4 July, Monday at 10.45 for 11am
268 Waldegrave Road, Twickenham
STRAWBERRY HILL HOUSE – guided tour
(meet on the horseshoe in front of the building)
(Train from Waterloo (4 per hour - ½ hour journey) – 10 minute walk
Underground (District line) to Richmond, then 33 bus to Strawberry Hill)
A group from the MCL visited Strawberry Hill House just before it closed for a £9 million restoration. This is the only date in the near future we could get for our return visit.
Created by Horace Walpole in the 18th century, he called his castle a ‘plaything’ house. In collaboration with a group of amateur architecture friends he based his designs on the architecture of the great gothic cathedrals and abbeys. Medieval tombs, arched doorways, rose windows and carved screens were models for his fireplaces, windows, doors and ceilings. Walpole intended a tour of Strawberry Hill to be a truly theatrical experience. Magically lit by a unique collection of renaissance glass, its gloomy castle-like hall and grey gothic staircase lead to the sumptuous state apartment - a burst of crimson and gold. On view will be a collection of art, including miniatures, ceramics and silver. Walpole created from 1747 the first landscape garden to be connected to a picturesque house. His extraordinary Shell Bench has been recreated.
Please indicate on the application form if you wish to have lunch in the newly restored Café in the Great Cloisters overlooking the gardens.
Tickets: £14.50 members, £17.00 guests.
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Silk Street
KISS ME KATE
A former husband-and-wife team battle with each other, on and off stage, as they lead their company in opening a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. in Baltimore.
Cole Porter’s score and the book by Sam and Bella Spewack are pure gold. Musical numbers include ‘I Hate Men’, ‘So in Love’ ‘Where is the Life That Late I Led’, ‘Too Darn Hot’, ‘Always True to You (in my fashion), ‘From This Moment On’ and ‘Brush Up
Your Shakespeare’.
Tickets: £15.00 (£10.00 concessions).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
MASSENET’S CENDRILLON
For the first time ever, The Royal Opera presents the story of Cinderella as told in Massenet’s opera Cendrillon. The production, new to the Royal
Opera House, is by Laurent Pelly whose previous work here has included the spectacularly successful La Fille du Régiment, a heart-warming
L’Elisir d’Amore and last season’s stylish new Manon. Pelly brings his characteristic lightness of touch, wit and elegance to Massenet’s
delightfully tuneful score against sets and costumes of fairytale charm. Joyce DiDonato takes the title role, with Alice Coote – just like the Principal
Boy familiar from British pantomime – as her Prince Charming. And, of course, there has to be a fairy godmother, played by Eglise Gutierrez, in
this version of a tale that gained particular popularity from the published fairytales of Frenchman Charles Perrault. The performance is sung in
French with English surtitles.
Tickets: £21.25 (reduced price in upper amphitheatre) Please leave your cheques blank stating an upper limit as I have extra tickets at a slightly
lower price when I have sold the £21.25 tickets.
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
14 July, Thursday at 10.50 for 11am
12-14 New Wharf Road N1
(nearest underground: King’s Cross; 17 or 91 bus from York Road to Wharfdale Road)
LONDON CANAL MUSEUM & NARROW BOAT TRIP
There will be an Introductory Talk when coffee/tea & biscuits will be served before a guided tour of the Museum. At the LCM you can see inside
a narrowboat cabin, learn about the history of London’s canals, about the cargoes carried, the people who lived and worked on the waterways and
the horses that pulled their boats. The LCM is housed in a former ice warehouse built in about 1862 and features the history of the ice trade and
ice cream as well as the canals. The boat trip will be an ideal way to really experience the atmosphere of the Regent’s Canal and view the buildings
and sights of the canal from the water.
Tickets: Members £10.00, Guests £12.00.
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
St Martin-in-the-Fields, W1
SUMMER SUITES AND SERENADES
The London Musical Arts Orchestra, conducted by John Landor, will play music by Mozart, Elgar, Grieg and Dvorak.
Tickets: £19.00 (£17.10 concessions).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
(St Margarets Travel coach departs opposite
Marylebone Station at 09.30 prompt)
WATTS GALLERY & CHAPEL (11.00-13.15)
LOSELEY HOUSE & GARDEN (13.30-17.00)
Ever since its foundation in 1904, Watts Gallery has been the chief repository of G F Watts’s (1817-1904) work. Today the Gallery houses over
6,000 diverse objects, including over 200 oil paintings, 800 drawings and watercolours, some 130 prints and 240 pieces of sculpture. The Watts
Chapel, a short walk from the Gallery, was designed by Mary Watts, and is a unique fusion of Art Nouveau, Celtic, Romanesque and Egyptian
influence. It is impossible not to admire the work and inspiration that lies behind this beautiful building.
The joy of Loseley House is that so little has changed, for it is still fundamentally as built in the 16th century. There have been minor internal
alterations – and an entire wing was added in the 17th century. The guided tours of the house cover a multitude of fascinating artefacts, including
many fine works of art, furniture from the 17th century and panelling from Henry VIII’s Nonsuch Palace and the magnificent chalk fireplace. The
Loseley Estate stretches to some 1,400 acres with the chestnut avenue leading to the lake. The 2½-acre Walled Garden is a series of delightful
“rooms”.
(Lunch available on arrival before the tour of the House.)
Tickets: Members £35.00, Guests £38.00 (including coach, gratuities, talks and guides, entrance fees to Watt Gallery/Loselely House & Gardens.
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
11 August, Thursday at 10.50 for 11am
(meet opposite the entrance to Edgware Road underground,
Hammersmith & City & Circle Line in Chapel Street)
PADDINGTON & LITTLE VENICE - WALK
Our guide will be Dafydd Wyn Phillips. Some members who attended the Order of St John visit will remember him. We will walk to the church
of St Mary on Paddington Green where you will hear about the former country village of Paddington and its rapid expansion in the 19th century
with the arrival of the canals and railways. You will also hear about some famous people with connections to the area, including the great actress
Sarah Siddons, Lady Hamilton and the likeable PC George Dixon. There are also some interesting musical connections with the Green. We will
then walk along the towpath of the Paddington branch of the Grand Union canal to Little Venice, with its handsome stuccoed terraces and leafy
avenues.
A drink or a meal in the Grade 1 listed Prince Albert pub in Formosa Street may be a fitting way to end this lovely London walk. Please indicate if
you would like to go to the pub on the application form.
Tickets: Members £7.00, Guests £9.00.
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Avenue EC1
FELA!
A provocative and wholly unique hybrid of dance, theatre and music, FELA! explores the extravagant, decadent and rebellious world of Afrobeat
legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Using his pioneering music (a blend of jazz, funk and African rhythm and harmonies) FELA! reveals Kuti’s
controversial life as an artist and political activist. Featuring many of Fela Kuti’s most captivating songs and Bill T. Jones’ visionary staging,
FELA! - an original new creation - comes via Broadway to London.
Ticket:s £26.00.
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
18 August, Thursday at 10.50 for 11am
Red House Lane, Bexleyheath
THE RED HOUSE – guided tour
Train from Charing Cross (or Victoria) to Bexleyheath railway station. The 0940 arrives at Bexleyheath at 10.25 and the 10.02 at 10.36.. From
the railway station turn left along Avenue Road, fork left into Pickford Road, cross main road by pedestrian crossing, into Upton Road, turn
right into Red House Lane, passing the Hogs Hole Cottages on your left ,.until you reach the red brick wall of Red House, also on the left. It is
a 15-20 minute walk.
Red House (Grade 1 listed) is a major building of the Arts & Crafts style and of 19th century British Architecture. It was designed during 1859 by
its owner,William Morris, and the architect Philip Webb, with wall paintings and stained glass by Burne-Jones. Morris wanted a home for himself
and his new wife Jane and desired to have a “Palace of Art” in which he and his friends could enjoy producing works of art. The 2-acre garden is
also significant, being an early example of the idea of a garden as a series of exterior “rooms”.
(Light refreshments available.)
Tickets: £7.50 MCL Members (£1.50 National Trust members).
Guests: £9.50 (£3.50 National Trust members).
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer (noting on the Application Form if you are a member of the NT).
The Banqueting House, Whitehall
The City Waites - ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’
The City Waites sing popular songs, ballads and dance music from the streets and taverns of Restoration London.
Tickets: £22.50, including a buffet lunch at 12.15pm.
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street WC2
THE BRITISH YOUTH OPERA
MOZART’S THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO
By the time Mozart came to compose Figaro, he had already met Lorenzo da Ponte, who had been appointed court poet, and Da Ponte had made
it clear that he would be happy to write a libretto for the composer. In his Memoirs, written many years later, Da Ponte revealed that the idea to
use Le Marriage de Figaro by Beaumarchais as the basis of an opera came from Mozart himself. The opera was given its premiere at the
Burgtheater on 1 May 1786. The performance, which Mozart directed from the harpsichord, was received with great enthusiasm and many
numbers had to be encored.
Tickets: £8.00.
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
5 September, Monday at 6.30 for 7pm
DAME EVA TURNER REMEMBERED
by
LINDA ESTHER GRAY
at 49 Queen’s Gate Terrace, London SW7
(nearest underground: Gloucester Road)
Dame Eva (1892-1990) was probably this country’s first international operatic superstar. Born in Oldham, she studied at the Royal
Academy of Music in London, later mastering many of the great roles such as Santuzza, Elizabeth, Elsa, Brünhilde, and the title
roles in Aida, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Thais. The role for which she remains most famous was Turandot which she sang
around the world. In 1959 she was appointed Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music, a position she held for ten years
and, for many years until her death, she was President of the UK Wagner Society. Surprisingly, no biography has appeared until
now. This first biography, A life on this High Cs,
was written, researched and published by her close friend and former pupil Linda Esther Gray who sang many of Dame Eva’s
favourite roles. Linda will be discussing her new book about Dame Eva’s life and career and the talk will be interspersed with many
rare archive recordings of the legendary soprano. For more information on the book, please see website: www.dameevaturner
Tickets: £15 (members); £20 (guests) - to include wine and nibbles
Please apply to: Mrs Frances Simpson, 3 Hunt Close, Morden Road, London SE3 0AH.
Tel. No.: 020 8852 3064
Email: francessimpson@talktalk.net
LSO St Lukes, 161 Old Street EC1
(nearest underground: Old Street – exit 7)
BBC3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT
Barry Douglas, piano, will play the following Beethoven Piano Sonatas:
Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat major Op22
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major Op 53 (Waldstein)
(Lunch is available in the Crypt before or after the concert.)
Tickets: £10.00 (£9.00 concessions).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street WC2
THE BRITISH YOUTH OPERA
BRITTEN’S THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA
The British Youth Opera will perform Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, with the libretto by Ronald Duncan. Although the premiere of Peter Grimes
by Sadler’s Wells Opera in 1945 had been immensely successful, dissatisfaction with the management of the company and its artistic principles
led Britten to compose his next opera for performance at Glyndebourne. The Rape of Lucretia was planned by Britten as a small-scale or chamber
opera, scored for eight singers and an orchestra of no more than thirteen. Despite its description in the Glyndebourne programme as being based
not only on André Obey’s Le Viol de Lucretia ( a play first staged in 1931) but also on works by Live, Shakespeare, Nathaniel Lee, Thomas
Heywood and Francois Ponsard, Duncan’s libretto stays fairly close to Obey’s play.
Tickets: £8.00.
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
13 September, Tuesday at 13.30 at Sheen Gate
White Lodge, Richmond Park
THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL
There will be an Introductory Talk before the tour. White Lodge Museum & Ballet Resource Centre is the first dedicated ballet museum in the UK.
Housed within White Lodge, a Grade 1 listed building, it is now the home of the Royal Ballet Lower School. Visitors can learn about the daily life
of the students at the Royal Ballet School, the history and development of Classical ballet and the fascinating story of White Lodge itself. Displays
feature material from the internationally significant Royal Ballet School Collections, including Margot Fonteyn’s ballet shoes, the death mask of
Anna Pavlova, and the school reports of famous alumni. Details of how to reach The Royal Ballet School will be sent with the ticket
Tickets (only 15 available): £6.00, members only (guests’ names can be put on a waiting list)
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
LSO St Lukes, 161 Old Street EC1
(nearest underground: Old Street – exit 7)
BBC3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT
Llyr Williams, piano, will play the following Beethoven sonatas:
Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major Op 10 No. 3
Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major Op 78 (À Therese)
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major Op 91a (Les Adieux)
(Lunch is available in the Crypt before or after the concert.)
Tickets: £10.00 (£9.00 concessions).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
21 September, Wednesday at 7pm
Barbican Hall, Silk Street
Gergiev’s Tchaikovsky
This is an all-Tchaikovsky gala programme featuring the winners from the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition held in July 2011. This is
the winners’ first major concert to be held outside Russia, performing the great concertos of Tchaikovsky under the direction of Valery Gergiev.
Tickets: £15.60 (reduced price).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
3 October, Monday at 11.20 for 11.30am
Buckingham Palace Road SW1
Meet in Buckingham Palace Road at last gate after Queen’s Gallery
(nearest underground: Victoria)
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Including two Special Exhibitions
This is the final day of the summer opening and a last chance to see the Royal Wedding Dress and the Royal Fabergé Exhibitions as well as the State Rooms of the Palace. Visitors can tour the magnificent State Rooms, lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Canaletto; sculpture by Canova, exquisite examples of porcelain, and some of the finest English and French furniture.
There is a special display of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, including the delicate lace silk veil, shoes and the magnificent ‘Halo’ tiara which was lent by the Queen. To complement the wedding dress display, the Duke and Duchess’s multi-tier wedding cake will be shown in the State Dining Room.
This year’s special exhibition presents over 100 masterpieces by Carl Peter Fabergé, the greatest Russian jeweller and goldsmith of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition includes outstanding examples of craftsmanship, from dazzling Imperial Easter eggs, jewel-encrusted boxes and delicate flower ornaments, to cigarette cases, photograph frames and miniature carvings of favourite royal pets.
Tickets: Members only £16.00, (Guests £18.50 - waiting list).
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace SW1
FREDDY KEMPF’S COMPLETE BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO SERIES
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor
Freddy Kempf embarks on an epic exploration of Beethoven’s magnificent piano concertos, starting with this concert and continuing in May 2012. Directing the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from the piano, Kempf begins with the noble Concerto No. 1 with its exquisite slow movement and vivacious rondo finale. The dramatic Piano Concerto No. 2 was written about a decade before No. 1 but published later. The Third Piano Concerto was dedicated to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia, himself a composer, and features a slow movement of tranquil beauty, offset by the finale’s memorable lively theme.
Tickets: £8.15 (reduced price, including complimentary programme).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank
ABBADO & LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA
Mozart: Symphony No. 35 (Haffner)
Bruckner: Symphony No. 5
Claudio Abbado brings his talent for infusing a deep spirituality into his interpretations to bear on Bruckner and Mozart. Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 moves from an emotional battle to the finale with ringing trumpets and heroic chords. Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 is a work of refined brilliance and a supreme example of the Classical symphony.
Tickets: £28.00 (reduced price in rear stalls).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
15 October, Saturday at 7.30pm
St Saviour’s Church (opposite Warwick Avenue tube station)
LITTLE VENICE MUSIC FESTIVAL – OPERA GALA
The Little Venice Music Festival takes place over three days in October and the Music Club has been invited to this evening’s concert. Nine opera singers will perform a selection of duets, trios and quartets, etc., from various operas by Verdi, Donizetti, Bellini, Massenet, Bizet and Stravinsky. Artistic Director Sylvia Rhys-Thomas, who was herself a soprano at Glyndebourne, always encourages young talent, with many of the Festival’s performers being graduates of the top London music colleges. A glass of wine will be served in the interval.
Tickets: £10.00.
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
18 October, Tuesday at 10.50 for 11.00am
(meet outside St John’s Wood underground station)
INTO THE WOODS - WALK
This guided walk, with Dafydd Wyn Phillips, will take you through St John’s Wood where you’ll learn about the musical heritage of this leafy suburb. St John’s Wood once formed part of the Great Forest of Middlesex and is named after the Knights of St John of Jerusalem who owned the land here at the time of the Dissolution of St John’s Priory in 1540. Until the end of the 18th century the land was mainly put to agricultural use and the development of the area did not begin in earnest until 1809. In the 1960s most of the area was designated a conservation area and many of its houses were listed. On this walk we’ll visit the famous Abbey Wood recording studios, immortalised by the Beatles, and the first Mermaid Theatre, which opened 60 years ago. The beautiful villas have been home over the years to many artists and famous classical musicians of the 20th century, including Sir Thomas Beecham, Dame Myra Hess, Kathleen Ferrier, Benjamin Britten & Peter Pears. It was also home to numerous musicians of the 19th century, well-renowned during their day but now almost totally forgotten, and you’ll be re-introduced to some of them on this walk.
If you would like lunch, please indicate on the application form.
Tickets: Members £8.00, (guests £10.00 – waiting list).
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
EDINBURGH, GLASGOW AND THE TROSSACHS
This is a chance to explore the byways of Edinburgh Old Town coupled with a visit to the Scottish Opera in Glasgow, a concert at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh, and a day out in the wonderful Trossachs area of the Southern Highlands.
Wed. 26th Make your own way to Edinburgh. We stay at the Parliament House Hotel, near Waverley Station, on a Bed and Breakfast basis.
Thu. 27th Full day tour by coach to Glasgow: We visit Kelvingrove Museum, then on to Scottish Opera’s Production Studios for a soup and sandwich lunch on arrival (included). Guided tour of the Production Studios. Transfer to La Bonne Auberge Restaurant for two-course meal (included) near the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. 7.15pm - performance of Barber of Seville by S.cottish Opera. Coach back to hotel.
Fri. 28th Edinburgh Sightseeing: Half-day guided walking tour of Edinburgh Old Town. We start at Edinburgh Castle and explore the Royal Mile. Free time afterwards for lunch (not included) and to visit such venues as Holyrood Palace, The Royal Yacht Britannia (10 min. taxi) or Mary King’s Close.
Supper at 5.30pm (included) at Howies near the hotel, followed by a Royal Scottish National Orchestra concert at Usher Hall. The main item will be Mozart’s Requiem. Coach at 6.45pm to Usher Hall and back after concert.
Sat. 29th Trossachs Touring Day: A coach tour with Blue Badge guide of the area west of Edinburgh, taking in Stirling, Callander, “Gateway to the Trossachs”, where we have lunch (included) and then into the “craggy hills and sparkling lochs” where the Lowlands and Highlands meet, and on to Loch Katrine for a one-hour cruise. Back to the hotel.
Sun. 30th Departure day.
You are responsible for your own travel and health insurance and travel to and from Edinburgh
Cost, to include all of the above:
£550 per person sharing a twin-bedded room.
£740 per person in a single room (only 4 available).
£770 per person occupying a twin-bedded room singly.
If you are prepared to share a twin room, please indicate with whom, and advise any special dietary requirements.
Payments: All in one payment on booking, or £300 deposit (not refundable if I am able to offer a place).
Balance by 20 August (£440 single room, £250 per person sharing or £470 single in twin room).
You may like to send me a post-dated cheque for the balance when making your booking. I will not cash this until the due date.
Cheques payable to The Music Club of London.
Apply to: Brian Dodsworth, 28 Wycherley Close, Blackheath, London SE3 7QH and let me have your email address if you have one.
2 November, Wednesday at 7.30pm
St John’s Smith Square
ALDA DIZDARI, violin
Sibelius: Serenade in G minor for Violin and Orchestra
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Tubin: Symphony No. 5
Albanian Alda Dizdari is an outstanding violinist of immense diversity. Her triumphant debut at the Wigmore Hall and South Bank have already led to important appearances on BBC Radio 3, solo performances in major European cities and the release of a CD recorded at the Wigmore Hall. She will be playing a G B Ceruti violin, Cremona 1791, bought for her by a private sponsor, and a Dominique Peccatte bow on loan from the Stradivari Trust.
The Northern Lights Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Adam Johnson.
Tickets: £15.00 (£8.00 concessions).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
9 November, Wednesday at 4.20 for 4.30pm
44 Marylebone Lane W1 (south of Wigmore Street)
(nearest underground: Bond Street/Oxford Circus)
STEINWAY HALL
Since its founding in 1853, Steinway & Sons has been dedicated to making the finest pianos in the world. Our tour starts with an introductory talk about the history of the firm, followed by a tour of the showrooms, the fascinating Hall of Fame and the workshops, together with a chance to try out a £100,000 ‘grand’. At 6pm there will be an hour’s recital given by a student from the Royal Academy of Music, and this will be followed by drinks.
Tickets: Members only, £5.00 (Guests £8.00 – waiting list).
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Silk Street EC2
DIE LUSTIGEN WEIBER von WINDSOR by NICOLAI
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Nicolai’s treatment of Shakespeare’s original play is bursting with humour and Italianate melody, while the orchestral writing is reminiscent of much of the German Romantic movement. First performed in Berlin in 1849, shortly before Nicolai’s early and untimely death two months later, the opera follows the story of the fat knight Sir John Falstaff and his attempts to court two wealthy ladies.
Before the performance there will be a free recital by the Guildhall Opera Ensemble in the foyer at 6.15pm.
Tickets: £25.00 (£15.00 concessions).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
17 November, Thursday at 10.30 for 10.45am
BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane W12
(nearest underground: Wood Lane)
BBC TELEVISION STUDIOS
On the award-winning tour of the BBC TV Centre (lasting 1½-2 hours) you will see what happens within the most famous TV headquarters in the world. There will be an exclusive look into the BBC newsroom, and you will see the famous studios, dressing rooms and green room, learn how weather-forecasts are televised, and have a play in the interactive studio. The well-informed guides will see that you visit the most interesting areas available on the day and give you an insight into how TV really works.
The Centre will be closing in the not-too-distant future.
Tickets: Members only, £10.00 (Guests £12.00 – waiting list).
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
LSO St Lukes, 161 Old Street EC1
(nearest underground: Old Street – exit 7}
BBC3 LUNCTIME CONCERT
Elisabeth Keonskaja, piano, will perform the following Beethoven sonatas:
Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major Op. 49 No. 2
Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major Op. 109
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor Op. 11
(Lunch is available in the Crypt before or after the concert).
Tickets: £10.00 (£9.00 concessions).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
THURSDAY 24 NOVEMBER
at 6.30 for 7pm
Portland Place School (6th Form Centre)
143 Great Portland Street, London W1
(on arrival take the lift to the 5th floor)
(nearest underground stations: Great Portland Street/Oxford Circus)
We are delighted to welcome the Scottish born baritone Donald Maxwell to an evening with the Music Club. Now Head of Opera Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and Director of the National Opera Studio, Donald will discuss his musical career, with numerous recorded illustrations, and will, of course, enjoy discussion with our members.
(See the enclosed flyer and application form)
30 November, Wednesday at 11.20 for 11.30am entry
Clive Steps, King Charles Street SW1
(nearest underground: Westminster)
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS & MUSEUM
Before the visit there will be a short introductory talk and video, after which audio guides will be handed out for the tour of the Cabinet War Rooms. Shortly after becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill visited the Cabinet War Rooms to see for himself what preparations had been made to allow him and his War Cabinet to continue working throughout the expected air raids on London. Highlights include the Map and the Cabinet Rooms and Churchill’s bedroom.
The Churchill Museum uses cutting edge technology and multimedia displays to bring the exciting story of Winston Churchill to life. From his childhood to his ‘finest hour’ and later years, visitors not only learn more about his political exploits but also his private life, successes and failures. Central to the Museum is the state-of-the-art Lifeline exhibit – a 15m-long interactive table on which visitors can access information from every year of Churchill’s life.
The licensed Switch Room Café provides a wide selection of hot and cold refreshments and can be visited at any time during the day.
Tickets: Members £11.50, Guests £13.50.
Please apply to Rosemary Frischer.
Wigmore Hall, Wigmore Street
FINZI QUARTET
Haydn: String Quartet in B flat Op. 50 No.1
Brahms: String Quartet in C minor Op. 51 No. 1
Tickets: £12.00 (£9.00 concessions), including programme and coffee/sherry/juice.
(Please indicate on the application form if you would like to go for lunch after the concert.)
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
14 December, Wednesday, at 7.30pm
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
RENÉE FLEMING SINGS STRAUSS
Wagner: Overture Tannhäuser
Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
‘It’s so comforting and so beautiful’ says Renée Fleming of Strauss’ Four Last Songs. ‘I never tire of it – ever.’ One of the great sopranos of our time singing the most resonant song-cycle of the 20th century, this concert is unmissable for that alone.
Tickets: £31.20 (reduced price).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
THE NUTCRACKER
The seasonal favourite The Nutcracker draws on all the imagination and fantasy of E T A Hoffman’s story of Christmas Eve when young Clara creeps downstairs for one of her presents, but finds herself at the start of a night of magical adventures.
Tickets: £19.00 ( a limited number available, members only).
Please apply to Marjorie Wilkins.