Music and Art in London

[smallhobbit]

Having reviewed the plays I went to in the evenings, now for some of my daytime activities.

I went to a performance of Carmen La Cubana by a Cuban cast at Sadler's Wells Theatre.  Using Bizet's original music, although giving it a more Cuban style, the production takes a lot from Carmen Jones.  It was enjoyable, but there was more singing than I expected and less dancing - which I'd been looking forward to.  And I didn't leave humming the tunes.

On Thursday lunchtime I went to a 35 minute sort of service at St Martin-in-the-Fields.  It was part of their Great Sacred Music series.  The choir sing a number of songs/anthems, this time based around Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, and the congregation join in with two hymns.  The standard is always very high.  It made a really lovely break in the middle of the day.

On Friday afternoon I went to the Tate Britain to see an exhibition called Aftermath (Art in the wake of World War One).  It was interesting, at times very sad, and showed art beginning with the official war artists who were creating works during the war (and which at times were censored because they were deemed too graphic - or accurate), through the aftermath of the war and onto the late 1920s and the new post-war society.  I had taken a small sketchbook and copied details of the pictures which particularly spoke to me.

I also took a couple of typical tourist photos on the first evening - just to prove I was in London:

Comments

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Sounds like a busy time!

I absolutely love the photos. The bridge I recognize. What is the other one (I have a wooden miniature of it, courtesy of Santy Claus Debriswoman, but I don't what it is)?

[smallhobbit]

It was - I had so much to do it was great.

The photo is the Tower of London (dates from 1090).

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Oh, shit, really? I never knew what it looked like. I assumed it was one long tower (sort of Rapunzel-esque).

[smallhobbit]

Most towers of that age weren't more than a few storeys high - they were higher than most other buildings of the time. I have a photo I'll be posting tomorrow which show part of the original foundations of another tower which dates from the mid 1350s, which shows why they didn't go too high.

[tripleransom]

Carmen La Cubana sounds kind of fun. I remember seeing Carmen Jones as a film when I was a kid. I suspect that I would have enjoyed the St Martin's in the Fields presentation more, though.

[smallhobbit]

Carmen La Cubana was fun but not as exciting as perhaps I'd expected. The St Martin's in the Fields lunchtime event happens every week, so I try to go if I'm around at the time. It really is very peaceful, and the speaker was very knowledgeable.

[scfrankles]

Those really are the perfect tourist pictures - I can just imagine seeing them on a postcard ^_^ So neatly done.

Crikey, you've had a full and interesting time. I'm very glad it seems to have been a good and worthwhile visit overall ^__^

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. I really enjoyed doing so many different things.

[margaret_r]

Great pictures of the Tower and Tower Bridge:) You have had a busy time in London, though there is so much to see and do it's not surprising your days were packed.

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. Not being a typical tourist I'm not inclined to just wander around as I might do in a city I don't know, which is why I like to specifically choose things to do.

[vix_spes]

The exhibition at the Tate sounds interesting ... I'll have to check the dates it's on!

[smallhobbit]

It was good - it's a paid exhibition, so not cheap - I got half price with my Art Card. But definitely worth seeing.

[mafief]

Woah, you kept really busy and willingly went near a touristy spot.

[smallhobbit]

There's always so many possibilities of things to do in London, so I like to make the most of them. The Bridge Theatre is very close to where I took those two pictures, so it seemed a shame not to do so.