Music & Dance in London
If you are a lover of London fine music and classical dance – you are utterly spoilt for choice. London offers a real cultural pendulum that swings from a plethora of musical recitals and festivals to the overwhelming spectacle of classical ballets or a first night at the opera.
Perhaps one of the most well-loved and world renowned performances in Britain is the annual ‘Last Night of the Proms’ held in September at the Albert Hall under the watchful eye of a flamboyant conductor. The last night is more than a concert; it is a celebration of the pure joy of music. Attended every year by the same faithful promenaders, this colourful event is the culmination of the season’s Promenade concerts. It includes such favourites as Land of Hope and Glory, Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs and Jerusalem. Always a magnet for eccentric and fun-loving music buffs the last night is without exception an explosive tapestry of noise, inventive hats, impulsive behaviour and freelance conducting, but all laced with good humour and the sense of belonging to an elite club.
Visitors to London, who intend to ‘do’ a musical culture programme, should bear in mind that even if you lived in London, with every day free, it would take years to cover the vast wealth of fine and performing arts this country has to offer. It is best to select those elements that genuinely appeal to you and then limit yourself further still to choice bites of a fairly small cherry. Trying to cram in too many experiences in a given time is a sure recipe for ‘culture fatigue’ and aching feet.
LONDON CONCERT AND RECITAL HALLS
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, EC2
Tel: 0207 638 8891
The home of the London Symphony Orchestra
Cadogan Hall
5 Sloane Terrace, Chelsea, SW1
Tel: 0207 730 4500
Light and airy auditorium with around 900 seats. English Chamber Orchestra plays here regularly.
Purcell Room
South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road SE1
Tel: 0207 960 4242
The smallest of the three South Bank concert halls, used mainly for chamber music and solo concerts
Queen Elizabeth Hall
South Bank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1
Tel: 0207 960 4242
Comfortable 1100-seater hall used for orchestral music, recitals, opera and dance
Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, SW7
Tel: 0207 589 8212
This famous vast, circular hall is best known for its summer ‘Promenade’ concerts, but throughout the year there are orchestral, choral and carol concerts. Also home to the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance
Royal Festival Hall
South Bank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1
Tel: 0207 960 4242
Perfect acoustics in this magnificent concert hall, built for the Festival of Britain in 1951. One of the world’s best, this 3000-seater is home to many major orchestral and choral concerts that feature international artists
Wigmore Hall
36 Wigmore Street, W1
Tel: 0207 935 2141
An intimate atmosphere and wonderful acoustics make this London’s premier recital hall
NATIONAL OPERA AND BALLET
English National Ballet
39 Jay Mews, Kensington Gore, SW7
Tel: 0207 581 1245
Originally the London Festival Ballet. Classic and modern works
D’Oyly Carte Opera Company
Sancroft Street, SE11
Tel: 0207 793 7700
Performs the works of Gilbert and Sullivan
London Coliseum
St. Martin’s Lane, WC2
Tel: 0207 632 8300
The home of the English Opera Company. First-rate productions, always sung in English
Royal Ballet
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, WC2
Tel: 0207 304 4000
Britain’s foremost ballet company. Widely ranging classic performances
Royal Opera House
Covent Garden, WC2
Tel: 0207 304 4000
Britain’s foremost opera house which is possibly the most stunning theatre in London
Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Rosebery Avenue, Islington EC1
Tel: 0870 737 7737
This old theatre, once a spa, offers an exciting programme of opera, operetta, British and foreign ballet, dance and performances from the English-singing New Saddler’s Wells Opera.
MUSIC – A LA CARTE
Music lovers who want to put their feet up for an hour during a busy weekday shopping spree, can visit the old church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London. Here you can listen to a lunchtime concert, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays. For a small donation you can walk in off the street and enjoy a wide variety of music played by small ensembles of top-class, up-and-coming artists (Julian Lloyd Webber started his career here). At 5pm every Sunday the church holds a choral evensong in the classical tradition. Tel: 0207 766 1100
Covent Garden in London is a good place to take in impromptu music and dance, from a wide variety of street performers. For a few coins you can listen to anything from a solo flautist to authentic Chinese pipes. These artists are worth seeking out, as many of them are really rather good.
During the summer months military and brass bands play most lunchtimes in the London Royal Parks and at a variety of other venues, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Hill. Tel: 0207 298 2100
Wednesday to Sunday lunchtimes, in the foyer of the Royal Festival Hall at the South Bank Centre, there is a free concert that can range from a classical quartet to folk music. Tel: 0207 960 4242
USEFUL ADDRESSES
Arts Council of England
2 Pear Tree Court, London EC1R 0DS
Tel: 0845 300 6200
British Association of Barbershop Singers
Druids Lea, Upper Stanton Drew, Bristol BS39 4EG
British Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech
198 Park Lane, Macclesfield SK11 6UD
Tel: 0870 7744 290
British Music Information Centre
75 Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7HS.
Tel: 0207 928 1902
British Performing Arts Yearbook
Rhinegold Publishing, 241 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8EH
Tel: 0207 333 1720
English Folk Dance and Song Society
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London NW1 7AY
Tel: 0207 485 2206
National Early Music Association
137 Preston Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 8NW
Royal Academy of Dancing Library and Archives
36 Battersea Square, London SW11 3RA
Tel: 0207 326 8000
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