I spent this past Thursday out and about, stopping first at the Cartoon Museum that's just down the street near the British Museum. I only expected to be in there for about an hour, but I think it was at least 2 and a half by the time I left. The museum is a charity run by a trust that works to preserve historic cartoons (they call them cartoons, but Americans would call them comics and caricatures). The current space is considered temporary, as the trust is working towards the eventual establishment of a permanent facility where more of their collections can be displayed and accessed by the public.
The current exhibit "A peep into clubland" runs from February to early May and features cartoons from several of London's premier social clubs. The cartoons range from the end of the 17th century to the present, and many of them have never been on display before. There were also regular permanent displays featuring other cartoons spanning several centuries. I was amazed at how much was in there considering the place is tucked away in the middle of a small side street. I get the impression that many people have no idea that it's there. Even better, admission for students is free with ID - although I felt guilty and made a 1 pound donation. To learn more about this museum and its collection, visit its website by clicking here.
I arrived back to the flat around a little before 5, just in time to intercept Kevin and Jessica as they left for the Science Museum in South Kensington (next to the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum). I tagged along, as we all had tickets to a classical music concert for that night at Royal Albert Hall - just 5 minutes away from the Science Museum. The museum closed at 6, so we only had a little over a half hour to walk around. The place is huge and there are tons of neat looking exhibits. We didn't really have time to even see one full exhibit, but walked through displays of some of the first computers, and another section on the history of ship-building technology. I plan to go back soon to actually see the whole thing, or at least most of it.
When the museum closed at 6, we made our way to Royal Albert Hall. After finding the right door (there are at least 12 entrances), we went inside and had drinks at the bar. The show didn't start until 7:30 and you couldn't even get into the auditorium until 6:45, so we had some time to kill. I had a double gin and tonic and a bag of cashews that would have to serve as dinner until after the show. Finally an announcement was made (and by the tone of the woman speaking, she was clearly not having a good day) that said they were opening the inner doors and that you start making your way to your seats.
After making some wrong turns and a little back-tracking (the place is huge), we finally found our seats. The whole building is round - on the outside and on the inside. At one end of the circle there is a massive organ, with a stage in front of it. The seats and balconies go almost all the way around, only interrupted by the organ. That's were we were, to the left of the organ looking down on the stage (we were actually behind the orchestra, so that we were facing the conductor). Built in the second half of the 19th century, this iconic music and entertainment hall is one of the best venues in the country. It's first concert was held in 1871, and since then over 150,000 performances and events have taken place there. Since cameras are not allowed inside, I don't have any pictures. To see what it looks like, take a look at its wikipedia entry by clicking here. For more information about its history, visit its official website by clicking here.
Finally, there is the concert itself. It's called "Classical Spectacular" and is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, along with the Band of the Welsh Guards, The Royal Choral Society, and the Moscow Militia. The concert is made up of several classical favorites, but presented in way that classical music never has been before. Complementing the music is a state-of-the-art lights and laser show. They play the patriotic piece "Britannia!" twice, where many of the regulars have come prepared with purchased British flags that they wave back and forth. The second time, red, white, and blue balloons are dropped from the ceiling. The most impressive piece is Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with real cannon and musket fire along the upper rim of the auditorium, as well as indoor fireworks. This was truly amazing - I don't think I will ever have so much fun again at a classical concert (or any concert, for that matter). For more information on the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, click here to visit its official website.
No comments:
Post a Comment