Two years in London

Perhaps you’ve recognized it eventually: we don’t love every single aspect London has to offer but there is something we really really appreciate: the cultural offerings. If you like you could watch a play, an opera or a concert every day – without any repetition.

It feels like we have done more cultural things this year than ever – even if you summarize all events from the 33 years before (and you don’t know my mother who dragged me along to the theatre or opera house since I could sit up).

As we tend to forget all the amazing performances I just wanted to list them – as a little reminder for the future when we live in our allday routine again forgetting that there is perhaps more than work… and carninval:

• 6th January: The Nutcracker (ballet, Royal Opera House)
• 14th January: Sleeping Beauty (ballet, Royal Opera House)
• 26th January: PwC Pantomime (musical, The Peacock Theatre)
• 10th February: Bach & Vivaldi (concert, St. Martin in the Fields)
• 22nd February: Woolf Works (ballet, Royal Opera House)
• 4th April: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (play, Old Vic Theatre)
• 12th April: Jewels (ballet, Royal Opera House)
• 8th June: Romeo and Juliet (play, Globe Theatre)
• 22nd June: Tristan and Yseult (play, Globe Theatre)
• 28th June: Othello (opera, Curzon Cinema)
• 30th June: La Traviata (opera, Royal Opera House)
• 1st July: Royal Ballet School 2017 (ballet, Holland Park)
• 20th July: Much ado about nothing (play, Globe Theatre)
• 21st July: Fidelio (opera, Proms@Royal Albert Hall)
• 22nd July: Beethoven’s Third (concert, Proms@Royal Albert Hall)
• 28th July: Swan Lake (ballet, Royal Opera House)
• 31st July: Twelfth Night (play, Globe Theatre)
• 25th August: La Scala Philharmonic and Riccardo Chailly (concert, Proms@Royal Albert Hall)
• 25th August: Classical Music of India and Pakistan (concert, Proms@Royal Albert Hall)
• 27th August: Swing No End (concert, Proms@Royal Albert Hall)
• 30th August: Hamlet (play, Harold Pinter Theatre)
• 13th September: Boudica (play, Globe Theatre)
• 16th September: La Boheme (opera, Royal Opera House)
• 23rd September: Beethoven’s Ninth (concert, Royal Albert Hall)
• 8th October: Grand Organ Gala (concert, Royal Albert Hall)
• 9th October: Alice in Wonderland (ballet, Royal Opera House)
• 11th October: King Lear (play, Globe Theatre)
• 28th October: Carmina Burana (concert, Royal Albert Hall

Although we haven’t seen all the perfomances together and the events in italic letters are booked for the future months it’s not a miracle that it sometimes feels a bit like an overload. And not every single performance was a great delight: The Indian and Pakistan concert at the Royal Albert Hall was that… special… that we left after 45 minutes. Or Swan Lake – basically my favourite ballet – was a Russian production where the ballett dancers took a bow after every ten minutes and wore horrible old fashioned costumes.

But all in all we enjoyed the most performances. My hands don’t have enough fingers to count all the memorable one’s but here are my favourites – up to now:

 

 

I would have liked to mention ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’ as well (since Daniel Radcliffe was part of the cast). But unfortunately I just understood 5% of the content as the dialogues were spoken like a ‘ping pong’ match (and if I wouldn’t have seen something I think would have no clue what the play was about).

While writing this text I realize that this is something I will definitely miss when we are back in Cologne. Perhaps I will have a look online what’s on within the next months right now…

*Update of booked performances after having published this article*

• 28th & 29th September: Harry Potter and the cursed Child (play, Palace Theatre)
• 27th October: Gloria/ The Judas Tree/ Elite Syncopations (ballet, Royal Opera House)
• 1st November: Aladin (ballet, Sadler’s Wells Theatre)
• 8th November: Mozart Requiem K. 626 (concert, Deutsche Bank)
• 22nd November: The Secret Theatre (play, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
• 27th November: A Christmas Carol (play, The Old Vic Theatre)
• 3rd December: A Choral Christmas (concert, Barbican Hall)
• 6th December: Cavalleria Rusticana/ Pagliacci (opera, Royal Opera House)
• 12th December: Romantics Anonymus (musical, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)