classical life

I took a trip to London recently — vacation, more or less, not business. I did a few musical things, though. Here are a few photographs, mostly music-related.

View from the London Eye (photo by M.A. Mullen).

I went to the unveiling of this plaque, on Regent Street (photo courtesy of Royal Philharmonic Society).

Members of the National Youth Orchestra played a new fanfare by the composer Bertie Baigen (left) at the unveiling ceremony (photo courtesy of RPS).

I attended a concert at Royal Albert Hall, a Proms in fact, performed by the National Youth Orchestra and conducted by Vasily Petrenko. Heard the premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s “Frieze.” The acoustics were quite good, to my surprise. (Photo by M.A. Mullen.)

I saw “The Tempest” at the Globe. The incidental music, by the composer who also wrote the score for “Shakespeare in Love,” was fantastic. It included solo parts for didgeridoo and bass trombone.

I also visited the Handel House Museum. The composer lived here from 1723-1759, and probably died in this bedroom, which is recreated to look like when he lived there. (Photo courtesy of the Handel House Museum.)

The main reason I went to London was the tour of the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, in which a member of my family plays. Here’s the orchestra after a performance in Southwark Cathedral. That’s conductor Daniel Alfred Wachs, standing with his back to the camera on the left. (Photo by M.A. Mullen.)

I wrote an article about the musical aspects of the trip for Sunday’s Orange County Register.

Click here to read my article (one day pass or paid subscription required).