TWO DAYS IN LONDON – THE CLASSICAL MUSIC ITINERARY
Many musical tours of London focus on recent pop music, with a wide variety of tours on offer for those who want to learn more about Rock ‘n Roll and the Swinging Sixties. For those who prefer music to be more orchestral, operatic or choral, there are no such tours available.
Here, we outline a two-day itinerary of the classical music sites in London for visitors who want to learn more about the history of classical music in the capital city.
London has a wealth of places to attend classical concerts and events, from the highbrow Opera House to free lunchtime concerts in some stunning churches. We have put together an intinerary for those who want to see these venues where the music is performed, or which focus on musical heritage, specifically ones which are in historic buildings, and which can be visited whether there is a performance on or not, as some of London’s music venues are only open for those with tickets to a specific event.
We have not specified timings on this itinerary, as you may want to stay to catch a free concert, or take a guided tour of one venue but not another, so use this more as a guide as to what is on offer, and then work out your own timings based on what tours or performances you may plan to see. I hope you will find this a useful aide in getting the most out of London’s musical heritage.
Directions are given between the venues using what3words.
DAY ONE – THE WEST END
The tour starts at the Royal College of Music (w3w: stops.pushed.sober); the nearest tube station is South Kensington.
Royal College of Music, South Kensington
Photograph © Dillif
Directly opposite the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal College was established in 1882 as a conservatoire teaching Western music at higher educational level.
The current building was opened in 1894 and it includes one of the most significant museums of music-related objects in Europe. With over 15,000 objects in its collections, highlights include a clavicytherium from 1480 which is the world’s oldest surviving keyboard instrument, Gustav Holst’s trombone, a Broadwood grand piano from 1799, music scores, portraits and a lot more.
The museum is currently undergoing renovation but will open again soon. If it is still closed, just skip this one out of the itinerary and start at the Royal Albert Hall.
Directly opposite the Royal College is the next stop, the Royal Albert Hall (w3w: spark.shell.delay), only a two minute walk away.
Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington
L: The outside of the Royal Albert Hall Photograph © Dillif
R: The unusual ceiling Photograph © Colin
Opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall is distinctive and inconic building which hosts hundreds of music concerts every year, from classical to rock music and everything inbetween. It is best known for hosting the annual Proms; eight weeks of classical music over the summer in what has been referred to as “the world’s largest and most democratic musical festival”.
The main auditorium has a unique interior, set in the round with archways around the walls. Mushroom shaped discs hang from the ceiling, put there because when the first concert was performed in 1871, the dome roof created a noticeable echo. A huge canvas awning was hung from the roof until 1969, when the acoustic discs were installed to solve the problem.
The Royal Albert Hall is open for casual visitors who can visit the exhibitions for free, eat at the restaurant listening to classical music, or take one of the daily tours which include: behind the scenes, architectural tours, film and TV tours or other specialist subject areas.
You can either catch a tube next, from Gloucester Road to Regents Park on the Circle Line, which is about 25 minutes, or walk through Hyde Park and Marylebone, which takes about 45 minutes. The Royal Academy of Music (w3w: split.burns.ballots) is on the Marylebone Road.
Royal Academy of Music, Marylebone
Photograph © Phil Frenzy
The Royal Academy of Music is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, having been founded in 1822.
Students come from all around the world to study at the Academy, most of whom are classical performers, but there are also departments for jazz and musical theatre.
There is a free museum on site, which has three permanent galleries as well as regular temporary exhibitions. Highlights include the ‘Viotti ex-Bruce’ 1709 violin by Antonio Stradivari once played to Queen Marie Antoinette, Gilbert and Sullivan’s original score for ‘The Mikado’, original manuscripts by Purcell, Mendelssohn, Liszt and Brahms, as well as many other manuscripts, instruments and art.
There are regular guided tours, events, free musical events and lectures, and trails for kids.
The museum is open Monday – Friday from 11:30 – 5:30 and Saturday 12pm – 4pm. The museum is closed on Sundays, public holidays and for all of December.
If you have the time and inclination, you can also pay a visit to Regents Park, which is just a five minute walk away and listen to music performed by students at the Royal Academy of Music on the free app, Music for Trees. Based on your location, music is played relating to the tree you are standing near.
If you are visiting in the summer months, Regents Park hosts an open air music festival which provides plenty of free musical entertainment.
Otherwise, walk straight down Wimpole Street, which is opposite the Royal Academy, and down New Bond Street, turning right into Brook Street, where you will find the next destination (w3w: star.insist.easy).
Handel & Hendrix in London, Mayfair
Photograph © David Holt
These two incongrous musicians share a museum thanks to their residences when they were living in the capital, 200 years apart. Handel House at 25 Brook Street, in the heart of London’s West End, has been open to the public as a museum since 2001.
The next door top flat of 23 Brook Street, Hendrix’s flat from 1968-69, was used as an admin office until 2016 when it was re-created as it was when Hendrix lived there, and opened to the public in 2014.
Handel moved into Brook Street in 1723, the first occupant of the newly built house, living there until his death in 1759. He composed there, conducted business, used it as a rehearsal space and played his harpsichord and house organ there. The museum has regular exhibitions as well as a focus on live music, with a weekly Baroque concert series in his rehearsal room, new musician showcases and a harpsicord series.