting counter-cultural bands, this was certainly the biggest indoor event at the time. Performers included headlining act Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things, Savoy Brown, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Soft Machine, The Move and Sam Gopal's Dream (featuring Sam Gopal, Mick Hutchinson and Pete Sears).

1970s[link]

In 1971, a chase scene for the Italian/Spanish horror/thriller giallo film A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (Italian: Una lucertola con la pelle di donna), directed by Lucio Fulci, was filmed at Alexandra Palace.

British rock band Led Zeppelin played at the Palace in December 1972.

In 1973 the Divine Light Mission held a "Festival of Love".^[22]

On December 22, 1973 British rock band Wishbone Ash played a Christmas concert at the Palace, billed as Christmas At The Palace with support from Vinegar Joe, Renaissance & Al Stewart.

The Grateful Dead played a series of shows here, 9 September 1974 – 11 September 1974. The band's recording of the show was released as part of the Dick's Picks series in March, 1997.

1980s[link]

The exterior of the palace was used as Victory Square in Michael Radford's 1984 film adaptation of George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.

The Sinclair C5 was launched at the palace on 10 January 1985, just a week after the closure of the 405-line television system that was launched at the Palace 49 years earlier.

On November 18 1989 The Stone Roses played their first major gig in the south of England, which became famous because the band managed to sell the venue out before being featured significantly in the music press or making any national TV appearances.

1990s[link]

Hugh Cornwell played his last gig with the Stranglers on 13 August 1990.

Squeeze and The Kinks performed at Alexandra Palace on 12 August 1990, in a concert that was broadcast on BBC Television.

Blur organised a major concert at the venue in October 1994 to promote their album Parklife. The concert was later released on VHS, and used as the basis for Blur's promo video End of a Century.

From 1993 to 1995, the Brit Awards were hosted at the venue.

The 1996 MTV Europe Music Awards were held here, hosted by Robbie Williams.

2000s[link]

The Darkness performing at Alexandra Palace on 7 February 2006.

The 60th edition of the Miss World pageant was held in the palace on 7 December 2002. The pageant was initially slated for Abuja, Nigeria but due to conflict in the city of Kaduna arising from a publication of an article in a Lagos- based newspaper, the pageant was relocated to London at the Alexandra Palace. The Strokes recorded a live performance at Alexandra Palace on 5 December 2003, this performance was to be released in the form of a live album, but the idea was scrapped. Travis played Ally Pally on 20 December 2003, the footage of which was used for their live DVD titled 'Travis - At The Palace'.

The third annual European Social Forum (ESF) took place on 15–17 October 2004 in London, the main venue being Alexandra Palace. The very first Give It a Name music festival was held at Alexandra Palace on 2 May 2005. In October 2005 Kiss 100 celebrated its 20th anniversary with a club night featuring many famous past and present Kiss DJs performing. On 5 December 2005 Paul Weller Played one night and released the show on a two disc cd entitled Catch Flame.

In 2005 a dance music rave promoted by Slammin' Vinyl under the name of Tranzmission was held at Ally Pally.^[23]

Alexandra Palace plays an important part in the 2006 Doctor Who episode "The Idiot's Lantern", set in 1953.

British television's 70th anniversary occurred on 2 November 2006 and this was marked with a special event called "TV70". A closed-circuit television programme was produced in Studio A using vintage equipment. This comprised some archive materials and an interview with several well-known stars from the early days of British television.

On 16 June 2007 – 17 June 2007 the Palace hosted the first London Hackday which was affected by a lightning strike on the building resulting in rooftop vents opening and the hall being flooded.

In August 2008, the LivingTV series Most Haunted Live used Alexandra Palace as their studio for a three night live programme entitled 'Total Darkness'. The studio was home to Paul Ross, historian Lesley Smith, interactive host Julian Clegg and the studio audience.

On 15 November 2008, the venue hosted Bullet For My Valentine as part of their Scream Aim Fire tour. They were supported by Black Tide, Lacuna Coil, Bleeding Through and Lawnmower Deth. The Show sold out with 9,000 fans attending the venue and is one of the largest metal concerts to be held at the venue to date. The show was recorded and is set to be released on their second live DVD.

On November 20th and 21st 2008, the Icelandic band Sigur Ros played at the venue in support of their album Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust. The performances were compiled into a concert film and album entitled Inni, which was released in 2011.

Death Cab for Cutie were due to play at the venue as part of their European Long Division tour in November 2008, but the concert was downsized to the Brixton Academy due to low ticket sales.

Since December 2007, Alexandra Palace has hosted the PDC World Darts Championship, ^[24] following 14 years at the Circus Tavern in Purfleet, Essex. The Alexandra Palace was previously home to the News of the World Darts Championship between 1963 and 1977.

April 2008 saw the relaunch of the regular Antiques Fairs,^[25] now held four times a year, organised by Nelson Events Ltd.

On 4 November 2009 Hip-hop musician Jay-Z performed a one off Show at the Palace during his Fall tour. Scenes from the concert and the view across London were intercut in the video "Young Forever" ^[26]

2010s[link]

The band Portishead hosted one of two All Tomorrow's Parties music festivals titled I'll Be Your Mirror on 23-24 July 2011 at the palace.^[27]

The fiftieth anniversary programme of Songs of Praise was recorded on 25 September and broadcast on 2 October 2011.^[28]

On February 10th, 2012, the venue will host The Black Keys as the last stop of their European Tour.^[29]

In March 2012, the Palace will host three nights of Florence + The Machine's UK Ceremonials (album) Tour.^[30]

From the 15-22 January 2012 the Alexandra Palace hosted the Masters snooker tournament.^[31]

During the 2012 London Olympics it will serve as the official Dutch Olympic team's residence.^[32]

On November 10th, 2012 it will be the venue for the Vans Warped Tour.

Nearest places[link]

• Muswell Hill
• Wood Green
• Hornsey
• Crouch End

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alexandra Palace

• Alexandra Palace (official site)
• Alexandra Palace (Victorian London)
• Save Ally Pally: campaign to maintain the charitable status of the palace and preserve its TV studios, organ and Victorian theatre for the public
• Buildings at Risk Register: Alexandra
• Detailed history of early BBC TV broadcasts, with archive photos 2003-09-14
• Good collection of personal memories of the BBC at Alexandra Palace with galleries
• Alexandra Palace Television Society
• Unofficial History of BBC Television at Alexandra Palace
• "Development threat to the palace, where television was born" (The Independent article on development plans, 30 December 2006)
• "TV studios under threat" (Local MP's blog on Palace's future, 29 October 2006)
• Pictures and Information About Alexandra Palace History
• Hornsey Historical Society
• More information on the 14 hour technicolor dream
• Alexandra Palace Organ Appeal
• Complicite scraps plans for Alexandra Palace rebirth (The Stage Online)
• Harringay online - website for Harringay residents awarded a Special Judges' Commendation at the Catalyst Awards 2008.
• Friends of Alexandra Park - website promoting and protecting Alexandra Park in North London

Coordinates: 51°35′38″N 0°07′48″W / 51.59389°N 0.13°W / 51.59389; -0.13

Eric Prydz
Background information
Also known as	Pryda, Cirez D, Sheridan, Moo, AxEr, A&P Project, Hardform, Dukes of Sluca, Groove System
Born	(1976-07-19) July 19, 1976 (age 35)
Origin	Täby, Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	House, electro house, progressive house, tech house, techno
Occupations	Musician, Producer, Disc Jockey
Instruments	Turntables Keyboard Guitar
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Pryda, Mouseville, Pryda Friends, Virgin/EMI, Astralwerks
Website	ericprydz.tv

Eric Sheridan Prydz (born July 19, 1976) is a Swedish DJ and producer based in London, United Kingdom. The pronunciation of his surname is often questioned; it is pronounced "prids", but when under his alias, Pryda, it is pronounced "pride-ah".^[1] In October 2011, DJ Magazine announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, where Prydz placed at #46.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Until recently, Prydz had only played shows in and around Europe as he has a fear of flying. In December 2008, Prydz was forced to cancel several dates in Australia, New Zealand and Malta after panic attacks prevented him from boarding the outbound flight.^[3][4]

On Armin van Buuren's radio show "A State of Trance" in February 2011, it was announced that Prydz recently became a father.

"E.P.I.C." Event[link]

His debut live show called "EPIC" (Eric Prydz in Concert) was held on April 2nd, 2011 at the O2 Brixton Academy Arena in London where he played most of his own production, as well as unfinished and upcoming tracks. The second show was at Global Gathering on July 29th and the third instalment at the Alexandra Palace on November 26th.

A monthly radio show, 'Eric Prydz Presents EPIC Radio' started on Friday, May 18 as a free download on iTunes.^[5]

Discography[link]

Since 2005, Prydz has been working on an artist album.^[6] The first version of the album was originally planned for release in 2007, but after complications with the record label, Ministry of Sound, he decided to cancel the release. In late 2009, Prydz told followers on his Facebook and Twitter accounts that his album had been completed and was going to be a Pryda album.

Finally, in early 2012, was revealed that it will be released as a 3 x disc album on May 21st through Virgin Records. Disc 1 will be made up of new unreleased Pryda productions which some fans may have heard as works in progress (including Shadows, Agag, Mighty Love, Allein and the intro edit of Pjanoo). Discs 2 and 3 bring together many of the classic tracks from the Pryda catalogue, sequenced and mixed by the man himself, including some of his special re-edits.^[7]

The Ministry of Sound club in London hosted the launch of the 'Eric Prydz Presents Pryda' album on April 14th, where Eric played some of the tracks from the album.

The bonus, for those who purchased the album legally, is free download of 'Tijuana', a track previously known as 'Space Miami ID', in WAV format.^[8]

Pryda label's boss is currently working on his official debut artist album, which is due to hit the stores in late 2012.

Pryda has become a genre-defining stable and is one of the most successful and influential dance labels in the world. This compilation album rounds up an incredible chapter in Eric's career so far, laying the foundations for the next exciting phase.

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Pryda[link]

2004

• Human Behaviour / Lesson One
• Spooks / Do It

2005

• Nile / Sucker DJs
• Aftermath / The Gift

2006

• Remember / Frankfurt

2007

• Genesis
• RYMD / Armed
• Ironman / Madderferrys
• Muranyi / Balaton
• Europa / Odyssey

2008

• Pjanoo / F12
• Evouh / Wakanapi / Rakfunk

2009

• Animal / Miami To Atlanta / Loaded
• Melo / Lift / Reeperbahn
• Waves / Alfon

2010

• Inspiration / RYMD 2010
• Viro / EMOS
• M.S.B.O.Y. / The End
• Niton / Vega
• Illusions / Glimma

2011

• Mirage / Juletider / With Me
• 2Night

2012

• SW4 (Club Mix)
• Allein

Cirez D[link]

2003

• Diamond Girl / It's Over / W-Dizco

2004

• Control Freak / Hoodpecker
• Deep Inside

2005

• Knockout / Lost Love
• Re-Match / B-Boy
• Teaser / Lollipop

2006

• Punch Drunk / Copyrat
• Mouseville Theme

2007

• Horizons / Tigerstyle

2008

• Läget?
• Stockholm Marathon / The Journey

2009

• The Tunnel / Raptor
• On Off / Fast Forward

2010

• Glow
• Bauerpost / Glow (In The Dark Dub)
• The Tumble / EXIT

2011

• Full Stop
• Tomorrow / Sirtos Madness (with Acki Kokotos)
• Mokba

2012

• Tear Shit Up (forthcoming, late 2012)

Sheridan[link]

2002

• Sunlight Dancing
• Wants vs. Needs

2004

• High on You

2006

• Fatz Theme / Flycker

Moo[link]

2002

• Seashells

2003

• Jonico (Mediterranien Mix) (with Luciano Ingrosso)
• Sunset at Keywest

AxEr[link]

2006

• 123 / 321

A&P Project[link]

2003

• Sunrize (feat. Zemya Hamilton)

The Dukes of Sluca[link]

2002

• Don't Stop / Steam Machine / Always Searching

2003

• Mighty Love (vs. Apollo)

Groove System[link]

2001

• Vacuum Cleaner / Chord Funk

Hardform[link]

2003

• Dirty Souls / Fear Tha Pimps / Back to the Groove

Remixes:[link]

As Eric Prydz[link]

2002

• Outfunk – Echo Vibes (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Star Alliance – PVC (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Par-T-One vs. INXS – I'm So Crazy (Eric Prydz Remix)

2003

• Harry's Afro Hut – C'mon Lady (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Outfunk – Lost in Music (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Steve Angello – Voices (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Snap! vs. Motivo – The Power (Of Bhangra) (Eric Prydz Remix)
• M Factor – Come Together (Eric Prydz Remix)
• The Attic – Destiny (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Futureshock – Pride's Paranoia (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Oliver Lieb & Shakeman Pres. Smoked – Metropolis (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Pet Shop Boys – Miracles (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Aloud – Sex & Sun (Eric Prydz Remix)

2004

• Duran Duran – (Reach Up For The) Sunrise (Eric Prydz Remix)
• The Shapeshifters – Lola's Theme (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Mutiny & Lorraine Cato – Holding On (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Alter Ego – Rocker (Eric Prydz Remix)

2005

• Axwell - Feel The Vibe (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Howard Jones – And Do You Feel Scared? (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Eric Prydz & Adeva – In & Out (Eric Prydz Remix)

2006

• Switch – A Bit Patchy (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Paolo Mojo – 1983 (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Michael Jackson – Thriller (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Duran Duran – Nice (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Inner City – Good Life (Eric Prydz Edit)

2007

• Sven Väth – The Beauty & The Beast (Eric Prydz Re-edit)

2008

• Paolo Mojo & Jim Rivers – Ron Hardy Said (Eric Prydz Remix)

2009

• Sébastien Léger – The People (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Calvin Harris – Flashback (Eric Prydz Remix)

2010

• Faithless - Not Going Home (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Felix Da Housecat - Thee Anthem (Eric Prydz Remix)

2011

• Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (Eric Prydz Remix)
• Digitalism - Circles (Eric Prydz Remix)

2012

• M83 - Midnight City (Eric Prydz Private Remix)

As Cirez D[link]

2006

• Double 99 - R.I.P. Groove (Cirez D Remix)

2008

• Christian Smith & John Selway - Total Departure (Cirez D Remix)

As Pryda[link]

2011

• Eric Prydz feat. Jan Burton - Niton (The Reason) (Pryda 82 Mix)
• Henry Saiz & Guy J - Meridian (Pryda Remix)

References[link]

Eric Prydz Live

External links[link]

• Official website
• Eric Prydz on Myspace
• Eric Prydz on Twitter

Nicholas II
Official portrait by Ernest Lipgart (1914)
Official portrait by Ernest Lipgart (1914)
Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias
Reign	1 November [O.S. 20 October] 1894 – 15 March 1917
Coronation	26 May [O.S. 14 May] 1896[1]
Predecessor	Alexander III
Successor	Monarchy abolished De facto : Georgy Lvov (chairman of the provisional government)
Spouse	Alix of Hesse
Issue
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich
Full name
Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov
House	House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Father	Alexander III of Russia
Mother	Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark)
Born	18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 Tsarskoye Selo, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, Alexander Palace
Died	17 July 1918(1918-07-17) (aged 50) Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR
Burial	17 July 1998 Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
Signature
Religion	Russian Orthodox

Nicholas II (Russian: Николай II, Николай Александрович Романов, tr. Nikolay II, Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov [nʲɪkɐˈlaj ftɐˈroj, nʲɪkɐˈlaj əlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪtɕ rɐˈmanəf]) (18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 – 17 July 1918) was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and titular King of Poland.^[2] His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias^[3] and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church. He has often been referred to as Saint Nicholas the Martyr.

Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. His reign saw Imperial Russia go from being one of the foremost great powers of the world to economic and military collapse. Critics nicknamed him Bloody Nicholas because of the Khodynka Tragedy, Bloody Sunday, the anti-Semitic pogroms, his execution of political opponents, and his pursuit of military campaigns on a hitherto unprecedented scale.

Under his rule, Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War, including the almost total annihilation of the Russian fleet at the Battle of Tsushima. As head of state, he approved the Russian mobilization of August 1914, which marked the beginning of Russia's involvement in World War I, a war in which 3.3 million Russians were killed.^[4] The Imperial Army's big losses and the monarchy's incompetent handling with the war, along with other policies directed by Nicholas during his reign, are often cited as the leading causes of the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

Nicholas II abdicated following the February Revolution of 1917 during which he and his family were imprisoned first in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, then later in the Governor's Mansion in Tobolsk, and finally at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. Nicholas II, his wife, his son, his four daughters, the family's medical doctor, the Emperor's footman, the Empress' maidservant, and the family's cook were killed in the same room by the Bolsheviks on the night of 16/17 July 1918. This led to the canonization of Nicholas II, his wife the Empress Alexandra and their children as martyrs by various groups tied to the Russian Orthodox Church within Russia and, prominently, outside Russia.

Family background[link]

Nicholas was the son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia (formerly "Princess Dagmar of Denmark"). His paternal grandparents were Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (born "Princess Marie of Hesse"). His maternal grandparents were King Christian IX of Denmark and Princess Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Nicholas was of Russian, Danish, and German descent.

Nicholas often referred to his father nostalgically in letters after Alexander's death in 1894. He was also very close to his mother, as revealed in their published letters to each other.^[5] Nicholas had three younger brothers (Alexander [1869–1870], George [1871–1899] and Michael [1878–1918]) and two younger sisters (Xenia [1875–1960] and Olga [1882–1960]).

Maternally, Nicholas was the nephew of several monarchs, including George I of Greece; Frederick VIII of Denmark; Alexandra, Queen consort of the United Kingdom; and the Crown Princess of Hanover. Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, and Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany were all first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom.

Nicholas' mother was the sister of British Queen Alexandra, the mother of George V. The Empress Alexandra was the daughter of Princess Alice, herself a daughter of Queen Victoria, thus making Edward VII her uncle, and cousin to the Emperor Wilhelm, on her mother's side; and equally a direct descendant of Queen Victoria. The Emperor Wilhelm was a son of Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, also named Victoria, who married Crown Prince Frederick of Germany. Nicholas and Wilhelm were not each other's first cousin, but they were second cousins, once removed, as each descended from Frederick William III, King of Prussia, as well as third cousins, as they were both great-great-grandsons of Emperor Paul I of Russia.

Tsarevich[link]

On 13 March 1881, following the assassination of his grandfather, Tsar Alexander II, Nicholas became Tsarevich and his father became Tsar Alexander III. Nicholas and other family members witnessed Alexander II's death because they were staying at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg where he was brought after being attacked.^[7] For security reasons, the new Tsar and his family relocated their primary residence to the Gatchina Palace outside the city.

A long trip for educational purposes became an important part of training for the members of the Russian imperial house. In 1890, Tsar Alexander III decided to establish the Trans-Siberian Railway. His heir, Tsarevich Nicholas, took part in the opening ceremony, and from there he was obliged to make a journey around the world, which became known as the Eastern Journey where he survived an assassination attempt at Otsu in Japan. Although Nicholas attended meetings of the Imperial Council, his obligations were limited until he acceded to the throne, which was not expected for many years, since his father was only 45.^[8]

While he was Tsarevich, Nicholas had an affair with the ballet dancer Mathilde Kschessinska. Against his parents' initial wishes, Nicholas was determined to marry Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, the fourth daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, second eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. His parents intended a more politically beneficial arrangement with Princess Hélène of Orléans, daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, pretender to the French throne, and his wife Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans, and a sister of Queen Amélia of Portugal, hoping to cement Russia's new alliance with France, but eventually yielded to their son's wishes.

Engagement, accession and marriage[link]

Official engagement photograph of Nicholas II and Alexandra, by Sergei Lvovich Levitsky, April 1894

Nicholas became engaged to Alix of Hesse in April 1894. Alix was hesitant to accept the engagement due to the requirement that she convert from Lutheranism to Russian Orthodoxy and renounce her former faith. Russian society was not too happy with the idea of a German princess becoming their queen. Princess Alix made bad impressions on her trips to Russia to visit her sister, The Grand Duchess Elizabeth. Alix was usually badly dressed, a poor dancer, considered shy and too arrogant. ^[9] An exception was made for Alix where she could convert without renouncing her Lutheran faith. Nicholas and Alix became formally engaged on 8 April 1894. Alix converted to Orthodoxy in November 1894 and took the name Alexandra Fedorovna, in an attempt to be more acceptable to the Russian people.^[10]

Alix and Nicholas were related to one-another via several different lines of European royalty and nobility: the most notable was their shared great-grandmother Princess Wilhelmina of Baden, making them second cousins via this line; and King Wilhelm II of Prussia, who was simultaneously the great-great-grandfather of Alix and the great-great-great-grandfather of Nicholas.

Nicholas took the throne on 1 November 1894 at the age of 26 following Alexander III's unexpected death. Throughout 1894, Alexander's health rapidly declined and at 49, he died of kidney disease.

Nicholas did not have as much political training or imperial experience as might have been desired of a newly crowned Tsar. Nicholas may have felt unprepared for the duties of the crown, asking his cousin Alexander,^[11] "What is going to happen to me and all of Russia?"^[12] Finance Minister Sergei Witte, however, recognized the need to train Nicholas early, suggesting to Alexander that Nicholas act as chairman of the Siberian Railway Committee.^[13]

Alexander argued that Nicholas was not mature enough to take on serious responsibilities, to which Witte replied that if he was not introduced to state affairs Nicholas would never be ready to understand them.^[13] Nicholas also acted as chairman of the Special Committee on Famine Relief, established after the devastating famines and droughts of 1891–1892, and he served on the Finance Committee and State Military Council before his coronation.^[14]

Perhaps underprepared and unskilled, Nicholas was not altogether untrained for his duties as Tsar. Throughout his reign, Nicholas chose to maintain the conservative policies favored by his father. While Alexander had concentrated on the formulation of general policy, Nicholas devoted much more attention to the details of administration.

Nicholas and Alix's wedding was originally scheduled for the spring of 1895, but it was moved forward at Nicholas' insistence. Staggering under the weight of his new office, he had no intention of allowing the one person who gave him confidence to leave his side.^[15] The wedding took place on 26 November 1894. Alexandra wore the traditional dress of Romanov brides, and Nicholas a hussar's uniform. Nicholas and Alexandra, each holding a lighted candle, faced the palace priest; a few minutes before one in the afternoon, they were married.^[16]

Reign[link]

Nicholas II's Imperial Monogram

Despite a visit to Great Britain before his accession, where he observed the House of Commons in debate and seemed impressed by the machinery of democracy, Nicholas turned his back on any notion of giving away any power to elected representatives in Russia. Shortly after he came to the throne, a deputation of peasants and workers from various towns' local assemblies (zemstvos) came to the Winter Palace proposing court reforms, such as the adoption of a constitutional monarchy,^[17] and reform that would improve the political and social life of the peasantry.^[18]

Although the addresses they had sent in beforehand were couched in mild and loyal terms, Nicholas was angry and ignored advice from an Imperial Family Council by saying to them: "... it has come to my knowledge that during the last months there have been heard in some assemblies of the zemstvos the voices of those who have indulged in a senseless dream that the zemstvos be called upon to participate in the government of the country. I want everyone to know that I will devote all my strength to maintain, for the good of the whole nation, the principle of absolute autocracy, as firmly and as strongly as did my late lamented father."^[19]

On 26 May 1896, Nicholas' formal coronation as Tsar was held in Uspensky Cathedral located within the Kremlin.^[1] In celebration on 27 May 1896, a large festival with food, free beer and souvenir cups was held in Khodynka Field outside Moscow. Khodynka was chosen as the location as it was the only place large enough in Moscow to hold all of the Moscow citizens.^[20]

Khodynka was primarily used as a military training ground and the field was uneven with trenches. Before the food and drink were handed out, rumors spread that there wouldn't be enough for everyone. The crowd rushed to get their share and individuals were tripped and trampled, suffocating in the dirt of the field.^[21] Of the approximate 100,000 in attendance, it is estimated that 1,389 individuals died^[1] and roughly 1,300 were injured.^[20]

The Khodynka Tragedy was seen as a bad omen and Nicholas found gaining popular trust difficult from the beginning of his reign. Unfortunately, the French ambassador's Gala was planned for that night. The Tsar desperately wanted to stay in his chambers and pray for the lives lost, but his uncles believed that his absence at the ball would strain relations with France, particularly the 1894 Franco-Russian Alliance. Nicholas attended the party. Of course, the mourning populous weren't told of the Tsar's true wishes and saw Nicholas as frivolous and uncaring.

The first years of his reign saw little more than continuation and development of the policy pursued by Alexander III. Nicholas allotted money for the All-Russia exhibition of 1896. In 1897 restoration of gold standard by Sergei Witte, Minister of Finance, completed the series of financial reforms, initiated fifteen years earlier. By 1902, the Trans-Siberian Railway was nearly completed; this helped the Russians trade in the Far East but the railway still required huge amounts of work.

In foreign relations, Nicholas followed policies of his father, strengthening the Franco-Russian Alliance and pursuing a policy of general European pacification, which culminated in the famous Hague peace conference. This conference, suggested and promoted by Nicholas II, was convened with the view of terminating the arms race, and setting up machinery for the peaceful settlement of international disputes. The results of the conference were less than expected, because of the mutual distrust existing between great powers. Still, the Hague conventions were among the first formal statements of the laws of war. In 1901 Nicholas II (and the famous Russian diplomat Friedrich Martens) were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize – for the initiative to convene the Hague Peace Conference and contribute to its implementation^[22].

He was Colonel in Chief of the Royal Scots Greys from 1894 until his death. On becoming Colonel in Chief he presented the Regiment with a white bearskin, now worn by the bass drummer of the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. The Imperial Russian anthem is still played at dinner nights in the Officers' Mess, where there is still a portrait of the Tsar in Scots Greys uniform. Since his killing the Regiment has worn a black backing behind its capbadge to mourn his death.

Russo-Japanese War[link]

The Russian Baltic fleet was annihilated by the Japanese at the Battle of Tsushima.