On the earlier Cancellitis thread there was speculation about why Sir Colin Davis was cancelling a concert in Boston etc.
This lunchtime I toddled along to the Royal Academy of Music in the most wonderful Spring sunshine to hear the Academy Concert Orachestra play Bruckner symphony No 6 under his direction.
The stage was full of young people with their instruments, the women in a variety of highly colourful dresses, the poor blokes in standard black tie. The audience held a fair number of senior peiople from RAM, including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and RAM's Principal, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood plus run-of-the-mill civilians like me.
Having heard the recent news of Sir Colin's fall at the Royal Opera House and mindful of his wife's death last Summer, I must say that I was more than a tad apprehensive but the familiar mane of white hair bobbed up from the stairs and there he was wiggling his way between the players to the podium. He's certainly lost weight and was looking a little drawn.
He started conducting standing up but after a few bars he sat down on a high- backed chair, occasionally leaning over to the left to grasp the brass rail. All the familiar CD gestures were there, and the orchestra rose maginificently to its task. It struck me initially that he took the opening Majestoso at a fair old lick but I soon settled down and the tempo was sustained. The words that kept popping into my head were affection and autumnal and yet there was plenty of gusto and some very fine playing from the brass and woodwind, lots of women present in both sections. His directions were clear and consistent, and his capacity to drive to a climax seemed undiminished. He also got some fine quiet playing.
Once the performance was over it was clear to see that Sir Colin was now tired, stumbling a little as he walked to & fro through the orchestra to take his well-earned applause. But he was his usual courteous self towards his musicians and particularly to the leader, whom he invited to walk with him off the stage.
I must say that I was relieved to see him in action again and, while is clearly slightly frail at the moment, I'm not talking Klemperer frail, thanks goodness.
And a bonus part of this concert? It was free!
This lunchtime I toddled along to the Royal Academy of Music in the most wonderful Spring sunshine to hear the Academy Concert Orachestra play Bruckner symphony No 6 under his direction.
The stage was full of young people with their instruments, the women in a variety of highly colourful dresses, the poor blokes in standard black tie. The audience held a fair number of senior peiople from RAM, including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and RAM's Principal, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood plus run-of-the-mill civilians like me.
Having heard the recent news of Sir Colin's fall at the Royal Opera House and mindful of his wife's death last Summer, I must say that I was more than a tad apprehensive but the familiar mane of white hair bobbed up from the stairs and there he was wiggling his way between the players to the podium. He's certainly lost weight and was looking a little drawn.
He started conducting standing up but after a few bars he sat down on a high- backed chair, occasionally leaning over to the left to grasp the brass rail. All the familiar CD gestures were there, and the orchestra rose maginificently to its task. It struck me initially that he took the opening Majestoso at a fair old lick but I soon settled down and the tempo was sustained. The words that kept popping into my head were affection and autumnal and yet there was plenty of gusto and some very fine playing from the brass and woodwind, lots of women present in both sections. His directions were clear and consistent, and his capacity to drive to a climax seemed undiminished. He also got some fine quiet playing.
Once the performance was over it was clear to see that Sir Colin was now tired, stumbling a little as he walked to & fro through the orchestra to take his well-earned applause. But he was his usual courteous self towards his musicians and particularly to the leader, whom he invited to walk with him off the stage.
I must say that I was relieved to see him in action again and, while is clearly slightly frail at the moment, I'm not talking Klemperer frail, thanks goodness.
And a bonus part of this concert? It was free!
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