From Big Ben to the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace to the Millennium Bridge, London is a city with landmarks — and character — to spare. Join us on this classical music voyage as we explore songs, symphonies, operas, and more inspired by and written for London.
Edward Elgar: Cockaigne Overture
A sense of anticipation propels this piece from its very first notes. As Elgar explores different moods, it’s as if the listener is traversing the different neighborhoods of the UK’s immense capital. Writing about the overture ahead of its premiere, Elgar explained that it evokes “all the good humour, jollity and something deeper in the way of English good fellowship… abiding still in our capital.”
Bob Chilcott: "Swimming Over London"
This breathtaking, dreamlike a cappella work is the title (and opening) track of Cambridge-based King’s Singers’s 2010 album. Written by English team composer Bob Chilcott and poet/librettist Charles Bennett, the piece paints a magical, wistful portrait of the city from the sky.
Gilbert and Sullivan: Yeomen of the Guard
Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1888 opera is set in the Tower of London. Though not without its fair share of hijinx, the opera is a bit darker than other Gilbert and Sullivan fare; the music melds grand opera sounds with lyrical, sensitive melodies.
George Frideric Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks
Written for a celebration at London’s Green Park, Handel’s baroque suite captures excitement and splendor in equal measures. This delightfully horn-heavy touchstone is as regal as regal gets.
Franz Joseph Haydn: London Symphony
Haydn’s final symphony — number 104 — is known as the London Symphony, although it is considered the twelfth of twelve symphonies that Haydn wrote during his stay in London in 1795. The prolific composer blended grand and regional folk sounds for a classical-era swan song.
Nigel Hess: New London Pictures
Another suite that looks to London landmarks, but these works were inspired by newer additions to the city skyline. The Millennium Bridge, the London Eye, and the recently implemented toll system Congestion Charge make up the inspirations for this dynamic set of pieces.
John Ireland: London Pieces
English composer John Ireland wrote this triptych of solo piano works dedicated to London. Both lively and contemplative, the works seem to capture the introspective quality that can come when you’re surrounded by millions.
Igor Stravinsky: The Rake’s Progress
Stravinsky’s English-language adaptation of William Hogarth’s series of eight 18th-century paintings is a Faustian tale of ambition and temptation. The debaucherous main character, Tom Rakewell, betrays his love for the seductive draw of London.
Ralph Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony
A piece inspired by and reflecting its Victorian-era setting, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s London Symphony alternates between bustling energy and quiet atmosphere, punctuated with city sounds, like the recurring chimes of Big Ben.
Haydn Wood: London Cameos
Light music, a classical-infused form of popular music, flourished in the UK between 1920 and 1960. English composer and violinist Haydn Wood took inspiration from “The City,” “St. James’s Park”, and “Buckingham Palace” in this jaunty trio of portraits.
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