Famous People I've Sat by at a Concert

[3rd Viennese School]

I sat next to Flay's wife once. (He's not on here now is he? He's on R3OK)

The geezer who did the song day trip to bangor plays in our local pubs.
Er, thats it.

3VS

[Richard Tarleton]

Dimitry Shostakovitch - well, OK, he wasn't actually next to me but he was in the same concert hall - at the premiere of his 15th in London.
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You and me both! Also on the bill, Oistrach playing 1st violin concerto, Maxim conducting. The previous night, Oistrach played Prokoviev 1st, encoring the second movement, followed by Borodin 2, cond. Svetlanov.

[french frank]

I sat next to Flay's wife once. (He's not on here now is he? He's on R3OK)

He's certainly here now. He just doesn't post as much as he used to. Says he's busy

[PatrickOD]

A couple of years ago I was at a local concert of new music. One of the pieces, a world premier for violin and piano, was by Michael Finnissy. At the end of the piece the man sitting in front of me responded to a call from the performers for the composer to take a bow. I spoke to him afterwards.

[Ferretfancy]

Some years ago, the BBC SO played a new work by Colin Matthews at the RFH, and when it ended I sounded off to my partner along the lines of " What terrible stuff, God knows how the orchestra can play this sort of rubbish without laughing" etc. etc.
At that point the conductor looked up in our direction, and the man in the seat in front of me walked onto the platform, now guess who it was ?
PS I have enjoyed other works by him since !

[salymap]

i have nothing new to add but this is worth reading for the wonderful posts from the late lamented Chris Newman, SHB and one or two others.

It was on a guest's page today. Enjoy

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I missed this Thread when it started, so thanks to sals for reviving it.

I sat in front of Tippett at two concerts - one conducted by Rattle in which the Concerto for Orchestra was performed, the other when Pritchard conducted A Child of Our Time. I have the autographed scores as souvenirs. I also sat next-but-three to Boulez at a concert in which Turangalila was performed: he was remarkably restrained, all things considered! (PB was there for a premiere of a York Holler work produced at IRCAM: I expected him to leave in the interval, but no: he gave it another go - I didn't dare ask what he thought afterwards!)

And the clarinettist Armand Angster borrowed my Programme at a concert in St Paul's Hall in the 1997 Huddersfield Festival.

[ahinton]

I walked into RFH immediately behind William Hague and his wife on the occasion of the world première of Elgar 3 in 1998 and I sat quite close to Tony Benn at that concert; I have no idea where the Hagues sat.

I'll never forget a recital in London by Michelangeli in 1995 (the first that he'd given since he suffered a massive heart attack on his 70th birthday some four months earlier. It was a sad occasion in that most of the performance turned out to be one that he should have cancelled (as was so often his wont) but didn't. He was visibly dismayed at his own playing (of an all-Beethoven and Chopin programme). I don't think that I've encountered a greater number of distinguished pianists in an audience anywhere else. I didn't sit next to or even near any of them but if the person sat next to Cherkassky wasn't Barenboim he was a very good likeness to him...

[Bax-of-Delights]

I walked into RFH immediately behind William Hague and his wife on the occasion of the world première of Elgar 3 in 1998 and I sat quite close to Tony Benn at that concert; I have no idea where the Hagues sat.

I was at that premiere as well.

Glad to see this thread has revived as I can now tell a story of the late Ronald Searle who died earlier this year. His second wife, Monica, was a very good customer of mine (she was an avid reader of crime fiction) and I used to send large parcels of books out to south of France where they resided. Some years ago I was invited to visit with them "and we'll show you the sites". The down side to this otherwise extremely enjoyable week (the Searles were bon viveurs extraordinaire enjoying Michelin starred food whenever they could and Laurent Perrier champers every day) was the fact that Monica insisted on driving. Let's just say that her skills at driving were akin to the most reckless of Formula 1 practioners becoming impatient with each and every vehicle that impeded her way. The roads in and around Draguinan are winding and from the rear seat of the somewhat dented vehicle that she drove the overtaking of no less than 3 caravan trailers on a blind bend sufficed to almost bring up the pate foie gras that I had just enjoyed. Ronald, seated in the front, turned nairy a hair.
The one comfort I had was that I felt that if I had to go into oblivion then there were worse fates than plummeting into a ravine with Ronald Searle as a death companion.
Monica survived her own driving and a virulent cancer for over 30 years before finally succumbing to the latter. Ronald found life without her impossible and died a few months later (of natural causes but probably of a broken heart).

[Cheapskater]

I walked into RFH immediately behind William Hague and his wife on the occasion of the world première of Elgar 3 in 1998 and I sat quite close to Tony Benn at that concert; I have no idea where the Hagues sat.

I'll never forget a recital in London by Michelangeli in 1995 (the first that he'd given since he suffered a massive heart attack on his 70th birthday some four months earlier. It was a sad occasion in that most of the performance turned out to be one that he should have cancelled (as was so often his wont) but didn't. He was visibly dismayed at his own playing (of an all-Beethoven and Chopin programme). I don't think that I've encountered a greater number of distinguished pianists in an audience anywhere else. I didn't sit next to or even near any of them but if the person sat next to Cherkassky wasn't Barenboim he was a very good likeness to him...

We were at the Elgar 3 premiere also and saw William, Ffione and Tony in the foyer. I think Dr Jack Straw and Prof. Roy Strong were also there, absolutely full house. Horrible seats at the RFH - Knees and Chins!

[Mary Chambers]

I was once in the same concert audience as Benjamin Britten, but since there are people on here who actually met him I don't think that will impress many people. It impressed me, though. (War Requiem, conducted by Charles Groves. Guess who the tenor was...)

I may be the only person here, though, who has met Michael Tippett's mother

(And, getting even further away from the topic, I can't resist adding that my son was recently in the same restaurant as Nigella Lawson, and opened the door for her....and no, he wasn't the commissionaire )

[gurnemanz]

Down in this part of the world (Wilts/Glos) Prince Charles regularly attends the excellent Music in Country Churches series of which he is patron. We have often sat close to him.

At one of the first (now defunct, I believe) Gramophone Award Evenings we were across the aisle from Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu who went up and sang for us.

Does standing at the next urinal to David Mellor at the Barbican count?

[salymap]

I wasn't going to post as I brought it back but met lots of people in my jobs. One memory is having afternoon tea with my two senior colleagues from Augener at the London College of Music, tea with Dr. William Lloyd Webber, dad of the famous two. Unless my memory is faulty, tea was brought in by a lady in waitress's uniform, black and white, rather like the 'nippies' at Lyons. My naughty colleagues said 'This is Bill' so I didn't say a word. The sons were very small at this time and Dr W composed Church anthems etc Lots more but this is Chris Newman's thread to me.

[vinteuil]

... some people even claim that they have sat near to Me!

.

[ahinton]

We were at the Elgar 3 premiere also and saw William, Ffione and Tony in the foyer. I think Dr Jack Straw and Prof. Roy Strong were also there, absolutely full house. Horrible seats at the RFH - Knees and Chins!

Roy Strong was definitely there but I'd no idea that Jack Straw had attended....