by Ron Largent | Dec 21, 2017 | Asian Travel, Britain, British Open, Cruise Line Deals, England, European Travel, Germany, Great Britain, International Travel, London, London Marriott Hotel, Organist, Piccadilly Circus London, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Albert Hall London, Special Events Travel Deals, Special travel deals, St Martins in the Field Church London, Travel, Travel the World, Uncategorized
Wednesday was a quiet morning…then leaving for the Royal Albert Hall at 1 PM….taking the bus through the heavy traffic arriving at about 1:45…..went to the café to wait for Dawn and Carrie and William…Dawn was there and Carrie came about 2:15…we went up to our seats and the program began.
There are few musical experiences (in my opinion) in the world that can equal the concerts at Royal Albert Hall (RAH)…if you are looking for the total orchestra, band, choir, and soloist all in one performance…but here it is. These RAH Christmas programs run right up to Christmas and start late November….some days with 2 concerts a day.
This concert, which is the first of three for us, featured the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Chorus, and the Coldstream Guards Band, plus a Tenor from the London Opera. The program was entitled Christmas Carols and was a 3 hour concert that included the audience singing Christmas Carols along with the orchestra and chorus, and the huge and unbelievable organ…that is clearly the biggest sound of any organ that we have ever heard. RAH seats about 10,000 and is the main entertainment venue for London, and to a degree, England. It is a wonderful place to listen to concerts…and even though we are in the high up “cheap seats”… I think they are the best in the Hall…for you can get the full impact of the huge musical production. For the program, the variety of music is from classical to modern arrangements of both familiar and not so familiar Christmas songs. I could go on and on…but suffice it to say…this was a wonderful musical moment….a once in a lifetime experience for a music and concert lover like me…performed by some of the best musicians in the world….as good as it can get.
Back to the hotel as we were too late for the Charles Dickens program, so will try and reschedule. Today is the Churchill War Rooms….then a full afternoon of tourist things…with another RAH concert this evening at 7:30 PM…
Should be a fun day…….
by Ron Largent | Dec 20, 2017 | Britain, England, European Travel, Germany, Great Britain, International Travel, London, Special Events Travel Deals, Special travel deals, Travel, Travel the World, Uncategorized, Viking Cruises
I am often asked, Why London at Christmas? This being my 5th year here in the last 6….I guess I know it is safe to say…”the most Christmas music of any city in the World at Christmas”…..and this includes the full spectrum of music, from the broadway musicals in the West End, to the most professional classic music at St Martin’s……to the unbelievable production programs at Royal Albert Hall….London has it all.
In addition to the music, and more on this to come….the lights decorating the City are the most dazzling, extensive, and creative of any city in the world. From the exotic street lighting decorations to the fabulous window decorations….nothing in the world compares. Having been in NYC a few years ago …. no comparison with London. And, along with the decorations, come the crowds….and they come from all over LONDON and England, but from all over the world….so you have big crowds everywhere. It is one of the busiest times in the year for LONDON.
The music is the big draw for me….and it has to do with the churches and Royal Albert Hall, which is the main music center for the country. It is our Kennedy Center in NYC, etc….or the Staples Center in LA….RAH has it all, and it has it all year round. Starting, though, in early December, RAH becomes the center for Christmas musicals, and music activing. It is a huge circular hall, so probably seats 10,000 visitors, and has been remodeled several times to make it acoustically near perfect. Even though you can sit in the “cheap seats”, which I do and like, every seat in the hall is a good seat. I sit up high in the back, as you can get a good perspective of the entire Hall and the music is clear and loud, when needed…and when the audience is singing, it is a sight to behold and to hear. Really, nothing like it in the world, in my opinion.
Then, there are the churches. From Westminster Abbey to St Paul’s Cathedral….there is some kind of church service or Christmas music service every day…and at some of the churches, twice a day. It is tradition….and for hundreds of years, the churches have been the foundation for music at Christmas. At some of the churches, like the Piccadilly Church a block from Piccadilly Circus….they have a daily hour long music offering at noon…for all of those that are in the area at the time. Each day at St PAUL’S, there is a music and prayer hour….and so it goes. This year we have 7 musicals scheduled in 6 days…a couple of years ago, 8 programs in 8 days…..and these will range from an organ concert at Westminster to a full blown musical production at RAH.
Then, there is West End, or the Broadway of LONDON. All of the major productions are running, so all of the attractions connected with the Theater are in full operation, which includes the Jazz Clubs, Rock music clubs, etc. it is just a vibrant time in the entire Covent Garden – Leicester Square area….literally the “Times Square” of London….but full of music.
So, London at Christmas…means Music at Christmas for me….and there is nothing better in the World if you like classical and concert music….in a marvelous Christmas celebration environment.
More to come…
