Classical Concerts and Orchestral Music in London

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Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall was built to fulfil the vision of Prince Albert (Queen Victoria's consort) of a 'Central Hall' that

The Albert Hall: is across the road from the Albert Memorial.

would be used to promote understanding and appreciation of the Arts and Sciences and would stand at the heart of the South Kensington estate, surrounded by museums and places of learning.

The Hall is a Grade I Listed building; and has been in continuous use since it was opened in March 1871. It hosts the annual Promenade Concerts (The Proms) and has done for nearly 70 of its 114 year run. Everybody who is or was anybody has played here. Past gems include: The Beatles and Rolling Stones playing on the same bill, The Jimi Hendrix Experience's final European appearance, Pink Floyd were banned for life for setting off 2 cannons in 1969 and Abba ended their European tour in 1977 here with 3.5 million requests for tickets, and so it goes on.

The views are spectacular, especially if you're lucky enough to secure a box and the acoustics and PA system are world class. Architecturally it's one of a kind and fits so perfectly with the surrounding mansion blocks and museums. Try to fit a visit into your itinerary - Wagner, Verdi and Elgar did.

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Cadogan Hall

Cadogan Hall (pronounced cah-duggan, if you're from out of town) is a 900-seat concert hall on Sloane Terrace in Chelsea. Previously, the building was a church, but by 1996, congregations had diminished so dramatically that the building fell into disuse.

Cadogan Hall was first opened in 1907 as a New Christian Science Church designed by Robert Fellowes Chisholm, who was the British Government's consultant architect in India. The style is Byzantine with eclectic touches of Roman and Indian architecture and the Celtic knot themes from the stained glass windows were devised by former Tiffany designer - Baron von Rosenkrantz.

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Kenwood House

Set in tranquil parkland with panoramic views over London, Kenwood House boasts sumptuous

Kenwood House: concerts are performed by the tranquil lake during the summer months.

interiors and important paintings by many great artists. Brewing magnate, Edward Guinness, bought Kenwood House in 1925 and proceeded to fill it with fine art including works by Rembrandt, Turner, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Vermeer.

During the Summer months, it plays host to the Picnic Concerts, featuring pop artists and some classical offerings too (such as last night of the proms). The setting can be magical in good weather as you watch the performance across the lake. These days you don't even have to make the picnic, you can pick one up courtesy of Carluccio's (for the relevant fee). Book tickets early and hope the weather holds, for what can be a deceptively pastoral experience, considering you're in one of the world's largest cities.

The house and grounds are free to enter. Concerts are priced according to the act.

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St. Martin-in-the-Fields

From London's first free lending library to the first religious broadcast, St Martin's has broken new ground in reference

St. Martin-in-the-Fields: When built, what is now Trafalgar square, was an unused field lying between the City and Westminster.

to what it means to be a church.

It was built around 1222, in an area at the periphery of the City of Westminster, where there was some vacant land, hence the 'in-the-fields' moniker. Hard to believe as today, Trafalgar Square is regarded to be London's centre, and all road distances are calculated to the nearby plaque, south of the main square.

The current building dates from 1721, and was widely criticised at the time, but has since become one of the most widely referenced buildings in existence, especially in the United States.

The building holds evening and lunchtime concerts (which are free). They are however, enormously popular so early booking is essential. At the time of writing, the next season's programme at lunchtime is almost fully booked, 12 months in advance.

You can however, opt to pay and visit either candle-lit classical concerts in the main church, or jazz concerts in the crypt.

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Wigmore Hall

Wigmore Hall is an essential platform for the world's most sought-after soloists and chamber musicians.It hosts over 400 events in a season, selling some 165,000 tickets each year in the process.

Wigmore Hall: long term recording venue for BBC Radio 3.

Every week a concert is broadcast worldwide on radio and the internet through BBC Radio 3. The Hall also launched its own recording label, Wigmore Hall Live, in 2005 with a growing number of releases available for sale in retail outlets worldwide.

Renowned for having some of the finest acoustics anywhere, numerous live recordings are made here. It has many devoted fans, but is often missed due to its location north of Oxford Street, the pavement traffic thins to a trickle once you cross the great shopping Sargasso. Built in the Renaissance style using alabaster and marble, the venue has attracted many notables including Camille Saint-Saëns, Percy Grainger, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sergey Prokofiev, Benjamin Britten and Francis Poulenc.

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