Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
London is spoilt for choice when it comes to
orchestras
. On most days you should be
able to catch a concert by one of the many superb major orchestras, or more specialized
ensembles, based here, and prices aren't too high. While the
Royal Opera House
(ROH)
can attract top international stars, the downside is the prohibitive price (and availability)
of most of the tickets. The nearby
English National Opera
(ENO) tends to be better
value, and can be more adventurous in its repertoire and productions. Staged in an
Islington pub, small-scale and intimate
OperaUpClose
productions have brought opera
to the masses, while many of the off-West End theatres (see p.419) extend the
boundaries of contemporary classical music and physical theatre in lively ways. As for
dance, your first stop should be
Sadler's Wells
, where some of the world's outstanding
companies regularly appear. Fans of classicism can revel in the
Royal Ballet
, a company
with some of the most accomplished dancers in Europe.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Unless a glamorous guest conductor is wielding the baton, or one of the world's high-profile orchestras is giving a
performance, you should be able attend a
classical concert
for around £15 (the usual range is about £12-50), and a
good few concerts are
free
; check
W
cityevents.co.uk for a guide to free concerts in the City's many churches. In addition
to the venues listed below, check schedules at the Victorian Wilton's music hall (see p.420), which occasionally stages
classical concerts with an avant-garde edge.
as associate orchestra, and top foreign orchestras, ensembles
and big-name soloists in regular attendance, the Barbican is
an outstanding arena for classical music.
Cadogan Hall
Sloane Terrace, SW1
T
020 7730 4500,
W
cadoganhall.com;
!
Sloane Square.
This handsome
CONCERT VENUES
Barbican Centre
Silk St, EC2
T
020 7638 8891,
W
barbican.org.uk;
!
Barbican or Moorgate.
With the
outstanding resident London Symphony Orchestra (
W
lso
.co.uk), the BBC Symphony Orchestra (
W
bbc.co.uk/orchestras)
28
THE PROMS AND OTHER CLASSICAL MUSIC FESTIVALS
THE PROMS
The
BBC Henry Wood Promenade Concerts
(Royal Albert Hall
T
0845 401 5040,
W
bbc
.co.uk/proms;
!
South Kensington), or the Proms, tend to be associated with the raucous “Last
Night”, when the flag-waving audience sings its patriotic heart out to
Land of Hope and Glory
.
In fact, this jingoistic knees-up is untypical of the season (mid-July to mid-Sept), which features
around seventy concerts with an exhilarating mix of favourites and new or recondite works.
The unique aspect of the Proms is that seats in the stalls, and the upper gallery, are removed to
create up to 1400
standing places
- these cost £5, even on the last night, and must be
bought on the door, on the day. Seated
tickets
cost £7.50-95; those for the last night are
allocated by ballot, and start at £57. Weekly passes range from £32.50-42.50. The acoustics
aren't the world's best - OK for orchestral blockbusters, less so for small-scale works - but the
performers are usually outstanding, the atmosphere is great and the hall is so vast that the
likelihood of being turned away if you turn up on the night is slim. A handful of chamber
music concerts are also held in Cadogan Hall, usually at lunchtime, just off Sloane Square.
OTHER FESTIVALS
London has several more classical music festivals that provide a feast of music throughout the
year in some of the city's most appealing venues. The most prestigious is probably the
City of
London Festival
(
W
colf.org), which takes place in the City's churches, music venues and
livery halls for a month from late June. St Leonard's Church, Spitalfields, is at the centre of
several music events. The largest of them,
Spitalfields' summer festival
in June
(
W
spitalfieldsfestival.org.uk), stages music in a variety of intriguing venues in east London; the
same organizers also put on a shorter music festival in December. Other annual musicfests to
look out for include the
Festival of Baroque Music
(tickets from £10;
W
lufthansafestival.org
.uk), held in May, and with some concerts in Westminster Abbey, and the
Early Music
Festival and Exhibition
(
W
earlymusicfestival.com), held in November in Greenwich's
beautiful Old Royal Naval College.
