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Britpop is so over that former Select magazine editor John Harris has even written a book about it (The last party). However, it would be a mistake to think that without Blur, Oasis and Pulp, London musical scene has died. The recent crop of US new wave and punk bands go down well here and like to visit. Other major groups continue to consider London an essential place of tour. As well, there is always a core of up-and-coming local bands, and some superstars of the 1980s and 1990s (from Dave Gahan to Steve Strange) have even reappeared. Together, these artists and bands keep London’s wide range of rock and pop venues from the aircraft- hangar sized Earl’s court or Wembley arena to the tiny Borderline or Barfly- humming and full. If you can its best to buy direct from the venue to save yourself commission charges. However, events in London sell out astonishingly quickly because of the aggressive marketing strategies and love for music among Londoners. Agencies tend to have tickets after the venue has sold out. Ticketmaster (7344 4444; www.ticketmaster.co.uk), Stargreen (7734 8932; www.stargreen.co.uk) and Ticketweb (7771 2000; www.ticketweb.co.uk) all have 24- hour telephone and online booking. Be wary of ticket touts outside the venue on the night, even if you are really desperate to get in. The price will be exorbitant and sometimes the ticket turns out to be forged. Until recently, Opera enjoyed a somewhat elitist reputation. However, televised concerts and free outdoor concerts in Hyde Park and the Piazza, Covent Garden, have greatly increased its popularity. London is home to five world class orchestras and a veritable host of smaller music companies and contemporary music ensembles; it also houses three permanent opera companies and numerous smaller opera groups and leads the world with its period orchestras. It is a major centre for the classical recording industry, which helps to support a large community of musicians and singers. Mainstream, obscure, traditional and innovative music is all to be found in profusion. Royal Opera House, the building, with its elaborate, white and gold interior, is opulent; it looks, and is, expensive. It is the home of the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet, but visiting opera and ballet companies also perform here. Many productions are shared with foreign opera houses, so check that you haven’t already seen the same production at home. Works are always performed in the original language, but English translations are flashed up above the stage. Seats are usually booked well in advance, particularly if major stars such as Placido Domingo or Kiri Te Kenawa are performing. The sound is best in the seat centre of stage, right in the front. Tickets range from about $ 5 to $ 200 or more for a world-class star. The cheapest seats tend to go first, although a number of these tickets are reserved for sale on the day. Some of the cheaper seats have extremely restricted views. Standing passes can often be obtained right up to the time of a performance. Then there is London Coliseum. The coliseum, home of the English National Opera (ENO), has recently been restored. Founded in 1961, the company’s hallmarks are performances in English, high London musical standards and a permanent ensemble complemented by guest appearances. Productions range from the classic to the adventurous. They are often praised for their contemporary interpretations. The audiences tend to be younger than at the Royal Opera House, the seats are much cheaper and there is less corporate entertaining. For weekday performances, there are 500 prebookable seats at $ 10 and under. The cheapest seats are infamous for being real backbreakers. The South Bank Centre includes the Royal Festival Hall (RFH) and the Purcell room. These are nightly performances, mostly of the classical music, interspersed with opera, jazz, ballet and modern dance seasons, as well as festivals of contemporary and ethnic music. The largest concert hall on the south bank is the RFH. Built in the 1950s, it is now considered one of the best modernist structures in London. The RFH is ideal for major orchestras and large-scale choral works. The airy halls outside the auditorium are also used to house exhibitions, a number of cafes, a book and a music shop and the occasional free performance. The Purcell room is comparatively small and tends to host string quartets and contemporary music in addition to many debut recitals of young artists. The Queen Elizabeth Hall lies somewhere in between. It stages medium sized ensembles whose audiences, while too large for the Purcell room, would not fill the festival hall. Jazz and ethnic music are performed here and the innovative and often controversial opera factory makes several appearances throughout the year. It performs a range of modern interpretations of the classics and often commissions new works. Coming to Barbican Concert Hall, the Barbican is the home of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). The resident LSO and the BBC Symphony Orchestra perform classical concerts, as well as many other visiting orchestras and ensembles, as part of the Barbican’s own international concert seasons. The concert hall is also renowned for its performances of contemporary music, including jazz, blues and world music, which attract the top musicians in their field London musical. The Royal Albert Hall is the venue of wide variety of events from pop shows to wrestling. However, from mid-July to mid- September it is devoted to the Henry Wood concerts the ‘Proms’ organized by the BBC in which modern symphonies and classics are performed. Ticket for the Proms can be bought on the day of performance but long queue build up early in the day, so experienced Promenaders takes cushions to sit on. Tickets sell out weeks ahead for the “Last night of the Proms”, which has become a national institution. The audience wave flags and sing. Some people may consider it an evening of nationalistic fervor, although the majority just likes singing the traditional Land of hope and glory without giving much thought to the somewhat jingoistic lyrics. Related
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