What was your last concert?

[Richard Tarleton]

Last Saturday, my school (where I work), had held a magnificent concert that was played by Emma Johnson(clarinet), Andrew Lloyd Webber(cello), and John lill(piano).

The main works were LvB's and Brahms Clarinet Trios. These were marvelously executed performances from the above artists. Lots of black notes there, talking of which, with the artists' solo spots, John Lill gave a stonker of performance of Prok's Toccata, Op.7. It was given a standing ovation!

Wow! He played this in his final recital in the course of winning the Moscow competition in 1970 - he shared first prize with Krainev. This was included in a documentary about that year's competition aired at the time - thrilling stuff.

[Osborn]

You lucky so & so! (the Prok Toccata would be a wonderful encore for the brave!)

[Oldcrofter]

Snap, Aeolium ! However, we were there on Saturday afternoon and for the Sat. evening concert. What a delightful young quartet of outstanding musicians the Carducci are !

The afternoon event had beautifully chosen extracts from string quartets featured in the festival, played for the total enjoyment of all the children, sitting just in front of the musicians, captivated by the music and stimulated into producing art works after listening to and participating in the music for 45 minutes. Each member of the Carducci quartet spoke to the young listeners, treating them as intelligent people capable of using the music to evoke pictures in their minds.

The evening concert : Mozart K464 'The Drum' string quartet in A, Faure's song cycle 'Mirages' and Barber's Three Songs Op.10, wonderfully performed by baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Julius Drake who also joined the Carducci quartet for the final work of the evening, the Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G minor.

An absolute joy - in particular seeing the ability of Careducci to entertain, stimulate and delight young and old alike at different times in the day. They had also attracted a party of teenagers and, I guess, their teachers to the evening concert from the Cotswold School (a comprehensive school) in Bourton on the Water - that's something you don't often see !

[aeolium]

I couldn't make any of the Saturday events, Oldcrofter, otherwise I certainly would have tried to get to the evening concert at least. Roderick Williams was excellent, I thought, and also gave some impressive introductions to the Finzi song cycle and the Barber song on the Sunday.

And speaking of John Lill, I will be seeing him give a recital at Malvern on Saturday.

[Tony Halstead]

My 'last concert' as a listener was last night at the Barbican Hall, London, where I heard a very special - very fine - performance of Mahler's 4th symphony, played by the LSO conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. The excellent soprano soloist ( 4th movement) was Elizabeth Watts.
A lovely performance with a huge dynamic range and a clarity that made the Barbican seem like a pretty decent concert hall!

My 'last concert' as a player was about 2 or 3 weeks ago when I played the Strauss Horn Concerto no 1 with an excellent amateur orchestra in a very cold ( but visually lovely) church in a beautiful Shropshire town.

[marvin]

My last concert was at the Fairfield Halls on Wednesday. The RPO conducted by Andrew Litton with Nigel Kenneday playing Brahms' Violin Concerto where he played the Fritz Kreisler cadenza in the first movement (not impressed really this cadenza).
There did not appear to be any efficient air circulation in this hall and the full auditorioum and occupants were melting in the heat.

[Richard Tarleton]

I'm looking forward to my next concert - I daresay there are still tickets.

[BBMmk2]

More likely to have been his cello-playing brother Julian, BBM?

Doh! Goodness how stupid of me!

[BBMmk2]

Wow! He played this in his final recital in the course of winning the Moscow competition in 1970 - he shared first prize with Krainev. This was included in a documentary about that year's competition aired at the time - thrilling stuff.

That mustve ben quite an event!

[rauschwerk]

Hadleigh, Suffolk, last night: Psalmody and Essex Baroque Orchestra directed by Peter Holman in a 'Venetian Vespers'. All the music by Vivaldi except for one piece by Porpora. Very well performed and a lot less monotonous than I had expected. The highlight for me was Timothy Travers-Brown's effortlessly virtuosic and expressive singing of Nisi Dominus which understandably got the biggest ovation of the evening.

Amused to see PH conducting with a ballpoint pen - very HIPP. what? I did think afterwards that I had had enough journeys around the circle of fifths to last me for a week or so!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Amused to see PH conducting with a ballpoint pen - very HIPP. what?

Essex Biro-que Orchestra?

I did think afterwards that I had had enough journeys around the circle of fifths to last me for a week or so!

[Richard Tarleton]

To St David's Cathedral last night for an all-Byrd programme by Cardinall's Music - powerful stuff. 5-part mass and music related to Corpus Christi - with brief, elegant, erudite and entertaining intros by Andrew Carwood. Most enjoyable. Next week, by total contrast, to Cardiff for Eine Alpensinfonie

[french frank]

I learned from my mistake a few weeks back when I was too late booking for Winterreise and found myself in a 'Limited View' seat behind a pillar. I could see Paul Lewis but Mark Padmore was hidden for the entire concert.

For tonight I've splurged out on a central stalls seat for Schwanengesang which I'm not familiar with. What's the best way to approach the work(s)? Other than having a vaguely valedictory theme, I'm not sure what to expect. Does it come over as individual songs or can one construct a narrative?

[DracoM]

Tasmin Little live in my Dales village in a stunning concert as part of the ongoing local Music Festival.

[amateur51]

Doh! Goodness how stupid of me!

These things happen BBM - blimey I should know!