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Concert Halls of London Trivia Quiz

There can be very few days in the year when Londoners (and visitors) are unable to attend a top-class classical music performance. This quiz covers some of the major concert venues in the UK's capital city.

A multiple-choice quiz by stedman. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
stedman

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
372,927

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
374

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. The Royal Albert Hall is probably London's most famous venue for classical music, although it also hosts a much wider range of events, including conferences, ballroom dancing, and sports such as tennis and boxing. From where did it get its name?
Hint

From its location in Albert Road, Kensington

From "Royal and Albert", the company that designed it

From Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria

From Sir Albert Hall, its first Music Director

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Question 2 of 10

2. The Queen's Hall in Langham Place (near Oxford Street) was the home of the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts from their foundation in 1895 until 1940. Why did "The Proms" move to the Royal Albert Hall in 1941? Hint

The Queen's Hall was destroyed during a German air raid

The Royal Albert Hall was nearer to Henry Wood's house

The Royal Albert Hall acoustics were better

The owners of the Queen's Hall charged too much

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Question 3 of 10

3. The Wigmore Hall, famous as a venue for chamber music concerts, was built by the German piano manufacturer Bechstein as a showcase for its products, and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall. Why was it renamed in 1917? Hint

To mark the birth of the owner's son, Wigmore

The owner, Herr Bechstein, changed his name to Wigmore

The business was seized as enemy property during World War I

To celebrate the re-opening of the nearby Wigmore Hotel

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Question 4 of 10

4. Now part of the South Bank Centre arts complex, London's Royal Festival Hall was built, as its name suggests, for the Festival of Britain. In what year did this major national celebration take place? Hint

1951

2000

1941

1851

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Question 5 of 10

5. London's South Bank Centre arts complex includes three concert halls. The medium-sized one, suitable for chamber orchestras and other small ensembles, is known as the QEH. For what do these initials stand? Hint

Quite Expensive Hall

Quincy Ellington Hall

Quick Exit Hall

Queen Elizabeth Hall

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Question 6 of 10

6. The smallest of the three South Bank Centre concert halls is named after one of Britain's greatest classical composers. What is his name? Hint

Harrison Birtwistle

Benjamin Britten

Henry Purcell

Edward Elgar

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Question 7 of 10

7. The Barbican Concert Hall opened in 1982, as part of a major new arts complex in the City of London. Which major London orchestra was based there from the start? Hint

London Symphony Orchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra

London Sinfonietta

Sinfonia of London

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Question 8 of 10

8. Nicknamed "Queen Anne's Footstool", this church dates back to 1728. Now no longer in religious use, it has become one of London's major venues for chamber music and performances by smaller ensembles and semi-professional orchestras. What is its correct name? Hint

St John's Smith Square

St James Piccadilly

St Martin-in-the-Fields

St Anne and St Agnes

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Question 9 of 10

9. The Cadogan Hall, near Sloane Square in West London, was not originally constructed as a concert hall. What was it from 1907 to 1996? Hint

Bus depot

Tate & Lyle sugar warehouse

First Church of Christ Scientist

Public lavatory

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Question 10 of 10

10. What is the name of the new Arts Centre that opened in 2008 near London's King's Cross Station, and which is the London base for the London Sinfonietta and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment? Hint

Camden Market

St Pancras Centre

Kings Place

Marylebone Hall

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: From Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria

Prince Albert proposed the construction of a "Central Hall of Arts and Sciences" near the site of the 1851 Great Exhibition, but died in 1861, a full 10 years before its completion. His widow, Queen Victoria, decreed that the building should be renamed the "Royal Albert Hall" in his memory, and it was she who attended its official opening ceremony on 29 March 1871.

It was designed by the civil engineers Francis Fowke and Henry Scott, and is situated on Kensington Gore, opposite Kensington Gardens.

Interestingly, it is not actually in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, but within the boundaries of the City of Westminster.

Answer: The Queen's Hall was destroyed during a German air raid

On the night of 10 May 1941, the Queen's Hall was hit by an incendiary bomb and totally destroyed by fire. One of the few items to survive intact was a bronze bust of Sir Henry Wood, which was rescued to preside over every subsequent Prom Concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The Queen's Hall acoustics were in fact much better than those of the Royal Albert Hall, which were notoriously poor.

Answer: The business was seized as enemy property during World War I

Bechstein had its London piano showroom in Wigmore Street, and funded the construction of the hall as a means of advertising its pianos, which were used for concerts there. But as a German-owned company, the showroom and its contents, plus the adjacent hall, were taken over by the Government during the First World War and auctioned off for whatever they could raise. Fortunately for music lovers, the concert hall was saved and reopened as the Wigmore Hall, after the street in which it stood.

Answer: 1951

The Festival of Britain took place 100 years after the 1851 Great Exhibition. The Royal Festival Hall is one of London's principal venues for large-scale orchestral concerts, and is situated on the South Bank between the National Theatre and the London Eye.

Answer: Queen Elizabeth Hall

Named after the reigning British monarch at the time of its opening in 1967, the Queen Elizabeth Hall seats around 900. Largely constructed of concrete, it is particularly unattractive from the outside (except to admirers of brutalist architecture, of which it is a good example).

6. The smallest of the three South Bank Centre concert halls is named after one of Britain's greatest classical composers. What is his name?

Answer: Henry Purcell

The Purcell Room has a seating capacity of 370, and is especially suitable for solo and duet recitals and other small-scale performances. It was built at the same time as the medium-sized hall on the same site, and shares the same foyer space.

7. The Barbican Concert Hall opened in 1982, as part of a major new arts complex in the City of London. Which major London orchestra was based there from the start?

Answer: London Symphony Orchestra

The residency got off to a slightly shaky start, with some poorly-attended concerts raising doubts as to the wisdom of the LSO basing itself so far from the traditional centres of London's artistic life. But a critically-acclaimed and popular concert series based around the music of Mahler helped to cement the relationship, which celebrated its 30th birthday in 2012.

Answer: St John's Smith Square

Located behind Westminster Abbey, legend has it that St John's Smith Square acquired its nickname when the architect, Thomas Archer, asked Queen Anne what she wanted the new church to look like. Irritated by his question, she kicked over her footstool, and said "Like that". To reflect the shape of the upturned stool, Archer designed the church to have four towers, one at each corner.

The other three options are also known for hosting musical performances, although they remain churches first and foremost.

9. The Cadogan Hall, near Sloane Square in West London, was not originally constructed as a concert hall. What was it from 1907 to 1996?

Answer: First Church of Christ Scientist

The Cadogan Hall is a medium-sized concert hall, seating around 900. It closed as a church in the 1990s when its regular congregation fell to a size when it was no longer viable to keep it open. Following refurbishment, it reopened as a concert hall in 2004 and is the London base of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Answer: Kings Place

Kings Place has a small concert hall seating 420, which is ideal for performances by small ensembles, plus another hall that can seat up to 220. As well as classical concerts, it also hosts jazz and folk music, and hosts art exhibitions and a variety of other events.

At the time, it claimed to be the first brand new classical concert venue to be built in London since the Barbican in 1982.

Source: Author stedman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor trident before going online.
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