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LONDON FOR FUN Newsletter: 7 October 2008 Issue No.157

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http://www.londonforfun.com
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1.) Top 10 London events
2.) Other Events, Theatre listings, Museums and Galleries
3.) How to unsubscribe

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1. Top 10 London events
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1 - Carmina Burana - Following last year’s incredibly popular event, Orff’s towering masterpiece Carmina Burana crowns an evening of superb music, which also includes the ‘Organ’ Symphony by Saint-Saëns featuring Stephen Disley on the Great Organ of the Royal Albert Hall.
25 October. www.royalalberthall.com

2 - Hadrian: Empire and Conflict - Hadrian, emperor of Rome from 117 to 138 AD, is best known for his interest in architecture, his passion for Greece and Greek culture and of course the eponymous wall he built between England and Scotland. This exhibition will look beyond his established image and offer new perspectives on his life and rule, exploring the sharp contradictions of his personality and his role as a ruthless military commander. Set against the backdrop of the events of his 21-year reign, the exhibition will explore his immense legacy, incorporating recent scholarship and the latest archaeological discoveries from Tivoli, his spectacular villa near Rome. Until 26 October. www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

3 - Phantasia - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Christopher Warren-Green conductor, Chloë Hanslip violin and Julian Lloyd Webber cello. Programme includes Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden, Elgar Chason de Matin, Lloyd Webber Phantasia and Elgar 'Enigma' Variations. 29 October. www.theindigo2.com

4 - Philip Pearlstein: Up Close and Impersonal - In his recent paintings and works on paper, Pearlstein presents models in various stages of repose - sleeping, sitting or lying - amidst an array of props including Americana, toys, weathervanes, textiles and furnishings. Reminiscent more of still life compositions, they are an exact and deliberate translation of what the artist observes in his studio, echoing his long-held conviction that “it is the honesty of the attempt to recreate the forms and spaces visually without artistic editing that is one of the hallmarks of realist painting”. From 15 October until 15 November. www.victoria-miro.com

5 - Roberto Cuoghi: Šuillakku - Šuillakku is an immersive, hugely evocative sound installation. Roberto Cuoghi undertook an imaginative journey back to Mesopotamia in the seventh century BC, when the Assyrian empire was falling into ruin and the city of Ninevah (the site of which is in modern-day Iraq) was ransacked by its enemies. Inspired by Assyrian lamentations to their gods, this intense aural landscape gives the visitor the impression of being surrounded by hundreds of people at a time of great suffering. To create Šuillakku, Cuoghi spent two years immersed in the language and rituals of the Assyrians. The soundtrack he composed draws on this research and is enriched by his imagination. The work employs a huge range of musical instruments, many of which were recreated especially for the piece. Of equal importance to Šuillakku is its vocal aspect: a vast chorus which Cuoghi created by multiplying and mutating his own voice into an extraordinarily potent, cacophonous assault. From 14 October until 23 November. www.ica.org.uk

6 - Robin Rhode - Robin Rhode is a major new talent on the international art scene. He has developed a growing reputation for brilliantly inventive performances, photographs and drawings. Rhode combines large-scale charcoal drawings with charming and sharp-witted performances, often acted out on the street. In his video animations, Rhode tries to interact with two-dimensional representations of everyday objects; he draws a candle and tries to blow it out; he paints a bicycle and tries to ride it. Until 7 December. www.hayward.org.uk

7 - Richard Serra - Three new steel sculptures will be shown at the Britannia Street galleries together with "forged drawings" – small, geometric forged steel plates with paint stick applied to the surface. At the same time, new works on paper will be shown at the Davies Street gallery. Richard Serra is one of the most significant artists of his generation. His groundbreaking sculpture explores the exchange between artwork, site, and viewer. He has produced unparalleled large-scale, site-specific sculptures for architectural, urban and landscape settings. Until 20 December. www.gagosian.com

8 - Bern Schwartz: Portraits of the 1970s - A new display at the National Portrait Gallery will show a selection of one of the biggest-ever gifts to the Gallery, 140 of the most iconic photographs of famous 20th century British subjects. Taken between 1975 and 1978 they include portraits of Margaret Thatcher, Rudolf Nureyev, John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Lord Denning, the Prince of Wales, A J Ayer, Tony Benn, Zandra Rhodes and Twiggy. The gift presented by the Bernard Lee Schwartz Foundation comprises portraits of some of the most prominent figures from British life in the late 1970s, including actors, politicians, artists, academics and royalty. The portraits often capture the subjects in surroundings reflecting their personality, life and work. Henry Moore is pictured in his studio with his sculpture, Peggy Ashcroft is shown in front of Walter Sickert's portrait of her in Venice, Margot Fonteyn sits by her painted portrait by Pietro Annigoni, John Gielgud is at home in his Buckinghamshire villa, while David Hockney is seen in his studio with his self-portrait and painting, My Parents. Until 4 January. www.npg.org.uk

9 - Francis Bacon - An exhibition of the work of Francis Bacon (1909-1992) opening in September 2008 at Tate Britain will be a major celebration heralding the artist’s centenary in 2009. As the first UK retrospective since 1985, it will afford a re-assessment of his work in the light of the new research that has emerged since the revelation of his studio and its contents following the artist’s death. Comprising around 60 works and covering the artist’s career, the exhibition will bring together the most important works from each period of his life. It will be the largest display to date to examine Bacon’s sources, processes and thoughts. Until 4 January. www.tate.org.uk

10 - Cold War Modern - Design 1945-70 - The period after the Second World War was one of anxiety and tension but also one of great optimism and unprecedented technological development. This exhibition examines how design was shaped by the cold war period against the backdrop of the battle between communism and capitalism, the advances of the space race, and the international competition to be modern. Concentrating on the years from 1945 to 1970, the exhibition displays objects from around the world including the USA, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Italy, France, East and West Germany, Cuba and the UK. Until 11 January. www.vam.ac.uk

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2. Other Events, Theatre listings, Museums and Galleries

Events listing:
http://www.londonforfun.com/events-in-London.htm

Theatre listings:
http://www.londonforfun.com/London-theatres.htm

Museum listing:
http://www.londonforfun.com/London-museums.htm

Galleries listings:
http://www.londonforfun.com/galleries-in-London.htm

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