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Covent Garden:

A Microcosm of London Life

 

By Natalie Artemas-Polak

 

People gather around a quick-witted, quick-fingered magician, his illusions rewarded with laughter and rounds of applause. Mesmerized children wonder aloud, “How did you do that?”

It is all typical street entertainment in London’s Covent Garden, a bustling district on the east side of London’s famous West End, easily accessible by six Underground stations. It boasts places to shop, to eat, to be entertained, to discover history, and to enjoy culture. The core of this area is an Italianate piazza surrounding a shop-filled building. Add to this the diverse outdoor entertainment—circus performers, illusionists, and musicians—and Covent Garden becomes a place that almost defies description.

Originally conceived as Convent Garden in medieval times as a vegetable garden for the monks of Westminster Abbey, today’s piazza was the brainchild of the 17th-century architect Inigo Jones. Open-air produce market stalls appeared later, followed in the 19th century by a covered stone building that housed them. Today, tourists shop here for souvenirs and knick-knacks instead of fruits and vegetables.

But Covent Garden caters to a wide range of shopping tastes. Not interested in fridge magnets or T-shirts? Stylish boutiques like Chanel and Tiffany’s are everywhere around the piazza and in the side streets, as are quintessentially British brands like Burberry’s. Neal’s Yard, a street name associated with Covent Garden since the 17th century, still exists with an eponymous bakery, cheese shop, natural remedies shop, and coffee shop. In the piazza, tourists and locals wend their way through stalls, that sell crafts like jewelry, handmade bags, or timepieces. 

Adventurous foodies are spoiled for choice here. Pubs with colourful names—The Lamb & Flag, The Punch & Judy, The White Lion, The Nag’s Head—provide traditional British fare and selections of ale. The Punch & Judy, on the lower level of the piazza, is the home of a beloved tradition of live music on its outdoor terrace. The Royal Opera House also calls Covent Garden home, and members of the opera company perform beloved solos and duets of Verdi or Puccini almost daily—much to the delight of patrons. As the music floats up into the piazza, many pedestrians stop to listen, leaning over the railings to see who is singing.

International flavours are well represented here, too. The nearby Côte Bistro, or Frenchie Covent Garden, both with bright, airy interiors, offer French cuisine with a modern twist. Feeling adventurous? The newly opened Sushisamba features a fusion of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine on the Opera Terrace, the upper level overlooking the piazza.   

A performance at the Royal Opera House (often referred to as the Covent Garden Opera), or a dramatic production at the nearby Adelphi or Savoy Theatres satiates the thirst for culture.

Covent Garden offers a microcosm of London life: its energy, its diversity of people, its history and its cuisine—and most important of all, its inclusive culture.

‘To sit by the wounded and soothe them, or silently watch the dead…’

 

By Natalie Artemas-Polak

 

“To the Memory of my brother Francis Kennard Bliss and all other Comrades killed in battle.”

Thus appears the dedication on the score of Arthur Bliss’s magnificent Morning Heroes, a lofty composition that contains not only stunning writing for orchestra and chorus, but also powerful performances by an orator who is supported by the orchestra.

The composition of Morning Heroes was a necessary catharsis for Bliss. He had begun to suffer from nightmares in which he relived unforgettable scenes of horror from his own wartime experience. His eventual return to the places of battle and the search for his brother’s grave helped Bliss to focus on the aspect of heroism in war, and this inspired him to compose Morning Heroes. But it is not particularly the heroism of military and patriotic deeds, but rather more that of the human spirit as it suffers, endures, and learns to transcend its predicament…

Bliss chose texts as diverse as the Iliad, and poetry by Li Tai Po, Wilfred Owen, Robert Nichols (from whose poem Dawn on the Somme the words “morning heroes” are taken), and two works by Walt Whitman. Together they succeed in depicting a wide range of emotions…The final movement is dedicated to the Battle of the Somme in which Kennard Bliss fell…

 

(Excerpt from essay for a music society newsletter)