Things To Book, Watch & Listen To This Month
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JOHN HEDGECOE
THE DISPLAY: Henry Moore: The Sixties At Henry Moore Foundation Museum
This new exhibition charts Henry Moore's life and work during a pivotal decade in his career – the 60s. During this time, the abstract artist embraced new materials and techniques which enabled him to work on a monumental scale. This exhibition features rarely seen sculptures, drawings, graphics and a wealth of archive material from the museum’s collections to illuminate Moore at the height of his fame. Highlights include the never-before-exhibited plaster for Large Spindle Piece 1968 and the working models for some of Moore's most important international commissions. Tickets cost £16.
Visit Henry-Moore.org
THE OPERA: The Paradis Files At Southbank Centre
From Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th April visitors can watch the world premiere of this new opera at Southbank Centre. The Paradis Files tells a forgotten story from 18th-century Vienna of Maria-Theresia von Paradis, a blind Austrian composer. Known as ‘The Blind Enchantress’, historians believe Mozart may have written Piano Concerto No 18 about the mysterious woman. The opera tells the story of those closest to her looking to profit from her blindness, while others try to cure her – with whatever it takes. In this performance, one woman is finally drawn out of the shadows to reclaim her place in the spotlight of music history. Tickets start from £18.
Belvedere Road, Southbank, SE1 8XX
Visit SouthbankCentre.co.uk
THE FESTIVAL: Marylebone Food Festival
From Tuesday 26th April to Sunday 1st May, Marylebone Food Festival will take place across the neighbourhood to celebrate its dining and drinking scene. Over the course of the week, over 30 restaurants and bars will offer special menus, masterclasses, supper clubs and tastings, including Cubit House, Lina Stores, The Cavendish, Nobu Portman Square, The Grazing Goat and Taka. Highlights include a Japanese cocktail masterclass at Junsei, a special three-course menu at The Coach Makers pub and a tasting experience at La Fromagerie. To kick off the festival, food critic Jay Rayner will host a charity dinner (£110pp) in a Grade I-listed church in Marylebone with entertainment from his jazz quartet in aid of The Food Chain, which delivers meals and groceries and offers cookery classes to people affected by HIV.
Crawford Street, Marylebone, W1H 1JN
THE PERFORMANCE: Meltdown Festival At Southbank Centre
Grace Jones will perform in Southbank Centre’s Meltdown festival this summer – tickets are expected to sell out quickly so don’t delay in booking yours. The festival will take place at Royal Festival Hall from Friday 10th until Saturday 19th June, spanning punk, folk and experimental electronica music. Grace Jones will open and close the festival over two performances with a backing orchestra. Visitors can listen to dramatic versions of her hit classics such as ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ and ‘Pull Up to the Bumper’. Other highlights from the festival include performances by Angélique Kidjo, John Grant, Desire Marea and Dave Okumu.
Belvedere Road, Southbank, SE1 8XX
Visit SouthbankCentre.co.uk
THE TREAT: Royal Lancaster Afternoon Tea
Royal Lancaster hotel has created a new afternoon tea for spring. Book a table at the hotel’s Hyde Café to enjoy a selection of sweet and savoury treats between 1pm and 4pm. New dishes include corn-fed chicken with tarragon sandwiches; English beef with olive butter, mustard and rocket salad on granary bread; tomato, buffalo mozzarella and pesto sandwiches; a selection of warm homemade scones with clotted cream and jam; almond frangipane with passionfruit and gianduja cream; dark chocolate cake with blackcurrant ganache; coconut Victoria sponge; and honey and apple tart. This is served alongside a selection of Camellia’s Tea House tea and a glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. From £29pp.
Lancaster Terrace, West End, W2 2T
Visit RoyalLancaster.com
THE HOLIDAY: Oliver's Travels Downton Abbey Experience
To celebrate the second Downton Abbey film which is released at the end of the month, Oliver's Travels has created a three-day holiday package where guests can live like the Crawleys on the French Riviera, staying at luxury property Palais De L’Océan where much of the movie was shot. Guests can take part in a special itinerary of activities fit for a Duchess, including clay pigeon shooting, horse riding and an extravagant ball with live music, canapes a champagne. The weekend also includes a boat trip excursion, a cocktail tasting experience, a bridge and casino night with whisky, as well as a private chef and butler service throughout. Prices are available on request.
Visit OliversTravels.com
THE SHOPPING EVENT: King's Cross Classic Car Boot Sale
On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th April, the Classic Car Boot Sale returns to King’s Cross. Taking place across Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard, shoppers will be able to browse over 100 stalls of fashion, homeware, art, accessories and vinyl. A great spot for picking up vintage pieces, you can shop stalls from brands like Herbie Mensah, Woowoo Boutique and Hang Up Vintage, all of which will be trading from a line-up of classic cars, vans, scooters and motorbikes. Be sure to check out the Routemaster Bar Bus, where live DJs will play a selection of soul, funk, reggae and disco tunes from across the decades, then stop at the street food vendors for pizza, burritos, waffles and vegan burgers. Tickets cost £5 and kids go free.
Stable Street, King's Cross, N1C 4DQ
Visit ClassicCarBootSale.co.uk
THE EXHIBITION: Japan: Courts And Culture At The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace
This new exhibition features hundreds of objects of Japanese art in the western world, many of which are on display for the first time. Japan: Courts and Culture traces the relationship between the British and Japanese royal and imperial families over four centuries, from first encounters and early trade under James I to the modern partnership of Her Majesty The Queen’s reign. Many of the pieces on display are rare surviving examples of Japanese craftsmanship, including armour and weaponry, porcelain, lacquer, woodcut prints and embroidered screens. The exhibition will be in place until March 2023; tickets cost £17.
Buckingham Palace, St James’s, SW1A 1AA
Visit RCT.uk
ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST & © HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II 2022
UNSPLASH/EMRAN YOUSOF
THE TOUR: Great Railway Journeys Floriade Flower Shows
Great Rail Journeys has created two new tours for guests who want to experience the Floriade Flower Shows in Amsterdam and Bruges, the horticultural events that only happens once a decade. The first tour in Amsterdam features tickets to the show, access to the famous Keukenhof Gardens (home to millions of flowering plants and only open a few weeks each year) and a tour of the Royal Delft porcelain factory. Meanwhile, the tour in Bruges includes a guided tour of the city and tickets to the flower show. Tickets start from £795pp and the price includes accommodation, a number of meals, and all rail and coach travel throughout the trip.
Visit GreatRail.com
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