Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London

This is where the Orange BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards) takes place.
And the BAFTAs are always held, on the second Sunday of February (i.e. the Sunday before Valentine’s Day).

Tip: Always bring a DSLR camera with and a small umbrella, together with a waterproof/showerproof jacket and/or raincoat.

Over the last few years, I’ve always worn a Barbour wax jacket together with a pair of gloves and a small Fox umbrella. And more importantly, I always take more than one camera with me.

One of the most beautiful buildings in London. Being situated directly on Covent Gardens give you the chance to view the square from the Opera balcony during the show intervals. The staff were very friendly and although we arrived late, we were seated in a waiting area with live screens meaning we could view the show until the first interval started. The house itself has been very well kept after and will no dissapoint. The view is great at the house is relatively small in comparison to other theaters. Overall great.

Magical and Exhilarating!! Any performance here just makes my life so thrilling. Tried to get seats for a lunchtime concert in the Crush Room next week……sold out!
You have to get in early. Nutcracker coming soon.

One of my places in London
I love the refurbished Opera House

This whole place is amazing. The balconies, the boxes, the ceiling are breathtaking. Yes, the drinks are eyewateringly expensive but it has the most fantastic terrace which overlooks Covent Garden. We've been to several operas there and it always feels like such a special occasion even for us in the cheap seats!

I absolutely love the Royal Opera House. The whole experience of seeing an Opera or Ballet there is magical. I don't care that the interval drinks are expensive because the quality of wine is fabulous. I always come out of there feeling like a millionaire, even though I usually get the £15 tickets.

This is such a beautiful and elegant building that it is well worth saving up your pennies to treat yourself to see a performance. From the moment you step inside, you feel so special! I saw The Bolshoi Ballet in May 2010 when they visited London and felt happy to have had the privilege of seeing one of the best ballet companies in the world!I paid for an extremely expensive seat in the stalls but it was worth it to get a good view of the dancers. I was so close that I could see the expression in their faces as they acted out their roles in Coppelia. Lovely live music from the orchestra, beautiful staging and costumes. During the interval there was plenty of time to find the loos or have a quick wander around the corridors where you can view black and white photos of dancers and past productions. Check out the gift shop as it's a great place to buy DVDs of ballets, dance magazines and presents for your friends!The whole place feels very airy and spacious- I liked it very much and hope to treat myself to another production in the future. For people who haven't seen a ballet or opera before, I would encourage you to go. Being here with the live music is a totally different experience from just watching it on tv!

Absolutely stunning place to see a show. I went to see Manon, which was an amazing ballet, but unfortunately we had to get Restricted View seats because everything else was sold out, and they were still quite expensive tickets. It was a fun experience being in a balcony box, but literally only seeing a third of the stage was a struggle.

I would highly recommend seeing Manon as the dancing is extraordinary, costumes are gorgeous, and setting is beautiful. Really exceptional show and so glad I went, even with partial view. Champagne bar will also set you back at £12/glass but it is a lovely atmosphere.

Despite having grown up in London and loving ballet, my first visit to the Royal Opera House was only last week (Swan Lake and it was incredible).

But as amazing as the show was, coming to the ROH building feels like an occasion in itself. The champagne bar and restaurant, housed in a huge glass building, is well worth a wonder around.

The Ampitheatre bar is less spectacular but good if you'd like a sandwich (around £8). Don't expect to pay anything less than £18 for a main meal in the restaurant. Nothing here is cheap but is that a surprise?

That said, my seats were surprisingly good value. I paid £23 for a seat (no armrests) in the Ampitheatre but I had a brilliant view of the stage considering. Standing tickets are available, but I don't think I have the stamina for that.

Very much looking forward to visiting again. I love that you can turn it into a night out, get dressed up and order champagne...or you can go in jeans and have interval ice cream. Works both ways.

Aida at The Royal Opera House.

Verdi composed Aida in 1871 for the opening of the Egyptian National Opera House in Cairo.

David McVicar's production returns for its first revival at Covent Garden in impressive style in 2011.

With set designs by Jean-Marc Puissant, you are captivated as soon as the music starts and the curtain lifts.

Aida tells of a forbidden love between enslaved Ethiopian princess Aida (played wonderfully by Liudmyla Monastyrska who was drafted in after Micaela Carosi withdrew from the role due to pregnancy) and Captain of the Egyptian army, Radames (Roberto Alagna).

With the nations at war and with Aida needing the keep her royal connections a secret, the story soon takes a complicated turn.

Other productions of Aida are well known for being over the top, with most of the attention focused on set design and costume.

David McVicar's production however uses minimal set design and lighting.

With all this taking a step into the background, the main performances have the space to really shine through.

This includes the fabulous Olga Borodina who plays the Egyptian princess who is also in love with Radames and is determined to find out Aida's secret.

The highlight of the whole production was the martial arts inspired dance scene to celebrate the Egyptians victory over the Ethiopians performed along side Giuseppe Verdi's stirring score (conducted by Fabio Luisi).

Aida is playing at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden until April 15th 2011.

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I went here recently to see Alice in Wonderland and I still get pleasant flashbacks when thinking about it.

The building is beautiful and everything has a really lovely and pleasant old charm about it. It still retains an orchestra pit and the bars serve a variety of drinks including very good kir royale which to me is the perfect drink for an interval.

There is nothing I can describe with words about the Royal Opera House that will compare to the experience of visiting it yourself. However, I am not objective, as it is one of my favourite places in London, where I have enjoyed many beautiful evenings.

The building is beautiful, and you can enjoy a glass of champagne in the grand bar downstairs, or a snack and a coffee in the bar upstairs or a gorgeous dinner in the restaurant. Or go for dinner outside (I'd recommend Cafe des Amis) and you can just wander around the opera house once you are inside.

You should also take the time to go onto the terrace on the top floor, overviewing Covent Garden, the best place to sit in Summer.

In Summer, it is great to cross Covent Garden after the performance has finished, as there is usually a great atmosphere with Covent Garden pretty empty, except for singers surrounded by small crowds that are singing along. I love joining them whenever I can :)

You don't need to attend a performance in order to see the building, as there are tours most of the year.

There are also free talks for which you can get tickets online and these are usually before a performance, giving insight about that opera/ballet/etc.

However, if you are thinking about attending a performance, here are a few tips:

I have been seated on the orchestra stalls, on the grand tier, balcony, ampitheatre, stalls, pretty much everywhere except for the boxes really. And I can say that you pay for what you get, although I find that some areas are quite overpriced.

You can get a standing ticket (although I wouldn't recommend standing for over 3h!) for as little as £8 or a seating ticket for £9 or £13 depending on the area. These tickets have restricted viewing but it is a good opportunity to experience opera or ballet for the first time and see if it is something that you would enjoy and therefore pay more for a better seat.

It is a great affordable alternative also if you really like it. I, for example, like going to all the operas, and enjoy the music and singing more than the performance itself, so the viewing restriction doesn't bother me that much. But this does depend on the opera as there as some in which the viewing aspect really enhances the overall performance.

Now, all I can say is enjoy! :)

The Royal Opera House certainly installs a feeling of nostalgia within you when you visit, even when it's your first time.

Having seen several performances here, the Royal Opera House offers a lot more in the way of a variety of performances than it's namesake implies, and you can catch everything from plays here to a Philharmonic Orcestra, depending on what your taste is.

As for taste itself, the decor is very impressive, and adequate, I only say this because I've seen better out there, only not that many.

The acoustics are moderate, generally passable, but sometimes you do feel as though the sound is a little dissonant, though I've only encountered this briefly from a handful of performances.

Overall, it's a nice venue, and a nice place to catch a show, just beware that the ticket prices are hiked up purely because it's in London.

Beautiful opera theatre! Excellent performances! Magic place!

I saw L'Heure Espagnole / Gianni Schicchi today, which was my first time in the ROH, as a nervous opera virgin. I was pleased to find out that it was absolutely fantastic - the venue is incredible, 4 tiers of seats, but very few bad views, I should imagine. The acoustics are, unsurprisingly, astounding. The seats were not at all uncomfortable, the staff were very welcoming and polite - the place was packed. Go, if only to see the Paul Hamlyn Hall Bar, which is very impressive.

It's an experience that everyone should have - I'll be going again!

I saw La Traviata last week. I was an opera virgin. To be honest I’m still not quite convinced about opera. Maybe it will grow on me. I never used to like red wine!!

Now I’m a borderline alcoholic. Just kidding (kind of)

The singing was quite impressive though. They really belt the songs out. My problem, I think, is that I was trying to think too much about the story, rather than 'feeling’ the music.

My girlfriend says it’s because I’m emotionally dettached.

As for the building. It’s incredibly beautiful inside and I loved the experience.

I’ll definnitely go again. I need my cultural side enhanced!!!

Great events

I’ve been here twice, once for the Sleeping Beauty (opera) and another time for the Seven Deady Sins (ballet). Both times I found the Royal Opera House impressive, and to think it’s along your Covent Garden window shopping route.

The horseshoe-shaped auditorium is something to take a long look at as it has been retained in this shape despite the modernisation in 1996.

You can get tickets from 8 to 100 pounds, depending on the type of seating and the show. As usual, there’s student concessions, but make sure you bring your student ID as one of my friends had forgotten and had to borrow from a passerby.

Well worth a visit !

very nice way to end ur day in the sest end,
avery one should visit,