I’m going to have a pretty London-centric summer this year (I’ll be working a lot in South Kensington, and I guess I’ve already had more than my fair share of adventures so far this year) and it was getting me down a little that I might not be seeing any new exciting places for a few months. But then I remembered that actually there’s quite a lot of great cultural places here in London that I haven’t written about yet, and have been taking a little for granted. So I think it’s about time I reminded myself just how lucky I am, and just how much I love going to the Barbican.
The Barbican estate was started in the 1960s in an area of London that had suffered pretty extensive damage during WWII, and although it’s a rather ugly-looking piece of architecture (So. Much. Concrete) I kind of adore it too. If I somehow could afford it, I’d definitely live there. It’s also eminently photographable, and I haven’t quite gotten round to it yet but it’s been a weekend-to-do for a while that I should head over there with my camera and snap away. There’s a few Barbican fan accounts on Insta – here’s some pics that more talented people have taken to show you.
But mainly, unsurprisingly, I head to the Barbican for music. Obviously the Barbican centre is the big hitter – I’ve seen some of the best musical experiences in that main concert hall, whether it’s Bernaid Haitink or Simon Rattle conducting the LSO, working backstage at BBC Symphony Orchestra concerts, or seeing Riccardo Chailly conducting the Gewandhaus Orchestra in a full Brahms cycle (in great seats, thanks to my friend working there).
Bernard Haitink birthday concert, 2019
But there’s plenty of other musical spaces around too – whether it’s Milton Court across the road (a beautiful modern hall with great views from every seat), the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (not a fond-memory-place for me thanks to failed auditions!), or St Giles Cripplegate right in the middle. This was where I saw the best concert I have EVER seen – bold claim I know. It was Ian Bostridge leading in Britten’s Curlew River, which was a complete-heart-ripping-out experience that I was incredibly lucky to get to, again because my Barbican-employed-pal got us the tickets. It was a complete privilege. I think actually it’s being repeated at Milton Court next year and I really need to get around to booking my tickets for it.
The Barbican has managed to get itself a kind of hipster appeal, but I hope that that’s just indicative of the fact that they manage to court newcomers to classical music – whether that’s the old warhorse classics or more contemporary music. There’s nothing I can recommend more highly for classical-newbies than the Sound Unbound festival – it’s a great chance to see and hear lots of different types of musics in one weekend, to get a taster for so many different things and to see them all performed live. I didn’t make it this year but made it to the previous one and saw, amongst many other things, a full orchestra playing along to a Firebird film, a Mozart piano concerto, a string quartet playing film music, a 50-minute piece for woodblock, and classical music comedy by Chilly Gonzales.
If you’re looking for somewhere to experience classical music in London, you could do much worse than going to the Barbican – my top tip would be to sit in the cheap seats at the top. I rarely pay more than £10 or £15 for a ticket and have seen so many amazing things. It’s also a great place to get to early and explore before the concert (as well as being a great place to get lost. I have to confess I still get pretty confused about how to get in and out of that venue and every time I go, I just cycle until I get somewhere else I recognise so I can get home!) Just head to the Barbican website to see what’s on and get exploring!
Pins on this post
- Barbican centre
Songs of Travel 