Classical music, opera and dance - The Rough Guide to London - page 411

neo-Byzantine building, built in 1901 as a Christian Science
church, now serves as a nine hundred-seat concert hall
with outstanding acoustics. The Royal Philharmonic ( W rpo
.co.uk) is its resident orchestra and it hosts Proms chamber
concerts (see p.413).
Kings Place 90 York Way, N1 T 020 7520 1490,
W kingsplace.co.uk; ! King's Cross. Headquarters of the
London Sinfonietta ( W londonsinfonietta.org.uk), one of
the world's finest contemporary classical music groups, the
innovative Aurora Orchestra ( W auroraorchestra.com) and
the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment ( W oae.co.uk),
who play on period instruments, this modern, purpose-
built venue, by the canal behind King's Cross, has two
performance spaces. The London Chamber Music Society
( W londonchambermusic.org.uk) holds excellent Sunday
evening concerts.
LSO St Luke's 161 Old St, EC1 T 020 7638 8891, W lso
.co.uk/lsostlukes; ! Old Street. This Hawksmoor church
has been beautifully converted into a 450-seat
performance/rehearsal space for the London Symphony
Orchestra and its splendid young associate Aurora
Orchestra ( W auroraorchestra.com). It's also used for a
wide variety of concerts from world music to experimental
jazz. Thursday lunchtimes see popular chamber recitals
(£10), recorded for BBC Radio 3, and there's a summer
series of free lunchtime concerts in the garden.
St John's Smith Square, SW1 T 020 7222 1061, W sjss
.org.uk; ! Westminster. Built in 1728 and firebombed in
1941, this striking Baroque church is home to an
exceptional concert hall, with fine acoustics and a great
organ. Its varied musical season includes orchestral and
choral concerts, chamber music and solo recitals, mostly in
the evenings but also on some Thursday lunchtimes (£10).
There's a good restaurant in the crypt.
Southbank Centre Belvedere Rd, South Bank, SE1
T 0844 875 0073, W southbankcentre.co.uk; ! Waterloo
or Embankment. The South Bank has three concert
venues, none of which is exclusively used for classical
music. The 2500-seat Royal Festival Hall (RFH) is tailor-
made for large-scale choral and orchestral works, and
home to the Philharmonia ( W philharmonia.co.uk) and the
London Philharmonic ( W lpo.co.uk). The Queen Elizabeth
Hall (QEH) is the prime location for chamber concerts, solo
recitals, opera and choirs; while the intimate Purcell Room,
in the QEH building, sees excellent chamber music and
recitals by up-and-coming instrumentalists and singers.
Other resident orchestras at the Southbank include the
experimental Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
( W oae.co.uk) and the superb London Sinfonietta
( W londonsinfonietta.org.uk).
Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore St, W1 T 020 7935 2141,
W wigmore-hall.org.uk; ! Bond Street or Oxford Circus.
With its near-perfect acoustics, the intimate Wigmore Hall -
built in 1901 as a hall for the adjacent Bechstein piano

showroom - is a favourite with artists and audiences alike, so
book well in advance. It's brilliant for piano recitals and
chamber music, but best known for its song recitals by some
of the world's greatest singers. Some Monday lunchtime and
mid-morning Sunday performances.

CHURCHES AND FREE CONCERTS
BBC SO Studio Concerts Delaware Rd, W9 W bbc
.co.uk/orchestras; ! Warwick Avenue or Maida Vale. The
BBC Symphony Orchestra and Singers stage a number of free
concerts, performed by various BBC ensembles and artists.
Royal Academy of Music Marylebone Rd, NW1
T 020 7873 7326, W ram.ac.uk; ! Baker Street. The
academy's excellent “Free on Fridays” lunchtime
concerts, featuring a variety of performers and music
styles, are a firm fixture on its concert schedule (book in
advance), along with free chamber concerts on Tuesday
(no booking required).
Royal College of Music T 020 7591 4300, W rcm
.ac.uk. The RCM hosts regular concerts of an amazingly high
standard, many of them free, in a variety of venues around
the capital from concert halls to churches and parks.
St Anne's Lutheran Church Gresham St, EC2 T 020
7606 4986, W stanneslutheranchurch.org.uk; ! St
Paul's. As well as free lunchtime recitals (Mon & Fri), this
Wren-designed church has guest musicians for various
services, and an annual Bach festival.
St Giles-in-the-Fields 60 St Giles High St, WC2 T 020
7240 2532, W stgilesonline.org; ! Tottenham Court
Road. Free lunchtime organ recitals or chamber music (Fri)
in the spring and autumn, plus evening concerts, some of
which are also free.
St James Piccadilly 197 Piccadilly, W1 T 020 7734
4511, W sjp.org; ! Piccadilly Circus. Wren church with
superb free lunchtime piano and chamber recitals (Mon,
Wed & Fri), plus fee-paying evening concerts.
St Lawrence Jewry Guildhall Yard, EC2 T 020 7600
9478, W stlawrencejewry.org.uk; ! Bank or St Paul's. A
full schedule of free concerts in this Wren church includes
piano concerts (Mon), organ recitals (Tues) and a special
summer season.
St Martin-in-the-Fields Trafalgar Square, WC2 T 020
7839 8362, W stmartin-in-the-fields.org; ! Charing
Cross or Leicester Square. St Martin's has a fine musical
pedigree (guest musicians have included Handel and Mozart).
Free lunchtime recitals (Mon, Tues & Fri) are superb, while fee-
charging evening concerts feature acclaimed musicians,
including the top-notch orchestra or chamber ensemble of
the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields ( W asmf.org).
St Olave 8 Hart St, EC3 T 020 7488 4318,
W sanctuaryinthecity.net; ! Tower Hill. St Olave's is an
atmospheric medieval setting - Samuel Pepys is buried
here, too - for chamber pieces or solo recitals (Wed & Thurs
lunchtimes).

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